Gregory Crewdson

I've spent all day studying the images of Gregory Crewdson and watching the documentary "Brief Encounter" over and over again. I even took notes because I felt that he said some really helpful things about his photography that caused me to think about my approach to the art.

Crewdson's work portrays a psychological drama almost as in a movie set that you feel like you've seen or maybe lived in a dream but you really haven't. It's got slices of real life tied in with a twist of the twilight zone. He projects his own fears, desires and anxieties into the images and that is part of what makes them so powerful. There's the dynamic of containing both beauty and sadness in the faces of the people and a disconnect in relationships. Both awe and terror reside together in a domestic environment.

Crewdson enjoys swimming in murky waters and in a sense it colors his work as his work all has that quality of there is something that lies beneath and we as the viewer search deeper to find out what it is - although it will always be elusive. There is a sense that the players in the images are separate and alone. Isolation and sadness seems to appear in the images as does many layers of life... economic, political, social, psychological and other issues. There is both a peace and an underlying terror apparent in the images which causes a discomfort that demands further study.

Crewdson shoots at twilight and uses dramatic lighting to tell the story. Dusk is a time when people leave the outside seen world for their internal world of the bedroom, kitchen bathroom in their home making even the time of day a great metaphor. The majority of Americans live with a sense of quiet despair and these images capture that. The images let the viewer know there are secrets in the lives of these characters depicted, some deep and painful. The ambiguity feeds the mystery and yet people can relate to the common human experience depicted in the images.

The work is staged... not real. Elaborate sets are built with great attention to detail. Characters are hired and coached. Streets are shut down. A team of people works on them and Crewdson does not actually stand behind the camera. Then the work is taken into post-production where things are tweaked before the final image.

I think it's the psychological component that makes this work so powerful. What lies beneath the people? What is the story here? There is a clear hint at narrative but with such mystery that I want to stay engaged to the images. He uses real people, not polished hollywood beauties. The scenes are from towns that are struggling financially, that once had their day but are now skeletons of what they once were. There is a great nostalgic quality with old cars and timeless clothing that makes me feel as if I saw this scene growing up. The haunted quality of the work leads me back into Hitchcock thrillers. As I view the images, I want more of the story - but of course, it's not a movie, it's a still shot and there is no more of the story to be seen.