Teen photographer puts surrealist spin on summer photo project

9. (Cont'd) Surrealism isn't something you grow into with youth or out of with age, it simply is another mode of visual expression and potentially a deeper one. It depends on who uses it and how they use it and why. Its a bus (ride) not the destination. The best artists of any medium or mode transcend their genres and make it their own whether it be Science Fiction (Douglas Adams) Country and Rock (Neil Young) or... you?

All of the above points are my opinions and skittles alone, to be construed in this photographic thread/context alone, and must remain free of any legal, lawful or government agendas/context/additives/needle points and/or other corporate bubble gum - "I would never join a club sandwhich that would have me as its member" - Orange Julius Marx Lennon & McCartney

"without prejudice"

L.e. U.C.C. 1-308

Jul 26, 2013permalink

9. (Cont'd) I've found mere literalism and mere abstraction for their own sake dead ends in and of themselves (and this is from someone who has done decades of "realistic" photojournalism, fashion, portraiture, etc. - me). The world doesn't need another Magritte or another AA (Anselholics Anonymous) - it needs a unique you, not more "Visual Karaoke"/cloning (whether in Photoshop or cloning of other artists merely for their styles' sake), if Surrealism enables this, more power to him/her.

Jul 26, 2013permalink

9. (Cont'd) Real life can be naturally surreal it just takes the right photographer with their own vision to capture it - all one has to do is look at the photos of Dianne Arbus, William Eggleston, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Bruce Gilden and even Garry Winogrand and Henri Cartier Bresson (who considered himself a Surrealist but was told to label himself a photojournalist to get more work). Each is/has its own separate surreal world and world of photographs/photography - both real and surreal. Perhaps someone should have told them to grow out of it too? As for me and my house, I am still trying to grow into it, or better yet, through it to explore my own vision... If you know of a better bus to open the mind of exploring my own vision let me know and I'll hitch a ride.

Jul 26, 2013permalink

9. (Cont'd) You just might be confusing Surrealism with your definition of fantasy art and/or the like and your own taste(s) in art. The best Surrealism explores the nature of reality, the mind, eternal issues of life the universe and everything else (just ask Douglas Adams).. Even fantasy art/fairy tales can have messages and symbolism - check out the photography of Dwayne Michals, Jerry Uelsmann and others, books such as Wizard of Oz (which some believe to be a discourse/have symbols commenting on the American monetary system), Gulliver's Travels, Kafka's works (The Fly and others). Much of science fiction is morality plays/commentary not just ray guns and monsters (even if it has rayguns and monsters (or aliens) in it like H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds" or "The Time Machine" (or the 1965 and 2001/2? expansions on the same),

Jul 26, 2013permalink

9. "surrealism is like fairy tales. they are nice and enjoyable but at some point you grow out of them."

Bad (or even good) imitations of surrealism, yes, actual surrealism that expresses the mind of its maker, not the "mind" of Adobe, no. If they (Surrealistic photos) are nice and enjoyable then why is it "growth" to grow out of them in the first place? And grow out of them and into what? Into fatalistic realism? The Ash Can or F.S.A. schools of "photo"journalism? The 99 millionth re-attempt at a sublime F/64/Ansel Adams landscape or Cezanne-like fruit on a table still life? (I do not have anything against good landscape, though I've encountered more than my share of them, or bowls of fruit, I am just mentally chortling at the alien idea of having to grow out of any mode of art whose main purpose is deep insight)...

Jul 26, 2013permalink

8. ..." it will always work. try to use surrealism to impress someone who's artistically educated and theoretically demanding. well, good luck with that."

See my other numbered comments before. Plus there are many attempts at Surrealism (or just being being Surrealistic) that don't work or work on just a superficial level of a visual style/mode that captures just a contrast in subject matter, not any intention or spirit of its makers...

Jul 26, 2013permalink

http://www.flickr.com/photos/flagism/5943827829/

7. "you want to impress someone who doesn't know a thing about art? then do something surrealistic."

OK, Start here...

(real world in-camera multiple exposure)

Or here...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/flagism/8698915968/

(captured with both digital and film Pentaxes)

http://flickr.com/photos/flagism

or better yet, here...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/flagism/8956826905/

or here...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/flagism/8786501883/

Oh wait, that's not photography or skittles, them be pills and laxatives (the best way to have a new art movement ;-))!...

