"New work"

Rochester Institute of Technology

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5-23-2001

"New work"

Joe Bialkowsky

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"NEW WORK"

A Graduate Thesis:

By

Joe Bialkowsky

Presented in fulfillment of a Masters in Fine Arts (Photography Concentration) From the:

College of Imaging Arts and Sciences: At Rochester Institute of Technology

May 23, 2001

The following members of my thesis committee have agreed to accept this written portion of my thesis as the completion of a Masters in Fine Arts:

-

----L!...!l~/~

ltl /

Chair: Jeff Weiss Date

Associate Professor, College of Imaging Arts and Sciences

Tim Engstrom

Associate Professor, College of Liberal Arts

Date

Dan Larkin Date

Assistant Professor, College of Imaging Arts and Sciences

Elliott Rubenstein Date

"NEW WORK"

A Graduate Thesjs:

By

Joe Bialkowsky

Presented in fulfillment of a Masters in Fine Arts (Photography Concentration) From the:

College of Imagjng Arts and Sdences: At Rochester Institute of Technology

May 23, 2001

I Joe Bialkowsky grant Rochester Institute of Technology permission to copy the written portion of this thesis, in full or in part, assuming due credit will be given to the author

when needed. The image portion of this thesis may only be copied with permission granted by the author. I may be reached at (509) 927-8422.

Joe BiaIkowsky

Joe Bialkowsky

Date

/I/~S/CJI~

.

Mythesisshow"newwork"

presents eleven_verydifferent images linked_by

eleven_{horizon lines dominating}thecomposition. TherearethreeAfricandesertscapes,

three_seascapes,twopictures ofRochester International_Airport,animageof a_desk, a

Rothko,and an 17th

century Dutchlandscape. Only twoofthepieces are

"actual"

horizon_lines,inthat theearth was photographed right atthepoint whereitmeetsthe

troposphere. Fivewere made_{in myapartment, two}in_museums, one onfinalto _runway

31Rat_JFK, and one isa picture of ones and_zeros,or_nothing at all_dependingonhow

youlookatit. _Everyoneoftheseimages dependontheframeofthecameratocreate

landscapesthatexist_onlythrough thephotographer. _{In presenting}theseimages itoccurs

tomethat thephotographeris awriterof non-fiction. Becauseofthe_verynatureof

photographytheimages aretobeseen as real. Thispresentsan_interestingparadoxinthe

context of_mywork. Theperfecthorizon isnotfound in_nature,onlythrough the

photographicframecan theperfecthorizonbeachieved. Thecontradictionisinthe

definitionofnon-_fiction.

Here,obviously, wemust realizethatnon-fiction_merelymeans

basedin_reality,which_{photography is,}butatthesametimemalleableto the edgeofthe

definition. As I am alwaysthefirsttoadmitI_trytomakebeautifulpictures. Butifwe

useKant theparadox_continues, "The beautiful innatureisconnectedwiththeformof

the object,which consistsin_{having [definite]}boundaries. Thesublime, ontheother

hand, istobe foundinaformless_object, asfaras initor_byoccasionofit boundlessness

ispresented and yetits_totalityisalso presenttothought." Thehorizon intheseimages

iscreated_usingaframetoallowittobecome infinite. Theseimages are sublimeinwhat

theybecomeandbeautiful intheirfiction.

1

Kant, Immanuel. CritiqueofJudgment. Translated byJ.H. Bernard. New York:

I

Gettingto this_bodyof workwas a process forme. Ifirsthad_{to releam,}whatI

alreadyknew. Imade a major mistake uponfirst_{entering RIT} andittookme most of a

yeartorecover. Theend resultisthis show,andIbelieve_fully that_mytimeatRIT

transformedme froma studentintoan_{artist,by allowing}metorecognizethat_{I already}

was one.

Mymistake wastointroduce false_narratives,whichIwilldiscussshortly, into

myworkinsteadof_recognizingtheonesthatwerethere to startwith. The second

mistake wastomakeworkforthosewho would critiqueme insteadof_{making it for}

myself. _My first_bodyofworkwas airplanes. I loveairplanes. Inthecourseoftime I

havebeenhereIhavebecome apilotmyself. Iwantedtohavea_bodyofworkthatwas

incredibly simple andto thepoint. _Simplicity isanaestheticvalueI strive_for,as seenin

minimalism. Inbasictermsitwould readas aestheticpresentationthatisuncluttered

withpolitical_agenda,wheretheaesthetic

"subject"

is paramountinimportanceto the

reality ofthe subject. This allowsfortheaestheticstobecomethesubject and not_merely

theframework. Furthennoreto_helpdefinethe_{simplicity in my} work we canconsiderthe

overall subject oftheseimagestobethemathematicalanddynamicsublimefound in

Kant.2

Theinfinite dimensionsofthe_sky asopposedto thetangible dimensionsofthe

groundhavea_{simplicity in}that thereisno definition. Itcouldbearguedthat the

metaphoristhe_conqueringoftheunknownthrough_{technology, but}Iwould_saythe

2

airplaneisobserved againstthe_skynotin oppositiontoit. Thesublimehere issimple in

thatithasnodefinition. Atthe timeofthe critique ofthese_images,I hadnotyetcometo

understandtheimplications of what_myaesthetic was. Or betteryet, Ihadnotbeenable

totranslatewhatI strivedtoattainintoEnglish. Oneofthecritiques thatstruck me was

this, "theseare stockimagesthatI have seen ahundredtimesbefore."

