EVENT 3: JAMES WELLING

  Channeling the practice of Moholy-Nagy and Man Ray, the monograph executed by James Welling has lifted their technique to impressive heights. Testing the boundaries of light within his work and incorporating a number of new skills I can only guess at; Welling turns what was once a negative of white objects on a black surface, into contrasting color blends with direction and body.


  Layering to create work that incorporates more than just one subject, he gives the eye multiple points for dissection. An inkjet print titled 04 is quite exciting as the photo reaches over four feet in height, embodying rich teal, forrest green and greyed blues. The neon glow against the blunted black push against each other ambiguously challenging each other in the foreground. I see signs of de Kooning's Painting of 1948 in this respect. I have always enjoyed the novelty of massive photos.


  His other works, characterized by floral subjects remind me of Hawaiian t-shirts. In 021R a comfort is coupled with the warmth of tie dye silhouettes. Sharp, crisp lines separate the plants from immaculate white backgrounds, while soft black tones give an added depth to the reds and yellows. I admire the process within these works, testing the qualities of light and color more so than his simple scenic shots with colored filters.


Sources:

Welling, James. "021R" Chromogenic print. 46x37 in. 2011. Hammer.ucla.edu. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.

Welling, James. "04" Inkjet print. 50x40 in. 2008. Hammer.ucla.edu. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.

Hammer Museum. James Welling: Monograph. Exhibition. 10899 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, Ca 90024. 11 Dec. 2013.