Wonderful

A few weeks ago my roommate showed me the work of George Rousse and the reaction I had to his work was similar to how I felt when I learned about some of the Museum of Jurassic Technology exhibits. There was that combination of wondering at the image in amazement and wondering whether it was real or even could be real.





It took me a while at first to realize what exactly I was looking at. The images seem as if they could simply be strange photoshop exercises or a combination of painting and photography. Now I don't know if I can do a good enough job explaining what you're actually looking at to convince you how amazing these images really are, so this excerpt from Wikipedia might help:

Rousse's work, from the 1990s to today, generally appears at first glance to be photos of desolate or abandoned spaces (buildings, rooms, parking garages or streetscapes) often on their way to the wrecking ball, on which the artist has superimposed precise geometrical shapes or squiggly graffiti.

However, this is an intended illusion: what Rousse does is to paint these designs onto the abandoned spaces before taking the photo, correcting for such things as the slope of floors or the interruption of beams, so that the painted designs come together to produce the illusion of a simple, flat design floating on the surface of the photo.

This type of work is referred to as anamorphic art. It changes but is only viewable in its intended focus from one precise viewpoint. The projects involve not only painting, but also some construction of sometimes major proportion! Curved walls, angles of light all play into the finished project.

I think that there’s a lot to be said for seeing something in person as opposed to seeing an image in a book or on a computer screen. Actually experiencing something gives you a completely different understanding of what your looking at. You can walk around it, change your perspective look more closely or take in the whole; you can see the textures and the details. It’s a more full experience and I think these works are the perfect example of something being a completely different experience in person. I’m it would be equally wonderful if not more so to stand in one of these spaces, but I did kind of enjoy that moment of complete shock when 2D image I thought I was looking at became a 3D installation I had to try to wrap my mind around. I wonder if it would have been as satisfying if I knew all along what I would be looking at or if I just walked into the room. The moment of discovery and disruption is a really great thing.

There's also a website that shows a great example of his work from multiple angles and really makes it clear what you're looking at. I think I've finally overcome some of my disbelief and bafflement in regards to Rousse's work, but that just makes it even more wonderful I and still in awe of it. Now I am wondering how he is able to create something so unbelievable.