Iwastakenback

bythiscritique as_negative, andit may wellhave_been,but I didnot seethatitwas

exactlywhatIwas_aiming at. _Theyarethe_everyday imagesyousee andhearinthe sky,

butIwantyoutolookatthemforthe_banality,andthinkaboutthemasartobjectsframed

out ofthe _dayto _dayworld. Their_banalityistheirstrength. Againconsiderthe

photographer asthewriterof non-fiction. _{In showing reality}thewriterhasmade a

decisionabout reality. Hehas decidedwhatis importantenough_{to portray,} andI am not

showingyou an airplanebecauseI wanttocommenton airtravelor_technology, Iam

showingyouan airplane soyoucan see it. In_transformingthe image fromaframecut

fromthe_everydayintoan art_object,Icanachieveanaestheticofthe_{banal. There may}

be littleor nodifferencebetweenone of_{my images}andthoseofa corporate_report,but

herethecontextbecomesimportant. Thepointisnottoshowtheairplaneina romantic

waysuch astoattractpotential_customers,butto_displaytheviewofairplane and_sky as

somethingworth_{considering aesthetically} and perhaps as a creation oftheartistic

sublimefromthemundane. When critiquing landscapephotographers inthegrand

traditionofAnsel Adamsand_{company, there}isno questionabouttheawe_inspiring

sublime and _{overwhelmingbeauty}ofnature,I seetheseimages inthesame way.

Althoughthe_skydoes not possessthe_abilityto inspireaweas_easilyasthe_mountain, its

simplicity. Theairplanedeservesmore observation_by its_abilitytoexistin suchan

immenseenvironment. The dualnature ofthe_skytopossess thesublimein itsmost

potentformand itsaesthetic_simplicitymakeit veryworth_{noting philosophically} and

artistically. _My argumenttowards_my aestheticisthat_{simplicity does}not come_easily

andthatiswhat givesit immensepower_{aesthetically}and philosophically. The false

narrative,Imentioned_earlier, was_my attempttogive_meaningto_seemingly

meaninglessimages of airplanes. Here istheartist's statementfromtheairplaneshow.

Theairplanehas transformed thephysicallandscape. Thevastness _ofthelandscapeshrankwith

therailroadsandlatertheinterstatesystem, but theairplanehasmadeitminuscule. Mountain

ranges thatusedto takemonthsto cross,pass inminutes. The _{toweringRocky}Mountainsare

bumpsonan endless horizon. Themonthsat seatotravelfrom Paris toNew Yorkbecomea

movie and a nap.

Whiletheairplanehasrecreatedthelandscapeithas becomea part_ofit. _Campingin Montanaa

hundredmilesfromthe nearesttownyou can_{look up}andseeplanes_headingfrom Seattleto the

east coast. _{While sitting}around a campfire inthe snow,hundreds ofpeople areon a plane above

drinkingcoffee and_readingmagazines. Distanceturnsabstract. Inthe time itwouldtake to

walkfromthe campsiteto thecar afewmilesaway,people ontheplane willbein New Yorktaxis 2,000milesto theeast.

Ihadnoideathat_myworkhadartsignificance, and_{secondly I had}noideathatI

reallyknewwhatI wasdoing. I came_upwiththisstatementto_{justifythe work,} out of a

needtofeel legitimateas an artist. Ofcourse,those who critiquedme could not seethe

substanceofthisstatementinthework. Howcouldthey? I donotbelievethestatement

tobe_wrongorfabricated. IdobelievethatI tried tousethe_{ideas in my}headtovalidate

thework onthewall. _WhyI findairplanes_interesting isnotthepoint. ThepointisthatI

puttheairplanesonthewallbecause I findtheminteresting. I respondedto thenegative

critiqueinthe_wrongway. I was_{already very insecure} about_{my ability}tospeak

intellectually about_myworkandthismade itworse. Ican remember_{tellingthe story,}

nearesttown. Theisolationwas atthesametimewonderful andterrifying. Ilookedsix

miles_upatthecontrailofajet. Itwas _wonderful,and maybe one ofthemostsublime

thingsIhadever seen. Itmadethe_feelingofremoteness even stronger and atthe same

timemore comfortable. Itwas an experiencethatis_verysimilarto theaestheticI

described earlier. Montanaiscalled_{"big sky}

country"

forareason. Formethisview of

an airplaneis a much stronger experience ofthesublimethan_{any I}can recollect. The

feelingcomesfromthe sheer sizeinvolved. _Lookingupand _seeinga_tiny silhouetteof an

aircraft against such a massive_skywhose volumeisincomprehensiblereminds me of

howsmall we _are,and yet_uptherepeople are _drinkingcoffee and_readingmagazines,

and_theydonotfeel so small. Itoccurredtomehowmuch perspective plays a role in

understandingthesize and power ofthings. Andwhilethis_{may have}notbeenan

importantelementto the airplane_images, it is verymuch a part ofthe_thinkingthatledto

this thesis. Itold the _storyas an_analogytoward theideas Iwas_tryingtoincorporatewith

thework. I believeI was_tryingtodescribe howtheairplanehasmadetheworld smaller

(someofthebullshit Itried tomaketheworkseemlegitimate). Someonecommented, "

Yes, Iknowwhatits liketobeinthemiddleof nowhereand youlook up and seean

airplane."

Thecomment was anegative responsetoward technology's invasionof nature.

Thisresponse was not at all whatI was _fishingfor. Inever wantedtoincorporatethese

ideas into_{the work,}butfeltIneededtoinorderforthesepictures tobecomeart. Butall

thewhiletheideaof_{experiencing the}sublimein bothnature and_technologybecame

important. Irealizedthat _seeingamachine_flyingthroughtheatmosphereinso remote a

who see_anyinvasionoftheuntamed_byman as_{negative, I}seeit as abeautiful and

profound comment on modemlife.

