2 March 2009

etsy:
“Storybook Romance” by Alyson Jones, etsy seller AlysonJonesPrints

This piece is a print of a photo composite by Alyson Jones. The image depicts an open book sitting on a wooden surface, where two characters are liberating themselves from the confines of the pages of the book. It is a visual metaphor. Since the image is a photo-composite, the majority of the detail of the print is literal. The dichotomy of the metaphor is the juxtaposition of that which is photo-realistic and that which is illustrative. The image literally depicts photo-realistic characters removing themselves from an illustration — as the characters leave the two-dimensional plane of the page they transition from a flat illustrative treatment to a literal photo treatment. Once they have left the page, in part or as a whole, a white silhouette of their shape indicates their absence. Another visual indicator of the metaphor is the use of shadow. The illustration from which the characters are leaving depicts no shadows. Where as the portions of the characters that have left the plane of that illustration cast a shadow on it. This works in concert with the fact that the book itself casts a shadow on the surface on which it sits. The overall composition presents a consistent treatment of the depiction of light on form. The use of title “Storybook Romance” provides additional symbolism, in that this is a happy story.
available at:
AlysonJonesPrints: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6851520

song:
“Take On Me” by a-ha from the album “Hunting High and Low”

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artist: Maxfield Parrish
Maxfield Parrish (July 25, 1870 – March 30, 1966) is an American artist best known for his illustrations and prints. He was born as Frederick Parrish in Philadelphia, PA. but took on the surname of his paternal grandmother, Maxfield, as his professional name. He attended Haverford College and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. He began his career as an illustrator with a commission to illustrate Kenneth Grahame’s The Walls Were as of Jasper in 1897. His works are characterized by their realism, clarity, and technical mastery. His pieces, being illustrative, often combined the fantastical with the tangible. The phrase “Parrish blue” is an homage to the intense cobalt hue that is characteristic in many of his works.

artpassions.net
The Parrish House
Maxfield Parrish Online
artcyclopedia
wikipedia

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