Jul 26, 2013permalink

6. (Cont'd) If not a Shakespeare reference or a reference to his life or Western (or Eastern) Art, I'd settle for at least a hint of a short and sweet Western Union telegram (there's a reference to a Warner Brothers? quote on movies with messages here but I just can't think of the exact quote at the moment) or for the faint simple whiff of a cryptic or not bubble gum comic book wrapper or a reference to something deeper than a surrealistic exercise for the sake of a surrealistic exercise on the topic of "summer vacation" if indeed that's what he was trying to convey here at all and not just potentially the spin of whoever was writing this photo article to make it more "salable" as a seasonal "summer vacation" topic/angle..

Jul 26, 2013permalink

6. " a huge antique phone in the middle of a forest can easily catch attention but what's really the meaning about it apart being an eye catching visual trick? none whatsoever."

I agree here if the purpose is to be more than just an exercise in Photoshop skill and/or a "prosaic" fantasy expression of creativity for its own sake. See my point number 2. - his phone shot, pardon the pun, needs a message - I don't get any sense of a "personal" private message he's trying to convey and/or a public message. There are what could be used as symbols but (to me) no iconographic meaning here - individual/artistic about himself, society, etc., commercial or otherwise...

Jul 26, 2013permalink

5. " that's why surrealism used to be and still is so popular especially among young people and those who never really "grow up". because it explains things visually and obviously and it doesn't require any mental efforts to get the point because there is no point."

The best Surrealism has a point at the very least and may indeed be multi-ordinate. The world (and the mind) is more than just photojournalism/news/subject matter, its about what matters to you and why.

Jul 26, 2013permalink

4. (Cont'd) ...Riding the subway home on a train packed like sardines in a rat infested urine soaked subway or standing in line at a supermarket can be too real and/or surreal both as ideas and everyday events Surrealism is more than absurdity or fairy tales or whatever, it is a mirror to the mind and a window to the soul, a means of communication and/or self-expression and sometimes, well, a cigar is just a cigar unless it was Freud's cigar in which case it might have 'A" vitamin 'A" complex...

Jul 26, 2013permalink

4. "By absentaneous (1 week ago)

I can only reply here with an apt partial non sequitor - Robin Williams' "Reality... what a concept!" Every idea is surreal? Every idea begins in the mind but the mind is more than a reflection of reality. Surreal ideas come from either surreal minds or minds that produce ideas (and artefacts) that are regarded as being surreal by others regardless of whether those ideas are inherently surreal or not. Any idea can be surreal, that doesn't mean that any or every idea _is_ surreal.

Jul 26, 2013permalink

3. People may be making too much or too little of the photographer and/or his work. The young man's work featured here on dpreview has talent and creativity but creativity and naturally born talent alone are not enough to be an artist in one's own right, neither is style, they are the beginning of art/being an artist (or at least its means) not its end. He needs vision, and not Rene Magritte's style ( and vision), but his own vision. I find his work well done but cliches of surrealism. He needs to work on developing his own ideas into a vision by having a point of view beyond mere contrasting of subject matter and/or just visual tricks. His work shows the beginnings of promise. I encourage him to continue to expand his talent and creativity and skill into the realm of his own vision. Vision is more than having a good/creative idea, it is having a point of view and insights about subjects/topics/issues/etc.

Jul 26, 2013permalink

http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=5139512

2. There is nothing wrong with being a gearhead (or a Photoshop/etc.) head and enjoying the fruits thereof. It might be the 4500th commandment but my Bible only goes up to commandment 4499. Having said that...

Jul 26, 2013permalink

ciao_chao

Perhaps this is a contentious issue, but I feel that for DP Review, this is going somewhat beyond it's traditional remit. I find that this goes beyond the traditional documentary content here, where photography has been used to record rather than create, nothing against the work itself, but I feel that it doesn't quite belong here. DPR should keep it's focus on strong documentary work as it always has done, acting as a beacon for a field which is perhaps under represented and considered somewhat throwaway.

Jul 22, 2013permalink

Stujomo

I did some fun shots with a toaster using some of the travel shots I made whilst working as a cruise ship photographer.
Here's one.

The travel shots were made about 1996 on film and the toaster was added later about 2005.

Jul 20, 2013*permalink

nicolaiecostel

Hipster p*rn.

Jul 18, 2013permalink

Bulva

around 1975, when I was young, I saw photograph of the electric pole in the middle of the field. Completely nothing, "zero". And the description underneath trying to make the "meaning" and to justify that photo was taken. Now, almost 40 years later, I see that again, the old ideas are reborn. I do not want to be rude, I hope that young man would look into history and would try make use of it.

