Explore how artists have pushed the boundaries between reality and the impossible.

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Photoshop has enabled the impossible to happen in photographs. Explore how artists have pushed the boundaries between reality and the impossible. Now within Photoshop the word impossible has almost no meaning at all. Within this essay I will be going through how artists have pushed boundaries between reality and the impossible through the use of Photoshop and other techniques. Since the introduction of Photoshop, around 20 years ago, artists have been challenging themselves to explore new and innovative ways to enhance their work and further develop their skills. Surrealism is an art form, the word “surreal” is a term used to describe something that the elements in it are combined in a strange way that you would not normally expect, like in a dream. This type of art has become very popular over the years as it has given artists the chance to manipulate and play with their photographs. I have chosen this essay question as I myself enjoy pushing the boundaries between reality and the impossible in my work, and think that I have a good enough understanding of doing so. The domestication of powerful editing software has enabled the average user to create insightful pieces of artwork that defines a path of how our era has shaped itself over the years. Photoshop allows its users to create something that cannot be taken with a camera; it’s an expression of the users thoughts and feelings that allows them to create something ‘unearthly and wonderful’. Artists within today’s technological era use Photoshop to assist them in pushing boundaries and telling narratives by experimenting with surreal and impossible elements to them, I have researched a number of photographers that specialize in photo manipulation and surrealism. These artists have expressed themselves through the use of surrealism thus allowing artists to portray some fairly simple design whilst others are obviously a lot more complex and have used techniques of a higher quality so that their overall image is of a higher standard. By looking at different artists you are able to see the difference in their work, and you can tell the maturity of their work. The term ‘narrative’ is used to describe a spoken or written account of connected events; a story. Erik Johansson, Kyle Thompson, and Fiddle Oak are examples of artists that I have chosen to use in my essay as I have looked at their work before and I feel they relate to the title very well. I believe that these artists, considering they use their own images for the majority of their work, are perfect for this question. These artists emphasize the aspects of surrealism as well as being able to narrate without having to use words thus linking in the whole idea and purpose of a narrative. Narrative story telling, I find, is an expression and creative way to invoke thoughts and feelings to an audience that connects the artists and allows them to open up their creativity by exploring different mediums to tell a story. I believed that this title would allow me to explore many of the skills and process that I have either used or picked up when creating pieces of work, thus benefiting me in many different ways. For instance it has given me the skills to produce my own work, been able to analyse my own work and others too, and given me the experience of using said techniques. The first artist that I decided to research was Fiddle Oak, and I found that his work was stimulating as his images combine both photography and photo-­‐manipulation. I also found her work as valuable source of artwork as you can either tell a story through interpretation or ask questions. I found all the artist’s work perfect for demonstrating how boundaries can be pushed to the limit in Photoshop.


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