The Photography of Calum Colvin

The Twa dogs 2001

Professor Calum Colvin it seems to me is one of the few true innovators in photography. Like Cindy Sherman his work drives photographic art in to a deeper, richer dimension than predecessors. His ‘photographs’ bring together his skills in a variety of media including sculpture, painting, and set design in order to re-present his viewpoint – which concerns itself with rich cultural commentaries.

Colvin makes use of the old practice of anamorphic perspective, a visual trick employed by artists centuries ago. In Londons National Gallery, there is a famous Holbein painting entitled, ‘The Ambassadors’ which displays below the portraits of two male figures a momento mori – an elongated shape which reveals itself to be a human skull when viewed from one particular angle. The artist takes this same device and uses it in a completely original way.

In a corner of his small studio he constructs an installation making use of diverse materials from his complex collection of objects: plaster ornaments, toys, comic books, chairs and tables, hot-water bottles, mirrors, vacuum cleaners and other household items. He borrows classical figures from well-loved masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s Bound Slave, Botticelli’s Venus and Ingres’ Oedipus. He painstakingly transcribes these borrowed images across the uneven surfaces of his installation, painting individual surfaces and gauging his progress through the eye of the camera, which views the installation from a fixed viewpoint. By this means, an illusion is created as figures take shape across the surface of tea-pots, rocking horses, and all the other odds and ends which have been used in a particular installation.

The finished result is then photographed and exhibited as large scale photographic prints. Source
To be developed.

To go to Colvin’s official site click HERE

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Author: Roger - Dr Roger Prentice

Now I write, teach and coach mainly self-understanding. At advanced levels About 21stC 'interfaith as inter-spirituality' - and how we can grow closer to our True Self. In the past I : . 1) I ran courses and give talks at conferences and in universities and colleges in the UK, China, USA, Canada, Scandinavia etc. . 2) I provided materials, outlines and lessons for Schools. . 3) My range of interests include personal development, learning and teaching, photography and film, the arts generally, spirituality and educational practice and theory. . 4) At the same time I continue developing the human-centred studies SunWALK PDS (People Development System) - a whole-person, high-achievement model for individuals, and for use in, NGOs, schools and other organizations. . 5) The key question that continues to animate me and my work remains, "What is it to be fully and positively human?" . Contact me via onesummit AT gmail DOT com (replace At with@ etc.). . All good wishes Roger (Dr Roger Prentice) . For those interested; My first degree is in English and Education. My masters is in Adult and Community Education. My doctorate presented a new holistic meta-model of education called SunWALK. View all posts by Roger - Dr Roger Prentice