Jeff Wall Flashcards
Artist Profile:
Jeff Wall
Canadian artist, photographer and art historian.
Taught himself photography, seeing it as the best tool for expressing his conceptual ideas.
Pioneer in the field of conceptual photography
Known to leverage his art history background along with cinematic techniques to create images that question what’s real and what’s true.
Majority of his pieces are set in Vancouver and contain references to art, the media, and socio-economic problems.
EoA/PoD:
A Sudden Gust Of Wind (after Hokusai)
by Jeff Wall
The female character of the left is still, in a state of shock, while her head is concealed by her scarf, blown by the wind, which dispersed her sheet of papers into the centre of the picture
Two men hold their hats in their heads, facing the strength of the wind
A third man, in between them, looks to the sky as his trilby flies away
Two thin trees in the foreground bend and release some leaves
The landscape appears to be suburban and presents brown fields and a canal, with small shacks, a row of telegraph poles, concrete pillars and other signs that evoke industrial farming
Main Idea Expressed:
A Sudden Gust Of Wind (after Hokusai)
by Jeff Wall
-Based on a Japanese print of the same name
-Reworked the composition to challenge the assumed narratives, one that is affiliated with certain times, places and people
-Photography doesn’t just capture a moment; it can also construct one
EoA/PoD:
A view from an apartment
By Jeff Wall
Ordinary Scene:
-Modern decor
-Half-finished laundry
-Cluttered coffee table.
-A woman walks forward while folding a cloth napkin; another pauses at a magazine page that’s momentarily caught her eye
-Framed by the large picture window, is a panoramic view of Vancouver’s harbour just outside.
-Repeated diagonal lines of the television, the shelves above, and the basket below pull our eye to the standing woman.
-Woman’s forward motion leads us to the sitting area, which, in turn, draws our attention up to the window and the view outside.
Main Idea Expressed:
A view from an apartment
By Jeff Wall
Question the photograph’s value as an accurate record of the scene, and effectively demonstrates the artifice inherent to established traditions of art.