Iwouldhaveto_saythatas an artist one ofthemost_depressingthingsistoknow

youmake _strong,while not_knowingwhy. Ibegana_longprocess of_focusingonthe

contentof_mywork. Forthefirsttimein_mylife Itookanideaandtried tomakework

aboutit. Allofthe things thatI nowknowwere successful abouttheairplanes

disappeared_{from my}mind andI made arttoimpress_myprofessors and make me a

legitimateartist. _Mywork sufferedbecauseI was nolonger usingtheframeofthe

cameratocreatetheimagesthatIsee,buttoprovethatIhadtheintellectual_capacityto

make good art. I have_longbelievedthat thebestandlongest livedartworkis thatwhich

isbrilliant_{aesthetically,} whichin_turn,makesitbrilliant intellectually. Iwas_making

workwhich was neither andthatkindofworkisshortlived indeed. The workfrom my

show_followingtheairplaneswas_very poorinthecritique. I donotrecall whattheidea

was_exactlybecause itwas _completely fabricatedfor myprofessors.I realizedif I was

goingtobecomeanartistinsteadofastudent,IhadtofindoutwhatI was_reallydoing

artisticallyanddiscuss it.

Ittook twoevents toreversethedownwardtrendIhadtaken. Thefirstwas a

small show atRITofworkbygraduatestudents. Itookfourimages fromthe_bodyof

work_followingtheairplane show and reorganizedthem. Theimages hadbeencoupled

with others intriptychsand_diptychs, intheirfirstshowing. Iwas _attemptingagainto

place a narrative onthework which wasnonexistent visually. _Again,as withthe

airplane showthecritique was _verynegative. Theworkno longergavetheviewer a

7

I selectedfouroftheimagesand putthem_up,this timeon_{there own,} Irealizedthat_they

weregood. Whatwas _strongabout_myworkhadn't_{disappeared,myunderstanding} ofit

had. Itcame_{rushing back}tome howmuchI adore_makingart,andhowpassionate I was

abouttheimages. The second_thingthatfixedme was afellowartistwhohelpedme

rememberthatartis funand_beautiful,and pointed outthatImake artinthatmold.

I started_takingpicturesthatI lovedagain andItookalot. Whenthelastreview

of_mywork came_upthat_{spring, I} hadtwelveimages selectedfromover600. It had been

thesingle mostintenseand successful_workingperiod of_mylife. IntwomonthsI

photographed everything. I didn't_stoptoconsider whatthework wasaboutbecausethe

question was answeredinthe_makingofthework. I_finallycamefullcircle. _Everything

thatwassuccessful abouttheairplaneswas inthisworkandIknewwhy. Evennow

typingthis paper,I realizehowsimplethatanswer was all_along,andhowimportantthe

process of_findingtheanswerwas. Ihadalways assumedthat therewouldbea revelation

thatallowed meto_justifymy workintellectually. Ihadneverknown howpowerful

visuallanguageis. Thereisalmost no _waytodescribewhatmakes a good picture_good,

youjust know. Gerhard Richterwhenaskedtocommentonhispaintings _says,"talk

about painting: there'sno point whenyou_conveya_thingthrough themedium of

languageyou

change."3

My failingwas_tryingto_conveyan imagewiththe_wrong

language insteadof_{describing why I}take thepicture. _By lookinginto_myimagesand

askingwhatis itthatcompels meinthe subject matterI foundtheanswers Iwas_looking

for. Iwas_tryingtofindsome profoundartistic needin making images,insteadof

lookingforthe simple reasons. These images are sometimes of subjects sobanal it seems

3

Cora, Bruno. "GerhardRichter: TheExperienceof_PaintingandtheKnowledgeof

Reality"

8

ridiculoustoconsiderthemaesthetically. When I have_mycamera andam withfriends

theyoften see metakea picture and_say,"What inthehell are you_takinga picture

of?"

or,_"Whyare you_takinga pictureof that?"

Ihave_{difficultyexplaining why I} wouldhave

nointerest_{in photographing}a sunsetbecauseIwouldbe_{transformingsomething} sublime

into somethingbeautiful. This forme represents a_{step in}the _{wrong direction}artistically.

Thesublime sunsetis bestviewedinreallife. _My goal wouldbeto take thatwhichis

disregardedas an_everydayoccurrence and make it_beautiful,orthatwhichis beautiful

and makeit sublime. Imakebeautifulthings out ofwhatis essentially _{not,generally}

speaking. The frameofthecamerais important_{here in its ability}tore-contextualizean

image. Theargumentbecomes_{philosophical,}as Iam_assumingthat_myimages,before

they areframedout of_{the everyday,}arenotsublimeinandofthemselves. Considera

busycity street. Theimagesand sounds are_{constantly changing,}amongstthis isablue

sheet of plywood propped against afencetoencloseaconstruction site. Observed

amongsttherest ofthe_imagery inthe_{city it is}ofno consequence. But iftheframeofthe

camerafiltersouttherest ofthe_city andleaves onlythespacewheretheplywoodmeets

the street, theimage isplacedina newcontext. It may be obvious whattheimage is of,

butwhatitconveyshaschanged. Itisnowa_study oflineand_color, it isalandscape.

Onlythrough thecameraisthistransformation achieved,takingwhat was not_sublime,

but_merely a part of_something larger,and_{giving it}aforum for itself.

Two wordsthatareoverused in myexplanations of_myworkare

"beauty" and

"simplicity". _{From my} perspectiveIusethem_{interchangeablyalong}withthesublime. I

have foundthatinordertotranslate_mypersonal visual language,I must showthe

connectionbetween"simple"and

"beautiful" and

"beautiful"

thecontext of_myworktheinterpretation ofthesewords andtheirrelationtooneanother

is importanttoapproach_{my working}method. Eachisinreferencetoan essential

element of_mywork. Considersimplicity. Itwouldbean error formeto linkthisalone

withthe aesthetictheoriesof_{minimalism,butminimalisttheoriesare}

very important in

describingmy aesthetic. Two _drivingformsofminimalism are_{dominant in my} work.

