Brian Calvin: Exploring Nothingness

First off, happy Valentine’s Day! In a very, UN-Valentine’s Day fashion, here are some…shall we say un-cheery paintings by Brian Calvin. What better way to celebrate cupid than look at paintings that embody a certain tension…

Calvin paints figurative paintings of androgenous, bohemian-esque young people– who seemingly hang around in an odd state of ennui. He’s been compared to David Hockey, and that’s not half bad. Either way, I can’ help but come back to his study of nothingness. It’s disconcerting to look at the kids’ elongated figures, mellow eyes and inexpressive mouths. But yet, I can’t look away. Something odd is going on. These paintings don’t have a set beginning or an end– but they take a long time to explain their nothingness. And that is a sweet story indeed.

Beyond, 2005

Pinch, 2009

Thing (I), 2007

Still Live With Flower, 2006

Rose Gold, 2007

Sunny, 2007

The Low Road (God Out West), 2006

Portrait With Bun, 2006

Check out more works.

Lydia Panas: A study of the human condition

Some human relationships cannot be summed up in words. Photographer Lydia Panas explores human relationships with quiet, personal photos depicting friends, family members, and other people she knows who are willing give her a glimpse their world.

In her series, the Mark of Abel many of her subjects pose against a natural, forest background. Her photos make use of a short depth of field– and are anything but cheesy. I can’t help but think of Diane Arbus in more ways than one.

Maybe one day all of us will be lucky enough to be captured with such a delicate, subtle eye.

Aimee Lubczanski and Her Sister

Invincible

Vicki and Antonio, Veronica and Sabine

Linger

It's a Matter of Perspective, Mr.President

Mother

Asha and Oksana W.

Read an interview with Panas. Explore other blog entries.

Ori Gersht: Just like a foggy memory…

When I first saw Ori Gersht’s work on the Mummery + Schnelle’s website, her photos were displayed so small that I brushed them aside as uninteresting. But when I accidentally enlarged one, I was amazed!

His landscapes remind me of a less expansive Albert Bierstadt painting– but more foreboding; strange is about to happen. Some scenes are airy, hard to see– they make me strain my eyes. But when I see, I’ll admit I am amazed. It’s worth the effort. The images are romantic tinged with possibility, mystery, and fantasy. In his painterly photographs, a strange tension hangs in the air. And for me, that’s all the more reasons to keep looking; the longer I look, the more I see.

Fade to Light, Ori Gersht (2009)

Hide and Seek: Swamp, Ori Gersht, 2009

Hide and Seek: Boatman, Ori Gersht (2009)

Falling Bird, Untitled No. 1, Ori Gersht (2009)

Falling Bird, Untitled No. 8, Ori Gersht (2008)

(Doesn’t the above one remind you of a Marilyn Minter photo or painting?)

More on Gersht at the Smithsonian.