A contemplation about reality and it’s portrayal in art.
Can you think of something which doesn’t exist? Something which isn’t composed of elements we’re familiar with, or follows a pattern that we know well? Is every artist’s creation a new being which is transferred from the imagination into reality? Without stepping too far into the realms of philosophical thought I want to apply this idea to Jimmy Marble’s photographs, although really it’s applicable to almost anything. I’m drawn to this idea when looking at Marble’s work, because his photographs lead you to believe a false reality – a photograph surely depicts the truth yet his images look a little off, creating a paradox. The models are posing and every aspect is calculated resulting in these aesthetically pleasing images which have the air of a parallel universe. Obviously Marble’s photographs aren’t the most abstract of artworks, but he manages to subtly take you to a dreamy parallel world, an interesting mix of the familiar and the alien.
A return to the original question: Can you think of something which doesn’t exist? Marble did. These scenes didn’t exist before he took the photo, they originated as an idea in the mind. Surely every creative conceives an idea and makes it a reality, and thus imagines the unimaginable? But is there anything new in his work; there are elements of high fashion in these photos, faded colours which originate from the late 20th century and women who look like every other person who’s graced the pages of a magazine. So not an entirely new reality then, but one made up of realities which exist or have existed.
Unravelling but then getting knotted again: It makes sense that if you can’t imagine something which doesn’t exist, then you can only think of things which do. That’s one school of thought. However, I still can’t ignore the fact that there is still a new reality in the image, albeit a vaguely familiar one. Perhaps creation is on a different level, the ability to see pass the reality in which we exist and imagine a new one. Or is it just the ability to alter something so significantly that it fools the viewer.
What do you think?
*I think this name suits the complicated thought process involved when writing this. In all honesty I’m not even sure how I ended up down this path but it was fun to write!
All photos: http://www.jimmymarble.com/pics/
