Abstract&Surreal
Interview with tuminka
How would you explain the concept of abstraction/surrealism to someone who has never heard of it before?
In my own words, I would say that it is something that we can't really touch but it allows us to play with our imagination, fantasy, feelings...without any limit..abstractly speaking of course.
What inspires you to use the concept of abstraction/surrealism for your artwork?
Its like opening a door and stepping out of reality in a world where everything depends on our imagination...I love to take refuge there from time to time. Besides, it is the best way of expressing myself, in any way. What I like most about it is that we can "say everything without showing much". It is difficult to express feelings in a concrete way and give words to it...abstract and surreal art silently speaks for us. I would also say that it is part of my nature. I think I am everything but a realist...I'm a dreamer.
What do you want to express with your artwork? What’s your source of inspiration?
By trying to open this world where we can forget reality for a while and just live for this very moment, I want to express feelings, provoke emotions, tell stories in which the watchers create their own pieces of scenery. There is nothing in particular that inspires me, but at the same time everything does...my mood, my dreams, the music I'm listening to, lots of different things around me, events and incidents in my life, people I speak to as well as amazing works I see...inspiration is just everywhere!!!
Do you think that the “quality” of an artwork depends more on technical perfection or on the message/expression?
I would say that technique is important in the way of using it to express what we want to. It's important to know how to use our camera the right way and how to achieve the best results. But in my opinion it's even more important how we feel about photography, what it brings to us, the way it provokes feelings, what it tells... So I'd say that for me feelings come first!
Who’s your favourite visual artist and why?
From the group of photographers it's Edward Steichen, Man Ray, Erwin Blumenfeld, Josef Sudek, Kansuke Yamamoto, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Andrei Tarkovsky's polaroid work, or more recently Gregory Colbert. The reason is simple, I can watch their work again and again and still have this amazing dreamy feeling! Just watching those pictures makes me feel as if I'm part of this beautiful dreamy world for a while.
From the painters, I have to mention Claude Monet! His art is simply beautiful and magical. I can feel the wind blowing, the sun shining, I can hear the water flowing and the children laughing. I really have this impression that his paintings are alive! And I recently discovered Paul W Ruiz whose work speaks to me a lot!
Those persons I named are mostly famous artists...but I would also like to point out that deviantART is a great place to meet a lot of very talented and special artists.
Which group on dA would you recommend to someone who’s searching for abstract/surreal photography?
Do you have any advices for absolute beginners or is there anything else that you’d like to say about abstract/surreal photography?
Don't be afraid to experiment, to try new things! Just do what you like and the way you feel it! That's the only way!
