One of the newer collections at MIA is called 'Glass House' by James Welling. This piece consists of several photographs of Philip Johnson's ionic glass house. The house was built in 1949 in New Canaan, Connecticut. The photos were taken over a course of three years (2006-2009). They were made by using a digital camera, the images capture the architectural features of the 47 acre compound. The pictures have a luminous effect that was achieved by places a variety of colored filters between the lens and the subject, this introduces an intense field of colors transforming the image at the moment of exposure. I really like the way that Welling used the color filters to change the image. It changes the pictures from being realistic, to making you question what is real. The colors really make you think about how those colors came to be. The brighter colors definitely bring out a more cheerful emotion, most of the images have more warmer colors than cool colors. The artist takes something normal and turns it into something out of the ordinary making it exciting just but adding different colors.
This is a really neat piece. I agree with you that the warm colors make it feel more cheerful, they contrast the clean, contemporary lines of the furniture.
ReplyDeleteGlad you chose this work, Brie! I am a fan of it, as well. I agree that Wellings' use of the filters really transforms the work. Do you think he may be somehow commenting on the material (glass) that is predominant in this structure and its relationship to photography? You might want to check out the L.A. Times article on this work...
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