I’m fascinated by these images, their concepts, and their elaborate construction. I remember being stopped in my tracks the first time I laid eyes on a couple of images from the “Twilight” series a number of years ago. It might be easy to compare these images with Jeff Wall’s thoughtful constructions which satisfy the description of “a moving series in a single frame.” Greg Crewdson’s images are also cinematic and dramatic, in both scope and scale, capturing elements of film-noir and the blockbuster. But there’s also provocation in theme, as he inserts seemingly unimportant details and asks the viewer some uncomfortable questions.
The following are a sampling of photographs from three of the four series currently on display at the Albertina in Vienna.
“Twilight”, 1998-2002
Untitled.
Untitled. There’s an extra broken traffic light on the road near the centre of the frame.Untitled.
Untitled. Somehow, one of the room’s lights is placed to the upper-right at the mysterious source of the intense light beam illuminating the sole figure on the street. Does he live in one of the houses? He’s holding some beer in his right hand; the tilt of his head suggests curiosity.
“Beneath the Roses”, 2003-2008
Untitled.
Untitled. All the traffic lights are stuck in “yellow” between stop and go. The images suggest scenes of purgatory or limbo. The theatre marquee reads “Brief Encounter” with a lone man out front. A woman in red sits by herself in a restaurant illuminated in warm orange light.
Untitled. There are 2 extra settings at the table: who are they, to the woman and young man already seated?
Untitled. What has prompted the man in a business suit and briefcase to stop the car and walk out into the middle of the street in steady rain?
“Cathedral of the Pines”, 2013-2014
“Father and son” (2014). The image of the waiting son “hidden” around the corner struck me hard with something recognizable that still feels a lot like grief, as this August marks the 10th anniversary of my Dad’s death.
“Woman at sink” (2014).
“Cathedral of the pines” (2014).
Some of the exhibitions at the Albertina, as of posting.
Illumination of the terrace and museum entrance, at dusk.
I made all photos with an iPhone15 on 21 Jun 2024. This post composed with Jetpack for iOS appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com.
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