North Gallery
Steven L. Brown
American Monuments
February 12 thru April 15, 2007
Using
what he considers visual equivalents to Woody Guthrie’s “This
Land is Your Land,” Steven Brown’s original photography
is the culmination of decades of work shot from coast to coast. “The
photographs were collected over a period of 30 years and were taken
from Manhattan to California – and many places in between,” Brown
said. “Generally, my interest in photographing subjects is directed
by my artistic interests. The subjects usually involve American history,
landscape or weather – sometimes when I’m lucky, all three
at once.”
A Chickasha resident, Brown is a professor of art at the University
of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. He said the intent of his artwork
is to give form to the American dream. “I have focused on the
architecture, space and landscape created by the many cultures of America
to metaphor this illusive dream. This is a work in progress, of course,
and continues to become more inclusive.”
Brown’s work can be categorized as photomontage or compositing
as it is now more commonly known. Photomontage has its roots in Victorian
era “combination printing,” but became a proper modern
art movement under the Dadaists Kurt Schwitters, Hannah Hoch, George
Groz and others. The Dadaist used photomontage primarily as a means
of protesting World War I.
This new medium grew from the creation of posters made by cutting and pasting images of the entities and people the Dadaists believed influenced the war. These images were then combined with others to create a new photograph. Photomontage’s popularity among modern art lovers gave way to works created for their own sake and not only for political commentary.
Brown approaches photomontage in a different way. He begins with a
straight photo documentary style and combines that with a genre known
as magical realism in which magical elements appear in an otherwise
realistic setting. This genre takes its origins from surrealism which
itself was influenced by early photomontage.
Using computer software, instead of scissors and glue, Brown combines
multiple photographs and digital images to create strange and wonderfully
surreal worlds. His new exhibit features images he considers “from
the pure photo tradition and digital compositing that could only be
made in the computer.”
For Brown, photography is as much about preservation as it is art. “Some
of the places depicted in this exhibit have been renovated and preserved,” Brown
said. “Some places continue to decay. Some of the peoples and
places included in this exhibit no longer exist in the physical world – but
they are all huge monuments in the American dream.”
Sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council. For more information contact Scott Cowan or Karen Sharp at 405.521.2931 or scott@arts.ok.gov.
The North Gallery is located on the 1st floor of the State Capitol and open daily from 8:00-5:30.