Photo: Madoz, Chema, 1992, “Untitled” [image] in Aperture: Optical Allusions: New Perspectives in Spanish Photography, Spring 1999, pg. 62. [ISBN 0893818585]
Madoz says about his work:
“Oddly enough, in the inert presence of the object there is a constant invitation to action, a silent quietude that incites reflection.
The object occupies that uncertain space halfway between reality and desire, and with its capacity to provide us with access to the most diverse perspectives, it is converted into a body through which our energies are channelled; a quality that will give it a great symbolic charge in which the spirit of our dreams appears and disappears.
To change, overturn, or manipulate the object is to open a Pandora’s box; to let loose the latent forces that live beneath its forms.
In that way, we establish an identification between object and concept that allows us to evoke the ideas that travel along the shadow of our gaze, thus creating new paths that link together the most remote places in our minds. And we accomplish all of this through the use of metaphor, paradox, metonymy, which are nothing more than the different names that we give to the same process, the process that allows us to leap from one reality to another, that of visual metaphor, that of optical allusions.”
As a former librarian the image of books in this arch formation was intriguing. I’ve always been interest in freestanding arches and use of keystones to hold it all together. These things raised my interest in the work.
The use of sepia made me initially focus on the structure rather than to look at the titles of the works which formed the structure in the same way I would look at a rock structure, i.e. admire the structure and the craftsmanship to build it rather than the individual rocks. One can, with difficulty, make out the names of some of the books although for me it is not important to identify the titles only enjoy the work. The titles may be of importance to some and perhaps even to Madoz.
The dark vignette around the edges of the photo and the lightness inside the arch draws the view in, but to where? My interpretation of this light area is it symbolises knowledge and a source of enlightenment from books.
The creativity of the wok is the fact that books are not normally seen in this arch formation. We pile them up on a desk or books shelf or we stand them up on a bookshelf library style but never have them hanging in the air in this impractical way. It is impractical because to remove one item would cause the entire structure to tumble. For me the work isn’t boring because it causes me to ask questions of why a book arch; how was it made; what was the artists intended message to the viewer or was the viewer to make their own interpretation and are the titles of the books of any significance? The photographer does not give us any clues due to the lack of title of the image.
From a photographic technique standpoint I feel the image is enhanced by the use of sepia rather than full colour, the vignette is used to draw the eye to the book with the contrasting white negative space in the centre of the image.
Reading Madoz’s statement makes me wonder if we will be learning the “art speak” or the language of art in this course?
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