À propos du livre
In “Modern Mythologies” I transform everyday people into characters of romantic and fantastical works to create contemporary mythology. I collaborate with models from virtually all walks of life – from doctors to sex workers, actors, and other artists. Through extensive post-production, I place them into settings of epic proportion. Most of my subjects are seen through an objectifying gaze, others as archetypes, some being hyper-masculine, others being characters in novels or plays, allowing them to be vulnerable and show emotions. I also like to explore gender and body types and on occasion the idea of alien and cross-species integration into the human form.
To create the elaborate backgrounds I combine fragments of paintings with the photographs of the models. This blending of elements creates an otherworldly effect and makes the models often appear godlike. Each image has an indeterminate narrative quality, which allows viewers to emotionally connect to the work and give it its final shape.
The work exists between painting and photography, influenced equally by artists in both disciplines. Renaissance painters such as Jan van Eyck, Michelangelo, and Titian inspire the compositions and narrative. The final results are reminiscent of Baroque painters such as Schönfeld-Opferszene, Caravaggio, and Tiepolo. Not limited to this time period or genre, I am also inspired by literature and folklore, by the romanticism of photographers like Edward Steichen, Margaret Cameron, and by the hyper-sexual intent of photos by Robert Mapplethorpe.
The Mythologies series, as objects straddle these mediums as some key compositions are rendered on canvas or panels. I use the technique of encaustic layering the surface with wax, resin, and pigment. These processes heighten the depth of the images by building up the surface. And just as with an original painting, each work in this series is unique.
Caractéristiques et détails
- Catégorie principale: Livres d'art et de photographie
- Catégories supplémentaires Beaux-arts, Fantasy
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Format choisi: Lettre US, 22×28 cm
# de pages: 200 - Date de publication: févr 06, 2022
- Langue English
- Mots-clés mix media, mythology, painting, art
À propos du créateur
Ben Fink Artist, Photographer/Director, Ben Fink born in Baltimore in the 1960s attended art school at Memphis College of Art and the University of Memphis. Ben works across multiple media, including photography, illustration, and physical painting. Ben has created a new body of work that continues to evolve into mixed media. This manifests sensibilities and direct references to historical painting while at the same time using modern figures as focal points. Ben’s earlier studies of painting, art history, paper making, and photography continue to influence his work. Ben combines fragments of paintings, landscapes, and architectural spaces. This mélange helps create an intent of what he refers to as an “out-of-time” effect where proportions of place, subject, and model(s) embrace our need for modern-day myth. Each image suggests a narrative allowing viewers to engage in the implied mythologies which help to give his work its final shape.