Chapter 5 Art The biggest argument against the idea that photo manipulation is ruining our idea of beauty is how early photographic retouching, and programmes such as Adobe Photoshop have changed art. From early surreal photography-artists, such as Wanda Wulz and Herbert Bayer, to more current photographers such as Erik Johansson and Giuseppe Colarusso, photo manipulation has been used as a tool to realise a conceptual image within the mind of the artist. The idea of surrealism came from photographers in the early 20th Century experimenting with the limitations of the camera and the idea of capturing images that could not be seen, for example how we think, and what we feel. These kind of surreal images could not be captured with pure photography and were therefore dependent on the process of photo manipulation after the photo was taken. An example of this surreal photography work is Bayer’s ‘Self Portrait’ (Fig. 12) which shows the impossible scenario of Bayer’s reflection pulling a section of his arm out. This image was really a product of the movement as it represented the new separation between what was photographed and what was produced. ‘Self Portrait’ was achieved by painting delicately onto the photograph with powder and a brush, a similar process to that of the early portrait retouchers. Another method used was that of super-imposing; a process where two images are combined into one. This process is seen most clearly in Wanda Wulz’s ‘Io + gatto’ (Cat + I) (Fig. 13) where she has combined a photograph of herself and one of her cat, the finial image representing the looseness of identity in the mind, which Wulz would have been found impossible to realise had it not been for these photo manipulation methods. Images like these have influenced photographers and artists for centuries and are still doing so today. We can easily see surrealist influences in the work of photographers today, such as Erik Johansson, a photographer and retouch artist from Sweden. Johansson describes his process as using “photography as a way of collecting material to realize the ideas in my mind”. Johansson uses Adobe Photoshop to create his surreal landscapes of fabric roads (Fig. 14) and giant games of noughts and crosses, these kinds of manipulations would have been entirely impossible without the photo manipulation techniques available today. In a TED talk Johansson discusses about how his ‘photography’ is more “about capturing an idea, about capturing a moment,” he also states that he likes to create his own scenery: “I think it’s easier to actually create a place than to find a place because then you don’t need to compromise with the ideas in your head.” (TED, 2012) This principle of capturing ideas and creating without compromising with the constrictions of “pure” photography, are values that Johansson clearly shares with surrealists, but unlike them Johansson has access to more advanced technology which allows him to realise his ideas even further. Giuseppe Colarusso, also known as ‘Mister Solo’, is a photographer and retouch artist from Italy. Colarusso’s series ‘Improbability’ is a great example of how artists are using photo manipulation today to realise their ideas and in turn create beautiful art. Colarusso describes the series ‘Improbability’ as photographic realisations of situations that are “unlikely but not impossible”. An example of this would be his piece ‘gc0177’ (Fig. 15) which depicts cutlery made of rope, this is not an impossible feat, but would obviously make the cutlery almost entirely useless. Colarusso says “my aim with these images is always to try and make people smile but think about what they are seeing at the same time” (Starr, 2013). Colarusso’s photos show how current day artists are still striving to create surreal images that make the viewer question which parts of the photo are real or not. ‘It’s Nice That’ writes of Colarusso’s work: “He makes rope-handled cutlery, rectangular rolling pins, one eyed sunglasses or a sink with no plug-hole look so clean, so beautiful, so convincingly real that they just should
13