Awareness Post: James Casebere
- lilylav232
- Feb 10, 2025
- 2 min read
Born in 1953 near Detroit, James Casebere then studied with Siah Armajani as an undergraduate student at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and John Baldessari as a graduate student at Cal Arts.
His time there led him to become associated with the "Pictures Generation" of post-modern artists, which are recognized for their conceptual approach to photography.
Casebere both photographed and built architecturally based models as well as large-scale sculptural installations. His work is devoid of human life, evocative, and oftentimes suggestive of prior events.
He pioneered structured image photography and used dramatic lighting to create striking images. His work explores the relationship between sculpture, photography, architecture, and film.
CV Highlights
His work is in the collections of and has been shown at major museums around the world including the Museum of Modern Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Whitney Museum (New York); the Tate Gallery (London); the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Los Angeles); and many others. He has had solo shows at the Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal (Canada); Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea (Spain); Museum of Modern Art Oxford (UK); the Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art (Ohio); the Indianapolis Museum of Fine Arts (Indiana); and other museums.
I really love all the details and pockets of negative space in the picture. The shadows add more elements and depth in the model. In the past I've only ever photographed my work as a sculpture and not that artistically. After Ms. Stinnett mentioned photographing my work like this to me I've loved the idea. I think I could implement creating interesting shadows into my future pieces.
This is another black and white photo from one of Casebere's collections of older photographs. This image seems similar to my work with the organic forms and layers. I love the way the photo is framed with the arches and how it is darkest closer up.
Again I love how the lighting plays with the spaces he's created. The reflections of the water really activate the space and add texture. I chose this piece as one of the examples to analyze because of the overall vibe too. It feels mysterious and natural, especially with the earthy tones, things I try to go for in my work.
This piece is more focused on the fake water than the space, but the curves are still very interesting. The amorphous shapes remind me of my style of lines in my sketchbook with the figures. It makes me want to overlay lines and tones like this on my pieces with paint.
Comments