"In an assembly of phantasms such as I have painted, it may well be supposed that no ordinary appearance could have excited such sensation"
-E.A.Poe
Burnett, Craig. (2005) "Everyday Fantasies and Impossible Realities".
Jeff Wall , 45-63.
This essay turns to photographer Jeff Wall's penchant for creating scenes of the unexpected, framed within a well known area or composition. Wall is unique for photographing meticulously orchestrated tableaux as deftly as his un-staged documentary shots, which are both imbued with the same sense of mystery and fantasy. A simple image such as "The Crooked Path" which, just as the title suggests, features a well trodden path twisting through wild grass, can be just as effective as his more elaborate ones. Unlike Wall's "The Giant" or "Dead Troops Talk", the documentary-style shots are not enhanced with digital technology. In "The Giant", a naked elderly woman of enormous size stands amongst the unfazed inhabitants of a city library. Digital technology was used to great effect to make the woman appear seamlessly in the environment. The artist is wise enough to allow his bizarre subject matter to issue forth through a variety of different techniques.
Wall's ability to return to similar themes in disparate processes and lights has really intrigued me. He refuses to deal with, what he calls, "the spectral" in one consistent manner. So many emotions are on display in works like "Dead Troops Talk". It is refreshing to see his sense of humor in the face of such a dour subject.
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