The Canadian Jeff Wall is one of
the most important and influential artists and photographers currently working.
Whilst his photographic output covers a variety of genres he is best known for
his carefully and painstakingly constructed staged scenes, reminiscent of
“stills” from a film set, which involve actors or “extras” who each play a part
in the resulting tableau. His work is often presented in a distinctive manner,
using transparencies in light boxes.
Although I have not encountered
Wall’s work in exhibitions I have been aware of it for some time, because of
his reputation and the frequent references to his art in books, newspapers and
magazines. During my present course his work has become more relevant, as some
of my major project work involves attempts to produce tableaux in which two or
more images are superimposed as a montage or double exposure, with the idea of
juxtaposing themes. It is therefore also relevant that in his more recent work
Wall uses computational methods in order to create “realistic” photo-montages.
In order to take a closer look at his full output I purchased the book “Jeff
Wall, the Complete Edition” (Phaidon), which offers an
overview of his work from the 1970s until 2009.
The book consists of a series of
essays by Wall and other writers, together with a number of interviews in which
Wall discusses his work, his influences and his philosophy. The book is
liberally illustrated with Wall’s photographs, including most (all?) of his
best known work.
I found the interviews and essays
hard to follow and keep up with. Wall is clearly a deep thinker and philosopher.
He is well read and profound in his views and statements. His philosophy comes
across in his work, which often turns what may at first glance appear very straightforward,
perhaps bland scenes into carefully nuanced and manipulated statements about
the human condition. However, some of Wall’s early work, such as “Mimic” (1982; Image 1)
is relatively straightforward for the casual viewer to interpret.
Image 1: "Mimic" (Jeff Wall)
This image is a
reconstruction of a scene apparently witnessed by Wall some time before the photograph was staged. The gesture,
with its racist overtones, is easy to interpret, but the behaviour of the
Japanese man and the girl add substance to the momentary drama and can be
interpreted in different ways. This photograph is one of several in Wall’s
output that connect street photography with cinematography. The photograph can
also be viewed as a “decisive moment”, missed at the time but captured at a
later date, in much the same way as painters through the ages have captured
dramatic past events as a single scene (for example “The Annunciation”) in
their work.
Whilst many of Wall’s works are
dealt with in general terms he does throw some light on the significance of
specific works in his essays and (more often) in the interviews. One such work
is “Stumbling Block” (1991; Image 2).
Image 2: "Stumbling Block" (Jeff Wall)
In this complex tableau one
pedestrian is shown in the act of falling over the “stumbling block” whilst to
the right another person sits on the ground, apparently having suffered the
same fate. Careful examination of the photograph (which would normally be seen as an
almost life-sized colour transparency / light box installation) reveals that
the “stumbling block” is actually a person, enveloped in a type of uniform.
This much is easy for the casual viewer to ascertain, but what is the
purpose of Wall’s construction? In an interview in the book he describes how he
produced the photograph as a kind of “philosophical comedy”, with human
stumbling blocks being employed by a future society to help people change by
interrupting themselves in their habitual activities. The stumbling block is
“an employee of the city…….he is passive and indifferent……the perfect ‘bureaucrat
of therapy…. available for anyone who is not sure whether they want to go where
they seem to be headed.”
This photograph and the
philosophy behind its production give some insight into the workings of Wall’s
mind, but in general I found reading the text of the essays and interviews hard
going. He is clearly influenced by other works of art, in particular those by
the Impressionist painters (one of his most famous works, “Picture for Women”,
was produced as a comment on Manet’s “Un Bar aux Folies-Bergere”) and by essays
(his photograph “Odradek, Taboristska 8, Prague, 18 July 1994” was produced
after reading the essay “Troubles of a Householder, 1919” by Franz Kafka, which is reproduced in the book alongside the photograph).
It is clear from the book that
the genre of landscape photography (both urban and traditional) is very
important in Wall’s work. He contributes an essay (“About making Landscapes”,
1995) and some of his best known work, such as “A Sudden Gust of Wind (after
Hokusai)” and “The Storyteller”, rely heavily on this genre. One fairly recent,
lesser-known example of his work, “A Woman with a Covered Tray” (2003; Image 3)
perhaps best represents his output. Whilst the tableau (which here just
features one person) probably took a lot of preparation to put together it is
apparently simple, yet open to interpretation. What is on the tray and where is
she heading? Is the season winter (no leaves on the deciduous trees) and, if
so, why are the (presumably evergreen) shrubs carrying berries? What is the
patch of light on the path in the foreground reflecting? What is the
relationship of the woman to the house in the background? Does she live there
or is she visiting? These and many more questions are discussed in the book, as
is the overall significance of this work. Why was it created? What does it tell
us about humanity? And so on…
Image 3: "Woman with a Covered Tray" (Jeff Wall)
The book provides an in-depth
look at the life and works of Jeff Wall. Whilst it has taken me a morning to
write about the book and the artist, there is enough detail here to keep a
postgraduate researcher happy for years. I feel that I’ve only scratched the
surface of the man and his philosophy, but I don’t want to go any deeper
because I fear that I may not be able to clamber out. The photographs are well
reproduced. The visual complexity varies dramatically from image to image – not
all contain people, but the ones that do are the most interesting and clearly
the most important. For anybody with several days to spare, reading the book and
attempting to interpret each of the images could provide worthwhile
entertainment.
What have I learnt by studying
the work of Jeff Wall? In his world, attention to detail is apparent even in
putting the simplest tableaux together. He challenges the viewers to interpret
his scenes but doesn’t expect or require them to come up with a single answer.
Some of his later work involves the seamless use of photo-montage to produce
works that appear to have been generated as a single image. If I can
incorporate just a tiny section of his world into my own work, present and
future, I will have a chance to create better art.
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