Thefirst is describedas _an,"extremeand reductiveformalism ofthe_{Post-Painterly}

abstractionists,who soughtto_{purify painting} of_{everything but}itsmost_irreducibly

essential

properties"4

Andthesecond_{theoryis this,}"Theusein highartofobjects from

low, everydaylifewith minimal orno modification imposedonthem_bythe artist"5

Bothofthese theories_adequatelydescribetheinfluenceminimalismhas hadon_mywork.

Thelattershouldbeobvious_{considering my} subjectmatterandthediscussion ofthelast

paragraph. The former isnot as obvious. A

"simple"

reductionofformand contentto

only essential propertiesis fortheminimalists a_wayof_approachinganideal. Formeit

istocreate_{clarity inseeing,} ormoreto_{the point, to}maketheimage lesscluttered. The

simplicity I seekis inthe sublime. It may seem a_hypocrisyto linkthese twowords as

thesublime_usuallyreferstothatwhichisbeyond humanunderstanding, in Kantian

terms,but hereI see aconnection. Considerthepointwherethe _skymeetstheearthin

thehorizon line. Here isthemostsimplisticformoflandscape aesthetically. Itisalso

simpleintermsofthesublime. Itisabasic_equation, equalamountsofearth and_sky, it

isthesameequationthatminimalartisbasedon, thatofpositiveand negative _space,bare

essentialform. But atthe sametime this compositionistheultimate formofthesublime

4

Hunter, SamandJohnJacobus. Modem Art: _Painting SculptureArchitecture. 3rded.

New York: PrenticeHall, 1992.

5

Hunter, SamandJohnJacobus. Modem Art: Painting Sculpture Architecture.

3rd

ed.

10

becauseit dealswithinfinity. When shownintheformatof_mythesisworkthisline

extendsto infinity. _{The sky}is_endless, andincomprehensible. Wherethemountain

range_mayhave more powertoinspire _awe,it is comprehensible,its massiscalculable,

anditspowerislimited. The horizonline isnot. Itis_myattemptto create asimplistic

formofthesublime andtherefore to create an ultimate formofthe sublime. Themore

simplistic, themore powerful.

Beautyis _{something I} oftenusetoreplace_{the sublime,}because Iam an artist and

theform Iwishtocreateisoneofsublime pleasure. _{In referring}to thesublime andto

beautyKantmakes a_distinction,"The beautifulinnatureisconnectedwiththeformof

the object,whichconsists in_{having [definite]} boundaries. The sublime,ontheother

hand,istobefoundinaformless_object, asfaras in itor_byoccasionofit boundlessness

ispresentedand yetits_totalityisalso presentto

thought."6

Ifused inthe context ofthe

horizon linethisquoteis very fitting. There isaboundlessness inthehorizonitselfand

its_totalitycanbeconsidered withinthe_image,yettheformlessness is intheinfinite

space suggested_bysuchalineand_bytheimmense sizeimplied. The form ofthehorizon

line isbeautiful andits implicationsaresublime.

For everytimeI depressthe shutter,I may havepointedthecameratentimesand

decidedagainst_{photographing it. There}were problems withthethirdbody ofwork. The

main problem wasthat theimages werenotconnected. Thatistrue. Iwantedtoput all

600 onthewall. Ihadphotographed so_intenselyforso_longthat_{in editing}theworkI

could not selectsimilarimages for fear Imightintroducean unwanted narrative.And

whiletheshow_mayhavefailedonsome levels,overallitwas anincredible successfor

6

Kant,Immanuel. CritiqueofJudgment. TranslatedbyJ.H. Bernard.New York:

11

me. I hadfiguredout whatI_do,become_incrediblyconfident_{in mywork,} andstarted

lovingart again. The statementfromthisshowled_directlyto_mythesisshow.

The_{contemporary landscape} isnotthenaturalsublime, butthe mundane,and

over-familiar. _Byreducingthisworldthrough thephotographic_frame, a _{form ofbeauty}isfound.

Thesesometimescoldandbanalimages createastandard_ofbeautyisolatedfroma worldthat is

seemingly uglyin itsrepetition.

As Ihavestated_before, thereisanessential needtousetheframeofthecamera

as an_editingtool. Ireferto the_{contemporary landscape}asthatof repetition. Here I am

referringto the everyday plasticityof_contemporary culture- the

world we _trytoescape

from_{byvacationing}toplaces wherethenatural sublimeisintact. Ifelttheneedto

create_beauty outoftheworldthatispassedby. Imentioned earliertheblueplywood

and_transformingittoa singular experience_worthy ofinspection. Theshiftfromthislast

bodyofworkto_mythesisworkis seeingtheworkas sublime as opposedto_merely

beautiful. Imentioncold andbanal inreferenceto these_images,whichin some cases is

truebutoverallthisrefersto thesubjectmatter. The importance artistically formeis

againthesimple_beautythatcanbe foundinan_{everyday image. A} sidewalkis_everyday

and over_familiar,but iftransformedintoan artisticformthroughthecameraitcan

become beautiful. The purposeistorecreate an objectinto aformal relationshipwhich

allowsittobecomeartistic. Oftheforemostminimaliststhe_majorityworked with

sculpture. Thismakes sense as a sculpturecanbecreated_completelyas aformal

relationship,where _{something based in reality has}tobetransformedinordertosuggest

an artisticformality. This isonereasonthatI amnot a_{true minimalist,}nor wishto_be,