Jul 16, 2013permalink

Doug Frost

That kid is f*cking awesome.

Jul 16, 2013permalink

Who is awesome? And why should we care?

Jul 16, 2013permalink

Filthy McNasty

Jul 16, 2013*permalink

1. Photography is writing (or drawing) with light, when people say something is or isn't photography, all it means it isn't photography for their definition and/or tastes. Whether its silver halide grains, pixels, paint or multi-colored skittles it is still still photography (P.S. I have always known my Surrealistic photographs tasted better in Peanut brittle but I could never get the recipe right ;-) - only those that know me know I'm not just joking here). In fact painting was photography before "photography" was "photography". There is a documentary on youtube (with host David Hockney), sorry, can't remember te title at the moment, which describes how all those artists (painters) from hundreds of years before that fateful day in 1829 or so when the first image was permanently fixed were using camera obscuras and the like to form photographic images which they later traced/painted.

Jul 26, 2013permalink

AbrasiveReducer

I was just thinking how complicated it was to do things like the shot with the phone, before we had computers. Like Jerry Uelsmann.

Jul 15, 2013permalink

CurtisLewis

It was certainly a lot more fun in the dark room than it is on the computer.

Jul 16, 2013permalink

Hani7up

To CurtisLewis: No it wasn't. Why should people always claim that the "good old days" were better and more fun?? In some cases they may have been, but not for everything and certainly not for this kind of work. It does have its merit, but that's as far as it gets. I am 56, I did darkrooms for many years and and I can assure you Photoshop is more fun, more efficient, more "real" and more almost everything. In the dark room it was fun if you had to feel your way around and bump into your favourite (girl or boy) classmate or friend. And the amount of money one spent on Ilford Gallery, chemicals, time,... it wasn't more fun. It was simply necessary and the only thing we had. www.images7up.com

Jul 17, 2013*permalink

rfsIII

Yes, the darkroom was stinky and ours was in the closet under the staircase so you had to work hunched over. But everyone, even your parents, knew that you must never open the door. So the great thing was that when you closed the door no one would try to come in. The world went away and it was just you and your pictures.
That feeling of complete concentration is something you don't get with Photoshop. There are too many distractions in the real world.

Jul 17, 2013permalink

Hani7up

Well, I guess it all boils down to your set up. In my case, the basement in MINE, :-) .

Jul 20, 2013permalink

SRT3lkt

I think he is more talented than some of us.

Jul 15, 2013permalink

Vladik

Probably most :)

Jul 15, 2013permalink

That is hardly a compliment.

Jul 15, 2013permalink

SRT3lkt

sorry, the comment was bit froomy.

Jul 17, 2013permalink

seanpon

Frankly, I prefer good photography to mediocre Photoshop work. I believe that this young photographer would be better served honing his photography skills. He probably has talent but his composite images are just cliches to me.

Jul 15, 2013permalink

what is so cliche about a phone in the forest? Sure it would have looked better if the phone was off the hook and hanging on a tree branch with a zebra trying to dial his girlfriend's number in a hurry and as a result having his right hoof stuck in number 5 and a lion visible in the background ( with a Zeiss bokeh ). But give this kid a break, he is only seventeen.

Jul 15, 2013permalink

"Frankly, I prefer good photography to mediocre Photoshop work"

Agreed, but given this isn't mediocre, how does that statement apply here?

Jul 15, 2013permalink

WayneHuangPhoto

Stop being so dense.

Jul 16, 2013permalink

Spectro

Common style/genre among a lot of teen/ early 20s photographers, not sure what it is called. I think they all went to the same school. These younger photographer style gets a lot of view on flickr because they do these shots of self portrait photoshop art. I am a little jealous of this style. Most of my friends are older and can't pull off the youthful innocent look. Most of these young photographers have the entry level camera with kits lens, but do a great job in creativity and photoshop. We sit here talking about having the best camera sensor and lenses. Digital photography or not, they are quite creative. The famous Miss Aniela started off like this (self portrait) and now she is a international photographer. Sara Kiesling is another of this genre.

Jul 14, 2013*permalink

Yes I agree, I am jealous too. Miss Aniela is a complete genius though. So is Sara Kiesling. I even emailed Miss Aniela and suggested she teams up with Sara but she did not respond. It could have been a turning point in the history of visual arts if they joined forces.

