Crewdson's Pensive Pixelation: A Photographic Examination of American Everyday Life
- by Theresa Moosmann
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Peering into the void: Unveiling the everyday life of Gregory Crewdson in America - A peek into ordinary America: The everyday life captured by Gregory Crewdson
Existence and oblivion, tranquility and distress: Gregory Crewdson, a maverick American photographer, thrives on dualities and in-between spaces. For over four decades, he has juggled the role of an artist, carefully constructing scenes that resemble movie sets, often set against an American small-town backdrop.
Last year, a comprehensive collection of his works was published in a monograph, edited by Walter Moser. Moser is the chief curator at the Albertina Museum in Vienna, where Crewdson's retrospective was also displayed last year – a deeply poignant and awe-inspiring exhibition that unravels the enigmas of everyday life and leaves viewers spellbound.
Smartphones and Contemporaneity Derided
Crewdson, the son of a psychoanalyst, shares in an interview with the Albertina Museum, "I believe that the psychology of my images also stems from my own psychology." Longing, calm, detachment, sadness – these are feelings that Crewdson frequently captures in his work.
"I delve into everyday life, searching for something that feels important, beautiful, and significant," says the 62-year-old artist. However, he eschews contemporary elements like smartphones or modern cars in his images, striving for timelessness and a sense of permanence that resonates in the future.
Continually Pursuing the Inscrutable Meaning of Life
The monograph encompasses Crewdson's nine bodies of work from the past three decades, including Early Work (1986-1988), the highly acclaimed series Twilight (1998-2002), and Beneath the Roses (2003-2008), in addition to his latest series Eveningside (2021-2022). Each series requires months of planning and involves up to a hundred people, ranging from actors and technical specialists to crew members.
In Crewdson's perspective, one can never exhaustively capture the globe. "Every image can only hint. So, one must keep making more images," he states in his conversation with the Albertina Museum. "One must keep searching continuously for the ultimate meaning – even if it remains perpetually out of reach."
GREGORY CREWDSON, edited by Walter Moser
280 pages hardcover, published by Penguin
49 Euro
More Images from This Collection
- Photo Gallery
- Lifework
- Artist
- Vienna
Additional Insights:
Gregory Crewdson's photographs are renowned for their portrayal of American everyday life and their exploration of themes such as mystery, anxiety, fear, and desire within suburban settings. His work challenges the viewer's perception of the seemingly ordinary and possesses a profound psychological depth. Crewdson's cinematic approach, combined with his exploration of emotional resonance, timelessness, and psychological complexities, makes his work enduringly significant in the field of photography. [1][2][4]
- The comprehensive monograph on Gregory Crewdson's work, edited by Walter Moser, delves into the employment policies required for the production of his photographic series, with each series involving up to a hundred people.
- Gregory Crewdson's photography, as showcased in his monograph, often avoids contemporary elements like smartphones to achieve a timeless quality, mirroring his exploration of the profound and inscrutable meaning of life.
- The monograph, comprising nine bodies of work spanning three decades, serves as a profound contribution to the entertainment industry, providing a profound examination of American everyday life through Crewdson's hauntingly beautiful and emotionally resonant imagery.