12

II

While_havingathesis show oftwelve_seeminglyunconnectedimages couldhave

beenproblematic for_{the viewer,} itgave methe_{basis for understanding}the systemIuse

inphotographing. _{As I said, I}tend tophotographthebanalandthrougha specific

method of_editingcreate_myart. J.M.W _Turner, a manwhoiswellknown for painting

sublimelandscapesfullof atmosphere and_light,made a_{painting in 1844}thatis

incrediblymodem and similarto _mywork. He_{took the railroad, the}ultimate symbol of

thedestructivenature of_{industrialization}andturneditintothesublime. _{Rain, Steam,}

andSpeed(Figure _12.)wastheresult of atrain_tripTurnertookinwhichhe spent mostof

theride_hanginghis head from_{the window,something I} am_veryfamiliarwith. When

asked_byafriend_why hewould paint_somethingso_{ugly hereplied,}"toprovethatIcan

make eventhe_uglybeautiful."7The significanceof_{understanding}this_painting is

importantin_helpingtounderstand_myown work. Turneris a painterofthesublime. His

atmospheric canvasses are never_still,theysuggestthemotion and conflict of nature.

When_{describinghis reasoning for painting}the_train,Turneris humble. His attemptto

make_{something ugly beautiful}isa simple_way of_describingtheconflict ofthenatural

sublime andthetechnological sublime. _JeremyGilbert-Rolffdescribesthe

"techno-sublime",as_this, "The limitlessnessonce found innaturegives_way, in_technology,toa

limitlessnessproduced out of an ideawhich isnotinterested in_being anideaof_nature,

butone which replacestheideaofnature. Naturesublimated inasublimethatcomes

7

13

afteritand _in,or_with,with whichit is now obligedtolive"8 What linksthisworkto

mine and what makes ita sublime_{painting is}theinsistence ofharmony. Theindustrial

sublime, as viewedthrough the_train, is linkedto coal and_smoke, loudcold and

destructivecreations ofsteel and_backbreakinglabor. For Turnertorepresentthe trainas

beautiful andin_harmonywith natureistheultimate comment of optimismforthefuture

anda shiftfromthe_thinkingofthosewhofindtheultimate experience of artin God.

Although Hegel findsthesublimein_God,he also seestheapparent needfor_technology

inadialectical_relationshipwithnature. 9 Thereis a needfor_technologyandits

existencebecomes sublime_by itsappearance. _Commentingon_Gunpowder,which we

can useinplace ofthe_train,Hegelsuggests_{this need,}" _Humanityneeded_it,anditmade

its appearance

forthwith"10

Inthe traditions ofthepastartwhichdealswithmaninthe

everydayisbanal and cowersbeneaththepower ofthenatural sublimei.e. God. Turner

haschangedtheparadigm_{by placing}beauty_equally intonatureand man. The_feelingof

thesublime one encounterswithnatureis now a_feelingofthesublimeinthecreations of

man. Theconnectionwith_my work istheneedtodisassociatemyselfwiththegrand

traditionoflandscape painters. _Myimagesarecreated_solelythrough the lensof

technology. _{If my images}aretobeseenas sublimeit isnotthesublimeofGod butthat

of man. Nowtheawe_inspiringpowerofthemountaincanberecreatedthroughman.

This concept mightbecomeeasierto_{grasp if}oneistorememberwhatthereaction wasto

8

Gilbert-Rolff,Jeremy. BeautyandtheContemporary Sublime. New York: Allworth Press, 1999.

9

Hegel,G.W.F. Aesthetics: Lectures onFineArt. Trans: T.M.Knox, London: Oxford UniversityPress, 1975.

10

Gilbert-Rolff,Jeremy. Beauty andtheContemporary Sublime. NewYork: Allworth

14

a_skyscraper,airplaneortrainwhenseen as a child. This isthepowerthetrainhadto the

worlda_century ago. _{Technologyhasbecomenatures equalinits}

abilitytoinspireawe.

Partof_arrivingat an_{understandingof ones own}

work,is in_findingits placein art

history. Ihave _longbeenresistantto the ideaof_myworkas post modem. _Myconceptof

the postmodern, when placed on_{photographers, is}the workofRichard_Prince, Sheri

Levine,and_Cindy Sherman. _Myworkhas alwaysbeenbasedon aesthetics andtohave it

labeledpostmodern_would,forme,placeitinthe_decidedlyanti-aesthetic arthistorical

slot oftheaforementionedartists. Theproblem all_alonghasbeenthat theworkisnot

straightforewordenoughtobemodem. Iftheeraofthepostmodern isanageoflost

innocence, asUmbertoEcowoulddescribe_it,then_myworkwouldhavetobe_veryself

aware. Itisnot. _Myworkcouldbedescribedas

"innocent"

inan age oflost innocence.

Theuse ofthe televisionand computertocreateimages_alongwithimages_{traditionally}

made speaks ofthepostmodern appropriation of mass culture. It isandisnot. Forthe

Richard Princestheappropriationisthe art, thelossof artistic_{innocence, (beauty, form,}

originality)is thepostmodern statement. With mywork_{the appropriation,} or

photographing oftechnological_landscapes, isan

"innocent"

use ofthe _imagery around

me, albeit a calculatedpostmodern innocence. Iam_describingtheuseoftelevisionasif it

were a_landscape,notblindto the implicationsofaninformation_society,but usingit

without_worryingaboutitspolitical statement. In a_{way I}useditbecause itwasthere.

ThepostmoderndefinitionofCarl Jencksisapplicableto_my workashe is_describing

postmodern architecture. Inhiswordsthepostmodernis, "doublecoding: the

combination ofmodemtechniques with_something

else."11

Myworkis basedin

15

modernism, asthe aesthetics are paramount. Thedouble _codingisintheuse of_anyand

allsourcesfortheexecution ofthework. Inone ofthepieces(Figure. _8),thecomputeris

solelyusedtocreatethelandscape. WhentheworkisshownI donotmentiontheuse of

thecomputerbecauseIdonot wantthatsourcetobeconsidered as asubjectofthework.