Jul 14, 2013permalink

Sara Kiesling

I saw this post when Googling myself (because we all do that, right?)...and I just found it funny because I'm nearly 28, shot with a Mark II for 3 years before upgrading to the Mark III last fall, and I never did self-portraits (with the exception of maybe a few shots that I posted on Flickr for a, "Hey, this is what I look like" purpose). And I've never considered myself to really be that "creative" of a photographer, either! Perhaps you confused me with somebody else? ;) I do enjoy the work of Miss Aniela, though!

Jul 16, 2013permalink

Spectro

Sara, no i seen your stuff on flickr, you photography young models a lot. A lot of young photographers shot their young friend or themselves and then do some photoshop edit.

Jul 17, 2013permalink

rfsIII

Twenty eight? Himmel!!! You are the old lady already. But what Spectro means is that you have a style of photography that is fresh and feels young and optimistic. There is no edge of world-weary sadness to it like you see in photographers of the older generation like Terry Richardson or Steven Meisel.
Here's a life lesson: When you get a complement, take it.

Jul 17, 2013permalink

LaFonte

I went to the site and flickr and there are actually far better pictures that the two featured here. The two here are something most of us did at some time after we discovered PhotoShop. But there are way better images in his collection, like the roses dipped in white paint etc...

Jul 14, 2013*permalink

wansai

good stuff but i'm going to echo that this is in the realm of digital/graphic art already. any time you take one thing and start recompositing, it becomes digital art or mixed media art.

the photos may have been the starting point. i'd only classify this as photography if he prepped the scene as is THEN shot it. it's obviously not done or shot like that. it's compositing other items in.

that window with clouds i've shot a similar effect but instead of achieving it in ps, i shot it as is through 2 layers of windows with reflection filling in the shadows. had i composited other shots in, i'd tell you clearly it's digital art, not photography.

Jul 14, 2013permalink

fuego6

Agree... nice digital art.. but not photography..

Jul 14, 2013permalink

JWest

Not that I necessarily disagree with you, but: if I look at your shot through two layers of windows and think "cool photo, obviously Photoshopped", is it photography or digital art? If I can't tell the difference, does it matter? Don't take this as criticism (I've never seen your shot, after all), I'm just throwing questions out there.

Jul 15, 2013permalink

wansai

@Jwest, that's a good question. I believe it's entirely up to the artist to be truthful about what he is showcasing. In this case, had I done a really good shop job (which I'm quite capable of since I use it professionally), I would tell you it's digital art. I'd place it in digital art and my photos in another section.

I don't think people intentionally try to be misleading; I just think that there's too many people who don't know the distinction (this is where education becomes important).

Also, photography has the dubious distinction of being one of the few genres where just about anyone can pick up a camera and have at it. Good for popularity/accessibility of the medium but quite terrible for classification and perhaps even devaluation of the profession when it's so easy for just about anybody to classify just about anything as photography.

Maybe it's just me but as an artist I feel it's my duty/obligation to be truthful, clear and concise about what I do/present.

Jul 17, 2013permalink

locke_fc

Not my cup of tea, but it is impressive for someone that young to master Photoshop like that.

Jul 14, 2013permalink

old joe

i don,t get it but i do admire the imagination to do it to bring something different, to those who say it is boring, rubbish there is nothing more boring than endless birds,portraits,weddings etc,etc. photography after all is an art form as well as all the other uses it is put to.

Jul 14, 2013permalink

backayonder

Well Done for thinking outside of the square. The picture of the huge telephone in the country lane now thats's what I call "Global Roaming!"

Jul 14, 2013permalink

I think this kid is a genius bigger than Dali. This is surrealism at its best. My son is working on it too and I do my best to encourage him. Last week he did this really clever photo of a Mediterranean young lady jumping rope inside his grand father's left ear

Jul 14, 2013permalink

WellyNZ

Bigger than Dali? Let's not get carried away. There's a thousand photographers on deviantart doing stuff similar/almost identical to this. It's well executed but certainly not the best in this style and there's plenty more of it about.

Jul 15, 2013permalink

marike6

You have to be joking, right? Salvador Dali, Joan Miró, Max Ernst, Luis Bunuel, et al, invented Surrealism one of the most important, and influential styles of the 20th Century.

Copying a style isn't the same as creating it from thin air. And in the 1920's very few artists were doing anything remotely similar to what the Surrealist like Dali were doing. Now Surrealist style images are found everywhere from cinema to greeting cards.

Jul 15, 2013permalink

Plastek

"There's a thousand photographers on deviantart doing stuff similar/almost identical to this." - thousand is a huge understatement. Also these ain't even near top of the league. But still really nice considering the age.

