greg o ry crew dson
Contents
Greg. introduction timeline /// zeitgeist subject matter technical process style works sources colophon
THI S I S GREG.
hi greg.
introduction Things to know about Greg. /// Greg was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1962. /// Introduced to photography at the age of 10. /// At age 16 he played in a band called the Speedies, whose first single was titled “Let Me Take Your Foto.� /// In 1985, he received a BA from the State University of New YorkPurchase College, where he studied photography with Jan Groover and Laurie Simmons. /// He graduated with an MFA in photography from Yale University in 1988. /// After completing his MFA, Crewdson began working on the first of his many lengthy photographic series, Natural Wonder, depicting highly constructed scenes showing the grotesque narratives of paranoia, lust, and fantasy that are played out in suburbia.
intr oduc tion
timeline // 1968
MLK Assassination
1968 1985
1962
Mission to space
1989
Fall of Berlin Wall
BA, SUNY Purchase, Purchase, NY
Born in Brooklyn, NY
Recipient, Aaron Siskind Fellowship
1988 1 9 6 9 Woodstock Festival
MFA, Yale School of Art, Yale University, New Haven, CT
1991
// zeitgeist 1 9 9 1 Rodney King, police
1993
brutality
1992
1992
Recipient, Visual Artists Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts
World Trade Center car bombing
1 9 9 3 Recipient, Skowhegan
LA Riots
Medal for Photography, Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Skowhegan, NY
1993
Instructed at Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, NY; Cooper Union, New York, NY; Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY
sub ject/// matt er
subject matter Suburbia always seemed like a strange place for Crewdson, since the fact that Crewdson grew up in Brooklyn. Suburban settings is where most of Crewdsons staged photographs took place. It always seemed to make the perfect narratives for his bizarre concepts. In the 90’s, Crewdsons work matured. His works during this time was Natural Wonder, Twilight, Dream House, and Beneath the Roses. He built photo sets and even started to experiment with nature sculptures. To achieve such eloborate cinematic stages, Crewdson worked with a 35-person crew. In Crewdsons recent works such as his collection “Sanctuary”(2009) and his newest series “Cathedral Of The Pines” (2014). Both focus on a whole new suject matter. Sanctuary focused on old architecture in Rome. Cathedral Of The Pines takes setting in a forest but yet still has people as the subject matter.
Technical Process Crewdson shoots with a Hasselblad Sinar 8x10 camera. He’s best known for staging scene photography using special effects. He considers and utilizes light and color in all of his photos. His photographs are all beautifully composed and tell the audience a story. Crewdson makes 10 editions of eached composed image. Each image ends up selling for $80,000 to $100,000 per print.
style Gregory Crewdson works within a photographic tradition that combines the documentary style of William Eggleston and Walker Evans with the dream-like vision of filmmakers such as Stephen Spielberg and David Lynch.
Ophelia 2001 48 x 60 in. (121.92 x 152.4 cm) Digital C-print
Bedroom tree ‘Twilight’ 2001–2002 119.1 x 149.2 cm. (46.9 x 58.7 in.) Digital Chromogenic Print, mntd
The Madison ‘Beneath the Roses’ 2007 58 1/2 x 89 1/2 in. (148.6 x 227.3 cm) (framed) Archival pigment print
Boy With Hand In Drain 2001-2002 48 x 60 in. (121.9 x 152.4 cm) Digital C-print
Beckoning Bus Driver 2001-2002 48 x 60 in. (121.9 x 152.4 cm) Digital C-print
Ray Of Light 2001 53 3/4 x 65 3/4 x 1 in. (136.5 x 167 x 2.5 cm) (framed) Digital C-print
Empty House 2001-2002 48 x 60 in. (121.9 x 152.4 cm) Digital C-print
Untitled (Garden) 1998 127 x 152.4 cm. (50 x 60 in.) Chromogenic Print
Flower Beanstalk 2001 48 x 60 in. (121.9 x 152.4 cm) Digital C-print
Butterflies And Shed 2001-2002 48 x 60 in. (121.9 x 152.4 cm) Digital C-print
Twin Beds ‘Beneath the Roses’ 2007 58 1/2 × 89 1/2 in 148.6 × 227.3 cm Archival pigment print
Nude Women In Trailer ‘Beneath the Roses’ 2004 144.8 x 223.6 cm Digital chromogenic print
Woman Stain 2001 48 x 60 in. (121.9 x 152.4 cm) Digital C-print
Penitent Girl 2001-2002 48 x 60 in. (121.9 x 152.4 cm) Digital C-print
Dylan On The Floor 2001-2002 48 x 60 in. (121.9 x 152.4 cm) Digital C-print
Beer Dreams 1998 127.5 x 153.2 cm. (50.2 x 60.3 in.) Chromogenic Print
Birth ‘Beneath the Roses’ 2007 Framed: 58 1/2 x 89 1/2 in. (148.6 x 227.3 cm) Archival pigment print
Brief Encounter ‘Beneath the Roses’ 2006 Framed: 58 1/2 x 89 1/2 in. (148.6 x 227.3 cm) Archival pigment print
Boy Under A Bridge ‘Beneath the Roses’ 2006 Framed: 58 1/2 x 89 1/2 in. (148.6 x 227.3 cm) Archival pigment print
The Haircut ‘Cathedral of the Pines’ 2014 37 1/2 × 50 inches (95.3 × 127 cm) digital pigment print
sOURCES Crewdson, Gregory, and A. O. Scott. Sanctuary. New York: Abrams, 2010. Print. Crewdson, Gregory. Twilight. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2002. Print. "Gregory Crewdson - Gagosian Gallery." Gregory Crewdson - Gagosian Gallery. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2016. "Gregory Crewdson." Artist. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2016. "Gregory Crewdson Catalogue." Gregory Crewdson Catalogue. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2016. "Guggenheim." Arts Curriculum. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2016.
colophon
This edition of Book of Greg was done for beginning photography class and tributed to the elite group of designers, Huy Dem Boyz. J$ made this dope book to convey his sense of design and express his style. Book of Greg, created in Lincoln, NE. This book was produced using InDesign with help from Photoshop and Illustrator. The typefaces that were used: Bebas /// Helvetica. Color Scheme: white, black, yellow, dark grey, light grey. Font sizes: 10, 12, 14, 45, 50, 150, 215.