John Stezaker Blue Double Shadow IV
Gallery:
Year:
2020
Dimensions:
22 x 18.8 cm
Technique:
Collage
Gallery:
Year:
2020
Dimensions:
22 x 18.8 cm
Technique:
Collage
Blue Double Shadow IV is part of the Double Shadow series, a continuation of John Stezaker's ongoing exploration of film stills and publicity portraits from classical Hollywood cinema. Stezaker has been cutting out actors from publicity photos, pasting the remaining portions onto a dark background to create hollowed-out silhouettes.
The work employs a doubling technique, overlaying one negative silhouette atop another, transforming both. The resulting images evoke the shadowy atmosphere of German Expressionist film and film noir. The interplay of light and shade, a blend of photographic elements and collage technique, reproduces the textured chiaroscuro found in noir films. The silhouettes themselves harken back to the dramatic effect of back-lighting.
Utilizing vintage photographs, old Hollywood film stills, travel postcards, and assorted printed material, Stezaker crafts alluring small-format collages imbued with qualities reminiscent of Surrealism, Dada, and found art. Regarding the extensive collection of images he has amassed, Stezaker emphasizes that the images "find him," not the other way around. With surgical precision, he excises, overlays, and merges distinct images, giving rise to new personalities, landscapes, and scenes.
Amber Andrews
That feels good
30
Amber Andrews
Your nightmares follow you like a shadow
16
Anouk De Clercq
Atlas
12
Bent Van Looy
Her sister
4