Hereagain_{I say I}am_usingthesource"innocently"withfull knowledgeofits

postmodern_{implications,}allthewhile_denyingitsimportance. Againinthewords of

Jencks,"Ican't_denytheconventional_beauty of_{the past,} orthecurrenttechnologicaland

social

reality."

Myimagesare_veryform_based, created_usingaformula makingthem

modem,ontheotherhandthe sources are eclectic_borderingon_sporadic,whichis

postmodern. Whatdifferentiatesthesefromotherpostmodern_photographs,besidesthe

emphasisona modernist_aesthetic, isagainthe innocentuseofthesources. The heightof

postmodernappropriation createdtheultimate skepticism_regardingthedrive forstraight

foreword_originalityfoundinthemodernists. _Myuse of appropriationisnotavain

attemptto _usurpmodernism,butareinsertionof modernism intoimageryderived froma

postmodernworld. Thissaid,I will_{say my}work isclosertowhatEdward Rothstein

believeswillbethepostpostmodern,"Postpostmodernismwillbea_varietyof

modernism."12

If IhadtodescribewhatIwanted_mythesis tobethroughreferencetomy

influences, Iwould_saythis; Iwanttheclean linesandminimal perfection ofDonald

Judd (Figure 18.), IwantthebrillianceofAndreasGursky(Figure 15.),andIwantthe

raw sublime_beautyofMark Rothko (Figures 16. & 17.). These weremygoals. I wantto

start with_Gursky,because after_seeinghis retrospective_{recently I}finally understood

12

Rothstein, Edward. Modem andPostmodernthebickeringtwins.The New York Times

16

whatit isthatis sobrilliantabouthiswork. _Upuntilthis_{realization, I believed only}that

hemade picturesthatwere so_{monumentallybig}that_theyhadtobegood. ButnowI see

whytheyare so_intriguingand_whyhe issobrilliant. _Gursky recreatesthe worldin a

wayitcould neverbeseen. _BythisI don'tmeanthe transformationoftherealthatis

inherentto_{any artwork,}butan_ironyof seeing. _Gursky's images seem_veryrealand_very

straightforeword. WhatmakesGursky's _imagery,"Knock-your-socks-off,"

inthewords

ofPeter Galassi isthat thereis an_underlyingstrangenessto theimagery. _They aretoo

perfect. The images havea sharpness and_claritythatis_hyper-real,thus_becoming

imaginary. Thebestexample ofthisfoundin_Gurskyandwhichmost echoes_my workis

Rhine II(Fig. ₁₅₎ Inthisimage_Gurskyfoundan_unnaturallystraightsection ofthe

meandering RhineriverinwesternGermany. Inorderto givetheimagea minimalist

perfectionheremovedseveral_distractingelements ofthesceneviacomputer. Theresult

isariver scapehorizonlinethatistooperfectfornature andcan_onlybecreatedthrough

Gursky'seyes. This imageis _depictinga_very natural sceneinahyper-realway. When

one considersthehardstraightlinesofminimalism suchasin Donald Judd's_sculpture, or

Sol Lewitt'swalldrawings, itseemsinoppositionto theorganic shapeofthenatural

world. Thereisamathematical _{purity in}theseworks thatisechoedthroughGursky. The

riverscenedoes not_exist, andfurthermorewhatwasnaturalbecomesalandscape builtto

fitthemold of artisticcomposition. Gurskyachievesthesublimeinthe_{way Turnerdid,}

but_takingitto anotherlevelthatis so simpleitis brilliant. Like Turner'strain,Gursky

uses_technologyandmoldsitwithnatureina perfectharmonythatevokesthesublime in

bothnature andinman. Inthewords ofthedirectoroftheMuseumofModem_Art,

13

17

"Gurskypresents some ofthemost original andimpressivecontributionstorecent

art."14

Bytakingwhat was almostinoppositiontonature_by itslackofemotion,minimalismis

transposedontothenatural world_creatinga post-industriallandscapethatcombinesthe

bestoflandscape_paintingwiththemost strippeddownformofmodemart.

Iwant_my showtohavethecleanlines and perfection you seein Donald Judd.

(Fig. 18). Theconstruction ofthespacefortheshow wasdone mainlytoremove_any

distractionfromthework. Iwantedthehardand sometimes soft edgeofthehorizonto

dominatethe space, inthe_{way Judd's}boxes dominatea spacewithalmost eerie

simplicity. _Bybreakingdown formto a_{mathematically}precise _workingmethod,Judd

adds_complexityto the form. Galassimakesthemostto thepointdescriptionofthe

overlap betweenminimal andconceptual_art, "...rigor of_conception,precision of

execution,and stringentrejectionofostentatiousaffect are notbarrierstodrop-dead

beauty. Onthe contrary,especially inconcert_theycanbeexcellentmeans of_achieving

it."15

Judd's minimalismalsoflowedintothework_by means ofthehorizon line. In

several oftheimagesfromthisshowtheline is almostperfect, something rarely found in

nature,withthepossible exceptionoftheseascape. Thereis something unbelievably

powerful intherigid _simplicityoftheunmarredhorizon. InGurskyandSugimoto (Fig.

14),themoreminimalthe imagebecomes,themore sublimeits impact. God's horizon

line isnot one of mathematicalsimplicity,butoneof chaoticcomplexity, whenit is

reducedto formit becomesthesublimeofman. Thechair of_my committee_commented,

thatifyoudrawalinethrougharectangle you willhavealandscape. Itistooperfectto

14

Galassi, Peter. Andreas Gursky. NewYork:TheMuseumofModemArt,2001. pg 6.

