pear – Acetylene Eyes

(via girlswithcameras)

Nastasija Trill’ – Parts (2009)

As an image this doesn’t completely work. (Based on the way she’s holding the camera, this was taken at a cant and then cropped in post. This positioning was likely a result of wanting to keep her arms in this particular pose–which makes sense because check out the exquisite shadow that’s cast by her right breast on the wall behind her. Proper landscape orientation would’ve de-emphasized the up-thrust of the vertical mirror, drawn more attention to the angled light slanting through the slated shades and just overall made better balance between positive and negative space. I’ll stop short of labeling this #skinnyframebullshit, however–given the custom of horizontal orientation being a code for depicting secular conventions and vertical orientation being favored for spiritual consideration/prompting worship, this fits like a glove with the latter.)

It’s also a clever visual pun. There’s the pair in her lap and the pairing of a pair of breasts via the reflection. (My brain then subsequently rockets on to relating this to that bible story about Jesus allegedly feeding a multitude with only a small quantity of fish and loaves of bread and wondering if it was like a modern magic trick that used mirrors onto the statement about illusion smoke and mirrors… each and ever step of the way seeming to fit the image’s implications a little too astutely.)

Source: girlswithcameras

Konstantin Antioukhin – The Pear (2010)

A Kievan considered by many to be the best living engraver, Antioukhin specializes in bookplates.

As with any engraver, there’s a great debt owed to Dürer. And while it’s not visible here, Antioukhin wears his influences on his sleeve borrowing Klimt’s icon-like compositions and excessively filigreed ornamentation; the latter of which are then filtered through Mœbius’ riffing on the florid superfluity of line in Ernst’s decalomania. There’s also usually some Giger thrown in as leavening.

It’s a heady mix and like Belgian beers, it’s difficult to question the excess of flavor since it serves the resulting quality. However, as with Belgian beer, I tend to prefer unapologetic directness, I don’t always want to be overwhelmed by profusion.

In this piece, the influences are still there to discover for the discerning eye; but in the unity between form and execution there’s a diminution of their obviousness. To me this suggests Antioukhin would be well served to trust his own vision instead of always announcing his footing on the shoulders of giants.

Source: staging.artslant.com