Always a bit slow to pick up on television shows, I have just recently discovered the dark sexy magic that is Mad Men. I feel like I could blog about this show for months, there are so many sides of it that address the issues I confront in my art. And it's just so pretty - the clothes, the light, the color - and goddamn Don Draper. I just finished watching the first season thanks to the good folks at netflix, and was so moved by the scene below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suRDUFpsHus
So much of my work is rooted in nostalgia, not only for things as they were, but for how I wished them to be. For me that is the ultimate frustration ("God it's so painful when something that's so close is still so far out of reach") -- haunting memories of possibilities squandered or beautiful people and situations that somehow slipped away.
I've always considered family snapshots to be one of the most interesting genres of portraiture. Candid pictures capture moments that would otherwise be forgotten, and often let you see something in yourself and your loved ones in a way that you can only notice when frozen. Posed pictures can say even more - in attempting to put your best face forward, you reveal not only how you would like to be perceived, but often unintentionally whatever side you're trying to hide.
This monologue really captures the incredible strength of personal photographs. I know that I can think for days of my memories of a family member who's passed away without shedding a tear, and one quick glimpse of them blowing out their birthday candles can reduce me to a sobbing wreck. As Don eloquently points out, these images have the power to transport you to another time.
Time to throw open the albums and pick up the paint brush...
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