18

bealandscapebutashumans weare unabletodivorcetheequationof_topandbottom

fromthelandscape.

Thequestion of subject matterhascome_upwhen_{discussing my}work. The

subjectisthepoint where earth and_skymeet_creatingthehorizon line. Thesubjectisthat

point wherespace_{is defined. The}oneimage fromtheshowwithadefinable subjectis

Untitled(Fig. 1). Inthis imagethesubjectis notthe_foreground, as itshouldbein a

landscape,butthe_wingoftheplaneinthe"empty"space abovethehorizon. Thenatural

sublime inthelandscape isthat theearthisman's anddefinableandthe_sky isGod's

countryandindefinable. Herethe_skyis dominatedwiththesubject andthe land is

belowas an afterthought. Again Turnercomestomindinthat thisisthe sublimeofman.

MarkRothkoturns_{up inmy} workin Untitled (Fig. 3). Mark Rothko'spaintings are

monumentalinthe same scale ofGursky'sphotographs. Rothko'sare sublime insize and

color. _They are notlandscapes butthereare landscapesinthem. Rothkotakes _simplicity

to theextreme. Foran entirecareerhemade paintings about colorand lightthatnever

became boring. _MyimageofRothkoisnotheretocomment onRothko. Iam not_trying

to_convey whatit is liketobenear a_Rothko,buttoshowtheviewerwhatit is likeforme

tobe in frontof aRothko. _{By specifically} framingaline inhis_paintingand_changing

what was ahugeverticalcanvas intoahorizontal photograph, Imakelandscapes within

hispaintings. Youcan not seetheRhine in Gursky'sview withoutthecomputerand you

can not seethehorizonlinein Rothkowithout_mycamera. Thecomputer, forGursky,

removestheelements ofthenaturallandscapethathe founddistractingandthatobscured

thelineofthe composition,withoutthis tool theviewinGursky'smindcouldneverbe

19

fields are_{dominant. Usingthecameratotransformthe}

verticalto thehorizontaland

emphasizingthelinethatseparatesthe_colors, a_{landscapeisbom,}whichwas_previously

onlyviewedinconcept. A second piece_{in my} showis_directly influenced_byRothkoand

thatis Untitled(Fig. 6). Itisnot_{necessaryto theimagetomakethis connection, butis}

important inthe_{way I}constructanimage. _{A second,} much_{different,Rothko}inspired

this image directly. (Fig. _17), is abasiccompositionofdarkoverlight. Whatmakesthis

a_paintingofformand_color, and not a_landscape, isthat the_dark, or_earth,ison_topand

thecanvas isvertical. I lookedforthisform_{in myday}to_daybusinessandfoundit ina shadow on an airport_parking ramp. Ididnot needto track thisRothko downto

photographitandtheninvertit. I couldfindit inahugeslab of asphalt. Thelight isnow

on_topwherethe _skyshouldbeandit becomesalandscape.

Gerhard Richter (Fig. _13),makes paintings _{ranging from}fields ofcomplete_gray,

topicturesque _landscapes,tocomplete abstractions. While_{he may}not admitto_it; the

similaritiesbetweentheworksare striking. Onecould arguethathisabstractions arejust

as muchlandscapesashis

"real"

landscapes. Hemakeshispaintingsfromphotographs,

andwhenaskedwhat_they are, hereplies, "I'mnot_tryingtoimitate a_photograph;I'm

tryingtomake one. And ifIdisregardtheassumptionthataphotographisa pieceof

paper exposedto _light,thenIam_{practicing photographyby} othermeans: I'mnot

producingpaintingsthatremind youofaphotographbut producing

photographs"16

Richter is _conveyingthesublimethrough_paintingthroughphotography. Theinfluence

hereis intherealization_{that photography} is morethanrepresentation. Itis not a new

ideato_saythataphotographtransformsreality. Ofcourse,itcannever_conveythe true

16

Elger,Dietmar. Gerhard RichterLandscapes. Ostfildern-Ruit: CantzVerlag, 1998. pg

20

qualities ofthemomentit depicts. Ithas _longbeen knownthatphotographsdolie, ortell

halftruths. What is important forme aboutRichteris his_{understanding}that_bypainting

reality ina_waytocreate a_{photograph, he is commenting}onthe_{intellectual capacity}of

photography,and_elevatingitto thestatus of painting. _{Usingpainting}and_photography

interchangeablyallowsthephotographertobeelevatedintellectually. Richteris placing

importanceonthe_abilityto reproduce a_realitythat the artist wishestosee. For _me,

photographyhas alwaysbeen barredinthis way. If Mark Rothkopaintingswere

photographs,viewers would always questionthesubject. _Paintingisallowedtogo

beyondthesubjectintotherealmoftheabstract withoutthis crutch. _Byremovingthis

distinction Richtercan paintlandscapesand abstractions onthesame day. Ina world

wherethephotographedlandscape is overusedandthuslooses itspunch, thepainted

photograph can regain it. I foundthatIneeded pieces ofboth. Icouldcreate a landscape

thatbecomesrealbecauseit isaphotograph,while_retainingthepower ofcreationfound

inpainting. In Untitled(Fig. _4), Iphotographeda_paintingbytheDutch landscape

painterPhillips Konick. _UpuntilthepointI happeneduponhis _painting,while_searching

for_Vermeer,Landscape 1619. (Fig. 19)I hadneverheardofhim. Whatstruckmewas

howsimplistic and_engagingthispaintingwas,especially surrounded_byover painted

landscapes inwhichthelandscape itselfisonlya_backdropto man's activity. _My

photographofKonickis inno_way acommenton_him,butareaction of_mycamera. Two

interestingsituations developedout of_makingthisimage. Firstofall, Irealizedthat

Konickwas not sounlikeme. Althoughhemadehis landscapes inthetraditionofthe

natural _sublime,he fixedthemtofit hisaesthetic. Whenyouseetheoriginalpainting

21

landscapeswith_hills, as thewhole _{countryis flatterthata pancake. Thesecondsituation}

isthe_interestingone. Landscapesare_hardto_convey,astheframe hindersthemagnitude

oftheimage. When Iset outtophotograph_{Konick, his frame}madeithardformeto

cropouthismountainssoI couldhave_myperfecthorizon line. I comebacktoRichterin

thatashesayshemakes_{photographs, I} would_saythisisnot a photograph of aKonick

painting,buta photograph of alandscape.

