Dreams: Metaphor for the Making of Art?

With no surprise, my entire train journey from Ascot (my home town) to London tends to be very much phone related- either tweeting, emailing or texting...I usually end up depleting over a quarter of my Iphone battery in this time alone with many hours ahead to fuel.

With 10 minutes to spare before reaching Waterloo, I read a tweet from the National Gallery regarding a lunchtime talk focusing on dreams and visions in art. This talk acted as an introduction and taster of what is to come when a new exhibition opens this week in association with 'Seduced by Art'. For more information on this exhibition please click here.

 

Not only do I love art and painting on both a personal and professional level; the subject matter of this talk strongly related to the very reason why I began this blog. Art and photography attain the power to be as ambiguous yet as symbolically rich as desired- linking into this fantasy, dreamlike realm which can be so apparent in visual imagery- especially fashion.

In addition to confirming and expanding the knowledge I already have in this subject; I also learnt about Baroque art and the divine powers associated with the dream state which was fascinating. Before we reached the era of scientific evidence supporting dream studies (Sigmund Freud, REM sleep etc), dreams were looked upon as privileged, glorified messages; most often relating to messages from God.

Although this was all very interesting art history, what really inspired me and appeared so relevant to my position as a fashion photographer is the concept of dreams themselves. Dreams attempt to explain the surreal, yet at the same time are designed to be interpreted in a subjective manner; similar to the dream itself. They also leave us with the big question, what really is reality?

Contemporary fashion photography could arguably be more about hyper real fantasy than dreams; determined through both the content within the frame and the ever increasing techniques of post production. I personally believe that one of the key attributes and foundation of conveying a sense of a dream, vision or fantasy relates to the 'space of otherness' - something which can never fully be in reality, often appearing to be a fully conceptual construction.

On this note, I will leave you with a beautiful image by Tim Walker; unquestionably inspired by his personal depictions of the dream realm, inspired by childlike fantasy and unconventional conceptual visions. Having visited an exhibition at Somerset house focusing on Tim Walker's work, this quote seemed particularly fitting:

'The editorial spreads of a modern fashion magazine allow the photographer to construct fictive worlds, which unfold, page after page, like series of stills from unrealised films'.

The Allure of Ophelia

From my first meeting with Ophelia in 2009 at the Tate Britain, I was inspired by her fragile, innocent beauty. There are so many reasons why my eyes are generally drawn to painting more so than photography, especially lifelike realist works of the Renaissance and Pre-Raphaelite era.

The industry is saturated by thousands of fashion images; a medium so much more accessible than it ever had been in the past. I feel there is something special inside a painting which is tends to be harder to achieve in photography without looking too constrained and false.

In this industry there is also such pressure to produce images quickly that the value of imagery can be lost- I feel that my positive relationship with painting allows me appreciate the importance of photography; that every conceptual image should be a powerful refection on my vision of the world. 

There are so many ways to deconstruct a painting; being a constructed concoction of truth, mystery and fantasy. Not quite as real as a photograph yet often with strong refections of reality. I feel that fashion photography contains a similar element of this, most specifically highlighted by the fundamentals of retouching and post production.

A new exhibition is to open at the Tate Britain called 'Pre Raphaelites, Victorian Avant Garde'. I am very much looking forward to this show and will be sure to write a follow up blog post after my visit! 

I believe that one must learn to deconstruct imagery/art in order to learn to construct. The photographs below are part of the editorial series shot at the V&A museum in 2009- although I only had two days to plan this shoot, at the time I was completing my final year project inspired by Renaissance Art. This has conditioned me to always keep my eyes open for inspiration, even if it may not be relevant to that exact moment in time- the chances are that it will be useful in the future.

 © Alice Luker

'Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful' - William Morris.