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| Alexander Khokhlov Weird Beauty series |
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| Alexander Khokhlov Weird Beauty series |
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| Alexander Khokhlov 2D of not 2D series |
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| Alexander Khokhlov 2D of not 2D series |
This week I did a broad online search for black and white photography, and discovered
Alexander Khokhlov. He
is born and raised in Moscow, Russia, and began his photography career in 2007.
He has a passion for beauty photography, and enjoys photographing people. He
partnered up with make-up artist, Valeriya Kutsan, to create two separate
portrait series that really caught my attention.
The first is called Weird
Beauty. Kutsan used black and white face paint to cover the models’ faces
with geometric patterns and iconic symbols. The photographer wanted to use the
natural contours and shapes of the women’s faces to create optical illusions using
line and form. The models’ faces are the canvases to be painted on, but are also
an integral part of the artwork. The beauty of the women is accentuated by the
beautiful painting on their faces.
The
second series is called 2D or not 2D?
This is a continuation of the previous portrait idea. Khokhlov decided to use
the models faces to manipulate our perception of space and to create 2D
illusions. Kutsan painted the faces using multiple techniques such as hard edge
painting, dripping and cartooning. This makes me think about our in-class discussions
about truth in photography, and should we believe what we’re looking at? Antonia Bardis wrote, “Innocent looking representations of
what resemble to be actuality, may in fact be inventive creations pointing only
to an illusion.” I think that Khokhlov succeeded in tricking my eye, and making
me believe that I was looking at voluminous objects. I found myself staring at the final images and trying to
figure out what I was actually seeing.
http://www.alexanderkhokhlov.com
Work Cited
Bardis, A. (2004). Digital photography and the question of realism. Journal of Visual Art Practice. Volume 3, Number 3.
Khokhlov, A. (2014) Alexander Khokhlov Photography. Retrieved from http://www.alexanderkhokhlov.com
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