Digital Construction
Artist Analysis: Jan Groover
Jan Groover is an American photographer who was born in 1945 and has been very successful with her work having some of it displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The way she works is very interesting breaking the normal boundaries of photography by taking many separate images and combining them into one photograph that is edited to look like it was all taken in one shot. The genre she works in is still life. These photographs were one of her greatest achievements as they had been created using early editing techniques pre photoshop; making them all the more awe inspiring.
Jan Groover creates a focal point via the use of objects. The artist has selected to use a variation of cutlery and plants. These objects have been chosen since they can be edited to achieve a hyper realistic style. Intensity of particular aspects such as reflections can be increased to create a focal point as can be seen in Jan Groovers work. The objects used by the artist are always portrayed as realistic, this is evident in her images where she has carefully positioned the objects used so they do not overlap or mold together.
Narrative is a theme that has been represented in Jan Groovers work by the use of various objects. The wide array of objects that tend to be sprawled out across a surface have been positioned to create a narrative. The viewer perceives the objects to have been put there by a person due to the lack of order present. They assume that the objects have been photographed in someone's disorganised house. Types of objects have been chosen to reinforce the theme of narrative such as cutlery and plants. This has been done to create realism as it is plausible that both plants and cutlery would be present on a table or surface. This clever use of narrative and objects adds to the false perception that the images are in fact not edited and are just still life's. Narrative has been portrayed in other areas for instance the story behind the editing and forming of the images. This narrative is initially hidden to the viewer if they are unaware of the artists style. Every image by Jan Groover has a hidden narrative in which the images seen in the final photo is in fact multiple combined and edited photos.
Movement has been used by the artist to create the effect that the images are frozen still and are almost a reference for death. A dead still silence is emitted from the image as despite containing objects that move like plants the image appears rigid like everything is plastic and glued together. The positioning of objects such as the cutlery in a way that has them jumbled and protruding at weird angles makes the viewer question the image. Cutlery is weighted which leads the viewer to question the realism and still life style of the image. The perfect balance and positioning creates a hyper real effect as gravity and weight play little role in the image. This is one of the abstract elements found within Jan Groovers work, as concept such as weight and movement are not present giving the images a hyper realist yet surreal aesthetic.
Colour has been used by the artist to divide the image into two parts, the first being the manmade shiny cutlery whilst the second is the green and red natural plants. This has been done to create a focal point on the convergence of the objects used within the image. It subtly highlights that the image has been formed via editing as the two opposing objects have been intertwined. Her use of colour is dull creating a vintage worn aesthetic to her images. Materials used such as metal and green leaves both have a dull appearance, however slight use of bright colour can be observed in the use of reds on some leaves.
Composition has been used by the artist in a way that forms a clear focal point in the centre of her artwork. The composition is formed via the objects used in the piece, they tend to create a triangular composition as many of the objects used have straight edges. The shape can easily be observed as in many of the artist's pieces, a clear centre point is marked by blank space in which no or a very little amount of objects occupy. Another element to the artists composition is though the use of straight edges. The objects that have these edges tend to guide the viewer across the piece. A fork could be used in order to guide the viewer into the centre of a piece. This also makes use of lines.
Line is a key theme in the artists work as it aids the composition and narrative of the artwork. Line is used in the form of the objects within the piece, these include cutlery, plants and plates. The sharp edges of the objects create the theme of line and acts as a directional guide. The many lines found within the piece direct the viewers eye to different areas of the piece. Line is also used by the artist to create structure, this is due to the lack of chaotic lines that take the form of circles rather than straight lines. The effect of this is that the piece takes on a similar form to that of a building in which structure is created from hard edges and steel beams. Another reason for this need for structure is that since the images are edited together to form a single piece, the objects need to convince the viewer that all objects in the image have been shot as seen. A lack of line and structure in the artist's work could result in scrutiny of the images as the editing would be less impressive.
