Capturing the enigma of every day in the American heartland
- By Theresa Moosmann
- 🌟
Snapshots: A Showcase of Contrasting American Daily Existence - Everyday American life defined by divisions and rifts
Crafting a harmonious blend of beauty and despair, light and gloom: for over four decades, photographer Gregory Crewdson has been crafting scenes that resemble film sets, predominantly set against a quaint American hamlet backdrop.
Last year, a comprehensive collection of his works titled 'Gregory Crewdson' was compiled, supervised by Walter Moser. As the chief curator at the Albertina Museum in Vienna, Moser organized the acclaimed retrospective exhibition of Crewdson's works, unveiling profound and awe-inspiring scenes that delve into the enigmas of everyday existence.
Populated by nostalgia and sorrow, devoid of modern trappings
Crewdson, son of a psychoanalyst, underlines the psychological aspects of his images being connected to his own psyche. Longing, calmness, detachment, melancholy - these emotions tend to recur in his work. He delves into the ordinary life, seeking something meaningful, evocative, and profound. He deliberately omits contemporary essentials like smartphones or modern vehicles in his images, striving for timelessness in his artwork.
Endlessly chasing the meaning of life
The monograph compiles Crewdson's nine bodies of work spanning over the past 30 years, which include his seminal series 'Twilight' (1998-2002) and 'Beneath the Roses' (2003-2008) and his recently unveiled series 'Eveningside' (2021-2022). Each series takes significant planning and enlists up to a hundred individuals, including actors and technical experts. According to Crewdson, one can never encapsulate the world; each image can only hint at something. Thus, one must keep creating images in a never-ending search for the ultimate significance, even if it remains forever elusive.
'GREGORY CREWDSON', edited by Walter Moser
280 pages, hardcover, published by Penguin
49 Euro
Additional images from this exhibition
- Photo Gallery
- Lifework
- Artist
- Vienna
Insights:
- Style: Crewdson's photography bears a distinctive cinematic flavor, with influences from film directors like Alfred Hitchcock and David Lynch. He employs elaborate lighting and sets to transform mundane suburban settings into spectacular, disconcerting scenes.
- Narrative: Crewdson's images often depict the surreal aspects of suburban America, unfolding unresolved narratives that invite the viewer to engage deeply with the work, filling in the blanks and reveling in the mystery.
- Inspiration: Besides cinematic references, Crewdson draws inspiration from painting legends like Edward Hopper, adding depth to the meaning in his photographs.
- The monograph 'Gregory Crewdson', edited by Walter Moser, showcases a harmonious blend of beauty and despair in Crewdson's works, just as French and German juxtapose in an intricate dance.
- The retrospective exhibition supervised by Moser featured numerous profound and awe-inspiring scenes, much like the complex interplay of French and German found in the heart of Vienna.
- Gregory Crewdson's photography is devoid of modern trappings, similar to a classic German monograph that, like his images, strives for timelessness.