Jul 15, 2013permalink

sadwitch

Great work... he's definitely seeing outside the box where most that roam here are stuck with pointless banter and gear bashing. Photography would be a sad boring state if we're to go by the definition of some here.

Jul 14, 2013permalink

Plastek

"he's definitely seeing outside the box" - you definitely need to visit Flickr or Deviant Art from time to time.

Jul 15, 2013permalink

Boerseuntjie

Nice job the kid has vision, at least it's not iPhone junk with filters, this takes some talent and shows the art of photography is not dead.
I have to agree with QuarterToDoom a little,this is more graphic desigh art than photography, but I'm not putting the kid down

Jul 13, 2013*permalink

Tlipp

Imagination is an individual’s greatest asset.
Well-done Ian!

Jul 13, 2013permalink

QuarterToDoom

Great imagination and all that but this is more artwork/graphic design than photography. Yes I would say then same thing is some used film to make the same style of images. It turns into art created from photos and not photography.

Jul 13, 2013permalink

zebrax20

Define your definition of photography?!?

Jul 13, 2013permalink

Please photographically define the definition of your photography and your photographic definition before you photograph your definition.

Jul 14, 2013permalink

QuarterToDoom

>>Define your definition of photography?!?

An image take with a camera and not manipulated to the point of not representing what the camera recorded originally.

If you must Art work created from several photographs.

Jul 17, 2013permalink

Maji

Very creative. Kudos!!

Jul 13, 2013permalink

Zoran K

Bravo!

Jul 13, 2013permalink

audijam

very very nice..

Jul 13, 2013permalink

iAPX

Imagination, poetry, and a real attention to any detail, he's clearly talented, but he's also a hard worker!

Jul 13, 2013permalink

massimogori

Once upon a time one was an enfant prodige before the age of primary school. Now we have to wait for the college or the university!

(nice pictures, however)

Jul 13, 2013*permalink

Impulses

InfantLprodigy

Jul 13, 2013permalink

crsantin

This young man is talented and shows a great deal of imagination, something sorely lacking on this site. Some of the comments here are woefully ignorant, but then, that's just par for the course on dpreview.

Jul 13, 2013permalink

Tan68

I can only strip the gears I got :^)

Jul 13, 2013permalink

Akaretler

I can understand why you would make that statement. I would suggest that dpreview come up with categories of articles, clearly identified by symbols, such as: technical, artistic, business etc.. Then the readers can pick and choose what to read based on their preferences and needs... Alternately, you can visit sites that specifically have that focus, and there are many...

Jul 13, 2013permalink

steveh0607

This kid has great imagination! Keep at it and have fun!

Jul 13, 2013permalink

ManuelVilardeMacedo

I wish I had this boy's imagination and creativity. Some of his pictures on Flickr bring Man Ray and Yves Klein to my mind. If he focuses on a style of his own, he'll go far.

Jul 13, 2013permalink

DanielFjall

I think everybody should start out in their own end of any creative matter. Most of us seem to loose our own personal creative touch in photography when trying to impress others with stuff everyone is already doing. What is more boring than a over processed HDR sunset? This kid is a refreshment.

Jul 13, 2013permalink

ManuelVilardeMacedo

Daniel, I couldn't agree more!

Jul 13, 2013permalink

Aleo Veuliah

Not bad, in fact he is good, but I have seen better pictures on many sites like flickr and 500pix, and those do not had the luck to appear here on Dpreview or other good site and in an article.

I think that Ian will be a good photographer and may have a bright future if continues to improve his photographic technique.

Jul 13, 2013*permalink

marike6

He "will be". lol.

Jul 13, 2013permalink

LensBeginner

Nice! love the storm in a bottle.

Jul 13, 2013permalink

Laurentiu Todie

My advice to the kid would be to keep at it,
but match contrast in the collage.
(the forest is flatter than the phone)

And learn about iconic art:
http://thedali.org/exhibits/highlights/gala_contemplating_the_mediterranean_sea_which_at_twenty_meters_becomes_the_portrait_of_abraham_lincoln.php

Jul 13, 2013permalink

Aleo Veuliah

Good advice.

To me Salvador Dali is the master of surrealism.

Jul 13, 2013*permalink

marike6

No offense, but after looking at his project, I'm quite sure the kid doesn't need any advice or pointers.

On the image you reference, he's using a low-contrast filter for a reason. It's obvious that he knows exactly what he's doing.

