Assignment (Unit 101-105) - Idea Development - Famous Paintings

After doing some research on Joel Peter Witkin (which will be my next blog entry) I just wanted to briefly expand on my idea of re-creating famous paintings.  A lot of Witkin's work shows his interpretation of some of history's greatest paintings.  I have always been into art and spent a lot of time and money on acrylics and canvases.  An idea I once had was to re-create famous paintings as walk through environments.  You could walk into the frame and explore the work of art as if you were living in it.  This was such an over imagined idea and would require lots and lots of money.

As I found myself being more captivated by photography I decided to put down the paints and pick up a camera.  My fascination with art is still the thing that drives me forward but now I see photography as a way to create works of art that would be far beyond my skills as a painter.

As a homage to those painters who inspired me I thought it would be interesting to do photographic re creations of their works.  Of course I would add my own twist to proceedings and fill the images with symbolism.

Francis Bacon - Painting 1946

Francis Bacon's Painting 1946 is one of my favourite works of art.  This is the picture I would want to re create mare than anything.  I think the whole composition, together with the right lighting, would look brilliant as a photo.


Grant Wood - American Gothic

Grant Wood's classic American Gothic would be another great painting to re imagine along with Chagall's A Midsummer Nights Dream.  I feel that these photographs would compliment the originals and act as a companion piece.      

Marc Chagall - A Midsummer Nights Dream

Like most of my ideas, re creating these famous works of art would require a lot of money which is why I would have to put this theme at the bottom of my list for now.  Some works, like American Gothic, could be captured quite simply but to set up most of the paintings it would require an expansive array of tools, people, props, locations and pounds sterling, and that's before the hours of tinkering I would have to do on photoshop.

Maybe one day in the future I will expand upon this theme and attempt to shoot it but until then I'll admit defeat on this one.  I feel this one would be just too much too soon.