Joel Peter Witkin: Photographer
Joel Peter Witkin: Photographer
Written by craig coffman
For those of you unfamiliar with Joel Peter Witkin, you should be forewarned that his images are not for the faint of heart. That said, I believe everyone should check out his work, just know what you are in for. His photographs pull you and and lead you down a road. A dark, twisted path to the personal carnival of his imagination. A place where modern day ’Freaks of Nature‘ are adored and embraced like Botticelli's Birth of Venus or Michelangelo's David. A surreal world knocking so loudly on reality that the walls come down and lines blur to obliteration. Disturbing. Unsettling. Captivating.
Witkin's work is an interesting blend of his own vision and classic works of art. That is, he takes original ideas and reinterprets them with his own cast of characters. Some of them real, some of them made. Often times not even living. But the source and status of the participants is not nearly as engaging as the life being breathed into them. The macabre symphony is carried along by exquisite lighting. Dazzling sets. And liberal manipulation. His work, while not lacking in their own visual vocabulary of beauty, seem to be falling apart as you look. A dilapidated mirror of the timeless counter piece.
Employing distortion, dust, scratches and paint Witkin masterfully unleashes a manipulation of the photographic image. It moves between illustration, painting and photography depending on which section you gaze. All along, casting his characters in a familiar, yet uncomfortable scene. You witness a play you have watched, but are not able to name it. His version of The Kiss is a prime example. Klimt has two ornate figures, draped in a flowing mosaic of color and cloth grasping each other in a lovers embrace. Witkin, to the contrary, uses the two halves of a severed head from an old man.
Certainly there is a bit of over-the-top to his works. Similar to Marilyn Manson. A deliberate shock to provoke controversy and dialogue. Moving through that, however, you must consider the work on its own merits, which are impressive. Some wonder if he is High-Art, to which I think what is the point? He has taken great care and thought to produce his masterpieces. They are sometimes, though not always, inspired by works of the Great Masters but the executions are completely Witkin's own vision. Transforming something with traditional aesthetic beauty to something which challenges. The same scene is presented, but the players are not supermodels. They are not the beautiful people. There is nothing easy-on-the-eyes to witness here.
But what you are left with is a unique insight into the other-side of our world. A world which exists. Filled with the castaways from our daily life and, typically, society. Remnants which make us uncomfortable and uneasy in our safe and sterile world. Thoughts come to mind and realities are confronted and it is all too easy to turn away from his vision and pass him off as shock art or a hack. Yes, the easy road is always there. However, should you be willing to walk his path, you could be introduced to a new understanding of our world. A different perspective on what is art and beauty. Yes, the images are shocking on a gross-level. But the minutia and and detail hold the grains of a majesty rarely exposed. A transcendence and understanding that not all that glitters need be gold.