Sunday, August 26, 2012

BLURRY MASTERWORKS BY BEN SCHONZEIT

KEE@FSWMAG.COM

AS A PHOTOGRAPHER, BLUR PHOTOS ARE THE BANE OF MY LIFE, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE SUBJECT OR MOMENT WAS IMPORTANT AND COULD NOT BE REPEATED.

But I am enchanted by blurry pictures as works of art! Now didn't I think of that?

Now this is a new genre that is taking the art world by storm as the idea is so clever, cute and charming! Hang one of Ben Schonzeit's out-of-focus paintings on your wall and see your guests' reaction.

Bet most of them will blink if wearing contact lenses or clean their glasses. Those with 20/20 vision will rub their peepers, more so if you keep dwelling on the exquisite details and fine draftsmanship of the artist and how every petal seems so alive and quivering with the zephyr!

I really love this new genre of paintings that look like out of focus or blurry photos! Bet they are selling like hot cakes so make a beeline to London now on the new A380 jet by Malaysia Airlines and get a few before Plus One Gallery jacks up the prices!

Still, it must be said some delicate collectors of a fragile disposition might get headaches from staring at this new-fangled works. 

Ben Shonzeit understands this predicament as I bet he too suffers from the occasional headache while producing them. To these people, Ben Schonzeit also has a collection of SUPER HIGH-DEFINITION paintings that are 100% clear, sharp and focused! Like this painting below called 'Flowers from Above' as the blooms look like they were painted from a bird's eye view!

All images courtesy of Plus One Gallery, 89-91 Pimlico Road, London SW1
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Flowers from Above 2012_Flowers_From_Above.jpg
Silk Peonies
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Aalto Stripe Blur
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Blurry Bouquet











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                       Aalto Stripe Blur by Ben Schonzeit

The exhibition will run until Saturday October 6th and can be viewed online
www.plusonegallery.com

 
The pioneering photorealist Ben Schonzeit is now challenging the notions of one of our basic senses which most of us take for granted; vision, and what it means to see. With his new paintings his impeccable brushwork invigorates new life into the classic still life subject of flowers while exploring how our vision changes and the effect this have upon art.

Vision is arguably the sense that is most prized by contemporary society, from high-definition TVs and phones to cameras which can focus on the tiniest of details. Indeed, hyperrealism - what Plus One Gallery specialises in - is a type of art which is so precise and tight in its brushwork that it often goes beyond that which even digital imagery can create. One would be forgiven for thinking that Schonzeit’s carefully blurred flowers are the very opposite of all this; and yet, in these paintings it is as if the world is presented before our brain gets to it. Schonzeit’s work seems to faithfully reproduce not what we focus on- but what is at the corner of our eyes. His flowers are not simplified abstractions- but are actually the realities of the effects of our peripheral vision. As Schonzeit himself explains;

“A very small part of what we see is sharp. All around the edges of our vision is soft and constantly changing. These paintings are all space with almost no surface. The surface of the painting appears to be transparent since there is nothing to focus on. I’m working on atmosphere and space in a way that I have never seen quite this way. Other painters have painted works that are blurry but with little interest in the potential spatial dynamics.”

To contrast with the "blurries" there will also be an interesting selection of Ben Schonzeit's high focus paintings on display.

Scroll down for a preview of images from the show! See more by visiting our website.


paintings
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This exhibition is in support of the Moorfields Eye Charity. Registered Charity No. 1140679.

Plus One Gallery | 89-91 Pimlico Road | London SW1W 8PH


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Traditional, classical and beautiful painting of flowers called 'Flowers from Above' as the blooms were painted from a bird's eye view
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Blink, blink, are your eyes watery or did your contact lenses drop off? This is not named 'Blurry Bouquet' for nothing!
2012_Flowers_From_Above.jpg
Now you see the flowers, now you don't! Aalto Striped Blur lives up to its name
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Watch your dinner guests remove their glasses to clean the lenses as they view 'Silk Peonies'.


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