The four imagesintheshowtakenfromthe television Untitled, (Fig. 2,4,10,11),

couldbeusedtoconnectthework as a whole. As Istated_{earlier, the}problemIfacedas

a new student wasin_recognizingthesignificance of_myown work. As Ihavealso

stated,_simplicity offormand aestheticshave ruled_{my methodology for making}work.

Through makingand_talkingabouttheworkpresented_here,I realizedthat thecontent

whichIfeltIwas_lackingwas embeddedin_{the aesthetic,}ormoretheretrieval ofthe

aesthetic. Inthesearchfor horizonlines Iwantedto_try as_many sources as possible. It

never occurredtomethat the content oftheworkwas inthe_waythe sources were

gathered. I photographedhorizonsonthe televisionbecause_they werethereand

accessible. If Ilookto modernismfor my_influences,thenitmustbeunderstoodthatit is

throughpostmodern glasses. The landscapeseenthroughthe televisioncanbeseen asan

exampleof aninformation driven societywhere moreworldexperiences are found

through_technologyratherthanthroughreallife. Thecreationofanaturalsublime

landscapefromthetechnologicalsublime of massinformationculture,isaresponseto

technology similartoTurner's responseto therailroadage. Where Turnerplacesthe

trainin_harmony withnature, I have createdthepicturesqueout of_{technologyplacing}the

22

Myworkhas alwaysbeenpositive whether_{it deals}with_technology or nature. There isa

loveofthe timeand culturethatinspired _it,asopposedtoso much currentpostmodern

workwhich does nothing but_{complain about social ills andlongsfor}

thepastinsteadof

embracingthepresent. Don_{Grey,an artist andcritic,inaletterto theSenate}

Subcommittee onEducation_wrote, "is it_anywonderthatmost_contemporary artis itself

meaningless andpurposelessexcepttoscoff at_society and genuine_art,and mimicthe

depletedviews ofits creators and adherents? Likeother aspectsofour_society, such

artis_essentially diseased. Itiserodedbypsuedo-creativity,dehumanization,triviality,

venality,and

sterility."1

I_bringthis_upatthe end ofthepapertoleaveanimpressionof

themost strippeddownreasonfor my makingwork. Imentionedbeforea_feelingof

creating

"innocent"

workina postmodern world of lost-innocence. This comes froma

longingfor_beauty and optimisminart. The general_feelinginmuch_contemporary

critiqueis_that, artdriven_by optimismand_beautyhas less intellectualpowerthan thatof

"serious"

art. The ideaofthe torturedartistis a cliche and_makingwork with_strong

negativeimplicationswhile_criticizingsomesocial standardismucheasier_{intellectually,}

than_makingpositiveworkthatlookstoward thefuturewith an openhand.

17

Bibliography

Audi, Robert. The_{Cambridge Dictionary} of_{Philosophy. Cambridge: Cambridge}

UniversityPress, 1999. 2nd ed.

Butlin, Martin,and_{Evelyn Joll. ThePaintings} ofJ.M.W. Turner. Vol. 2 New Haven: Yale_{UniversityPress,} 1977.

Cora, Bruno. "Gerhard Richter: TheExperienceof_PaintingandtheKnowledgeof Reality"

FromGerhardRichter(Prado: Gli_{Ori, 1999)}

Elger, Dietmar. GerhardRichterLandscapes. Ostfildern-Ruit: CantzVerlag, 1998.

Galassi,Peter. Andreas Gursky. New York: The Museum ofModem_Art,2001.

Gilbert-Rolff,Jeremy. Beautyandthe_ContemporarySublime. New York: Allworth

Press, 1999.

Gray,Don. Letterto theSenateSubcommittee onEducation. April 5, 1990.

Hegel,G.W.F. Aesthetics: LecturesonFine Art. Trans: T.M. _Knox,London: Oxford

UniversityPress, 1975.

Hunter, SamandJohnJacobus. Modem Art: PaintingSculpture Architecture. 3rded. New

York: Prentice_Hall, 1992.

Jencks,Charles. Whatis Post-Modernism?: London:_{Academy Editions,} 1989.

Kant, Immanuel. CritiqueofJudgment. TranslatedbyJ.H. Bernard. New York:

Macmillan, 1951.

Rosenblum,Naomi. A World History ofPhotography. New York: AbbevillePress, 1997.

3rd ed.

Ross,Stephen David. Editor. ArtandIt's Significance.Albany: StateUniversityofNew York_Press, 1994.

Rothstein,Edward. ModemandPostmodernthebickeringtwins. The New York Times

onthe_Web, October_21,2000.

Sugimoto,Hiroshi. Sugimoto. New York: Fotofolio, 1993.

Colophon

I wouldliketo thank the_followingpeoplefor makingthisshowpossible:

MyCommittee:

Chair: Jeff Weiss Dan Larkin

Tim Engstrom Elliott Rubenstein

My ParentsJanieandBill and_{my Sister Sarah}

Kara Crombie Jim Johnson Andrew Wainio

And

Amanda Bauer

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