Saturation manipulation is present in some of Jan Grover's images. She significantly lowers the saturation to a degree in which colour is barely visible. The merging of grey tones then creates a homogenous piece that better highlights the materials and objects. The dark tones match the dullness of steel, the metal that most of the objects placed are constructed from. Darker objects in the image fade out and their detail is obscured. One effect of degreasing saturation is that the viewer must focus on the objects, this is key in Groover's work as the objects are edited in with such precision that its unnoticeable. The lack of colour (which is what our eye mainly sees) means you can really appreciate her work and the effort and narrative involved in its creation.
Saturation manipulation is present in some of Jan Grover's images. She significantly lowers the saturation to a degree in which colour is barely visible. The merging of grey tones then creates a homogenous piece that better highlights the materials and objects. The dark tones match the dullness of steel, the metal that most of the objects placed are constructed from. Darker objects in the image fade out and their detail is obscured. One effect of degreasing saturation is that the viewer must focus on the objects, this is key in Groover's work as the objects are edited in with such precision that its unnoticeable. The lack of colour (which is what our eye mainly sees) means you can really appreciate her work and the effort and narrative involved in its creation.
Photoshoot
In my shoot for Jan Groover, I wanted to develop my ability to create an edit that appears realistic as seen in the artists work. My main goal was to work on my placement of objects within the piece that are of a similar theme to the artists. I made a shoot of various objects that fit Jan Groover's inside house theme. These objects included cutlery, glasses and a selection of plants. This idea is similar to the works of Jan Groover who creates a realistic image combining multiple other images and then edits them in an almost hyper realistic way. I liked the way Groover captured the static feeling of inside a house where a number of scenes such as a dinner table could be observed. By crafting together the images, Groover is able to select exactly how things are placed, this gives her more creative power as physical objects do not need to be positioned. Another element is how all of the objects the artist selects form a narrative, In my work I have displayed narrative as each object I selected is from my house and each has a story.
Edits in style of artist
Edit Response
A focal point is created in the piece by the of composition. A triangular composition is formed in the edits resulting in an open pace at the centre point. This effect of this is that the viewers eye is drawn firstly to the centre of the piece and then brought to the outer edges. Various recognisable objects can be observed in the form of cutlery, plants and other items that typically could be found in a house. These form shapes and lines that help give the piece structure and turn the objects within into tools that guide the viewer across the piece via composition. The colours used are cool in order to make the edit appear blended together rather than individual objects that stand out. This is important as the Groover's work is edited together to form a single image, so making the piece appear as natural as possible is required, this is in the form of multiple techniques including having a particular colour palette. My edits create a calming mood that was inspired by the afternoon. The calming effect is sometimes seen in hyper realistic or surreal imagery as they are often attributed to being dream like. Groover's work has an element of being dream like as they appear too perfect in some of her images. A key element to these edits was the careful manipulation of saturation, brightness and contrast. Each one of these elements was carefully edited to make the objects look more homogenous as editing together multiple different objects can sometimes create a contrast. By controlling these elements I have made the piece more akin to that of Groover's work, as all her pieces makes a particular emotional effect that is achieved by having every object blend together using lighting or saturation. I have used artificial lighting as it not only gives me more control over how my piece looks but also fits the theme of creating an artificial image that looks natural. I experimented with different lights in order to replicate Groover's style. I mainly used a yellow light as this best conjures the feeling of the afternoon. However in some images I have used a white light as this creates a mood that remind the viewer of a sterile white kitchen. I have made use of formal elements, this being in the exploration of objects and their shapes and colour. The range of leaves is the best example of this as both the colour and shape of the leaves is so different. The effect of this is diversity is brought to the piece making it richer in detail but without standing out or contrasting. Overall these edit have successfully replicated the style of Jan Groover and helped me progress in my editing skills. The main thing I have learnt is how to correctly manipulate all elements of an image in order to achieve realistic effects. I have also understood how important lighting and saturation can be when creating mood and emotion.