Gregory Crewdson, one of the most influential contemporary photographers, was born in 1962 and received his BA from SUNY Purchase, and his MFA from Yale University. He is well known for his cinematic tableaux, many of which were extravagant productions. He deftly moves between shooting scenes on location and photographing in a soundstage at MASS MoCA. Whether inside the studio or out, his control over the details in his imagery is absolute. The lighting is bold and exquisite, as are the colors in his saturated scenes. He began by constructing dioramas for museums, and as his creativity grew, the set-ups became increasingly macabre and bizarre; in one set of images, he made a life-size cast of one of his legs, and placed the severed limb in the fabricated environment. Crewdson's Twilight series has gained an enormous amount of recognition for the stories it suggests and the tension in each image. Just like the series title implies, these scenes are set in that fertile time just before evening begins.
In an interview with Aperture Magazine, Crewdson reveals that he finds most of his inspiration while swimming. This bit of information stood out to me as quite intriguing. When I look at my own thinking process, many of the ideas I have tend to come to me while I'm in water as well. I do most of my creative thinking while in the shower, and have visited the local swimming pool for inspiration when I feel frustrated. Perhaps it is just the relaxing nature of water that allows the mind to focus, or it could be a subconscious link to the womb, a place for ideas to come to fruition.
http://www.luhringaugustine.com
http://www.aperture.org/crewdson/
http://www.gagosian.com/artists/gregory-crewdson/
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