This Photoblog is a personal interpretation of the vision of an American icon in modern photography, Aaron Siskind. His legacy has always been associated with later works influenced by Abstract Expressionism and his earlier documentary projects inspired by his beliefs in social justice. As author James Rhem explains, ” Siskind saw how he could move fully from the sphere of description to the plane of ideas in abstracted form. He saw in what he had done – framing organic objects within strong geometric compositions – a reflection of a basic duality he had long puzzled over. ‘In the picture you have in the object or superimposed on it, a thing I would call the “image” which contains my idea And these things are present at one and the same time. And there’s a conflict, a tension. The object is there and yet it’s not an object. It’s something else. It has meaning, and the meaning is partly the object’s meaning, but mostly my meaning.’
I chose Aaron Siskind to follow in his footsteps because of his emotional rather than intellectual interpretations of the physical world. The shapes and figures, rhythmic lines and fragmented spaces contributed an abstracted world beyond the conscious. His “pictorial” basis of capturing his inner thoughts and feelings have made me more focused on how I can show intention and visual integrity to my images. His images have inspired me to be more emotionally involved whenever I press the shutter and see through what the physical appearances are revealing to me. In addition, I can appreciate how Aaron Siskin’s association with other artists have influenced the development of his works. My interest in painting and graphic design have led me to gravitate to his artistic approaches in a way that can create new relationships as well as dissociate them from its familiar contexts.
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