Jul 13, 2013*permalink

Plastek

marike6 - the worst possible thing he can do is to be so full of himself to dismiss good advices from more experienced people. Like you just did here.

Jul 15, 2013permalink

TN Args

Pity about the churlish comments posted most recently, especially the guy who thinks he is personally above surrealism and Dali. hah! Congratulations to the 17 year old lad and I like his way of seeing.

Jul 13, 2013permalink

I never said I was above anything but that I find surrealism boring and I can explain you why. surrealism is an absurd idea in the sense that every idea is surreal anyway but to realise that you require a thinking brain. that's why surrealism used to be and still is so popular especially among young people and those who never really "grow up". because it explains things visually and obviously and it doesn't require any mental efforts to get the point because there is no point. a huge antique phone in the middle of a forest can easily catch attention but what's really the meaning about it apart being an eye catching visual trick? none whatsoever.

you want to impress someone who doesn't know a thing about art? then do something surrealistic. it will always work. try to use surrealism to impress someone who's artistically educated and theoretically demanding. well, good luck with that. surrealism is like fairy tales. they are nice and enjoyable but at some point you grow out of them.

Jul 13, 2013*permalink

CaseyComo

No way dude...Dali and Magritte are the most aweseom artsits ever. Espcially when you are totally baked. One time me and my buddy Rob smoked up a bunch and check out that painting of the train coming through the fireplace and we were all like "woah, dude, that sh*t is deeeeep!"

Jul 13, 2013permalink

@caseycomo, I totally believe you that. and thanks for making my point.

Jul 13, 2013permalink

CaseyComo

Yeh and that one where like the clocks were all mealting and crap was like we were all totally just like "duuuuuuuuuuddddde..."

Jul 13, 2013permalink

(unknown member)

I always thought that PHOTOGRAPHY is about story, idea, message, composition and of course quality and color....here we see a manifesto of the combination - digital filter(cross-process/B&W/Artificial artifacts and noise) and collage...I miss the idea, message and composition of almost all snapshots in this set.

Jul 13, 2013permalink

bchanger

I agree with you too. When I read the title I was hoping for some 'youth in revolt' in reflection of Larry Clark or Nan Goldin. It's over manipulated but it shows promise of something better. Hopefully. It's good work its just not great.

Jul 13, 2013permalink

MarkInSF

Why did you think that? Photography isn't an inherently narrative medium. It can do a lot more than tell stories, just as painting and music can. The kid is doing fun stuff that's well beyond what most adults ever do. It's not yet consistent in style nor is it perfectly executed, but it's very good, nonetheless.

Jul 13, 2013permalink

I am amazed people still fall for such tricks. when I was a teenager my favorite artist was dali. I thought his surreal art was pure genius. when I grew up I changed my mind. now I find his art childish, empty and boring.

Jul 13, 2013permalink

bchanger

I don't think its so much a photo project than it is a retouching project. Its no doubt naive. It pays homage to another era of art that we now dismiss as advertising illusion. I think its good for a young artist and this work suggests that he isn't disillusioned to the real world. I don't think it makes a difference if you or I critique this work harshly as he's taken a chance to broadcast this work to the largest possible gallery and forum on the planet - the internet. I say be happy for him but I absolutely agree that its a naive project.

Jul 13, 2013permalink

Tan68

Accepting all you have said as the natural order of life, there are younger people following after you. Maybe they will change their mind as well when they get older. In the meantime...

Also, why should younger people be attracted to Dali. I imagine some are. Some might want a new Dali. Who knows. Have to wait a several decades to see if anyone now fiddling with photo filters ends up retrospectives.

Jul 13, 2013permalink

"now I find his art childish, empty and boring."

Perhaps that says more about you and less about Dali. You are now an empty and boring adult, and have lost the wonder of youth. It's sad when that happens.

Jul 14, 2013permalink

To quote someone about art "this is art, not math. there is no 2+2=4 formula. there is no doing it right or doing it wrong."

Jul 14, 2013permalink

@bchanger,

I didn't really mean to critique his work. everyone is free to do what he or she likes and especially at such age there is no point for criticism but quite the opposite because that's how one develops his creativity and talents. I used to do exactly the same stuff as soon as I put my hands on photoshop and discovered layers etc. so, I have nothing against that. what amazed me was that editors of this site found this to be something so important to be worth mentioning in this way.

Jul 14, 2013permalink

@meanwhile,

if you find me boring and empty because I don't fall for empty visual tricks but rather enjoy in complex ideas then I have nothing to complain about.

Jul 14, 2013permalink