Photography is a medium that is not in my repertoire and one I don’t often study, but there is just an air to Brandon Woelfel’s work that feels so magical to me. Admittedly, his realm of work is not something I am even slightly familiar with; however, I just had to take the initiative this week to write about him. Artists working in traditional media face the challenges that come with creating new worlds from scratch, but I think the novelty with which Woelfel fascinates me stems from his gift to mold his own brand on reality directly from that with which nature endows us.
The photograph above is a pretty wholistic showcase of Woelfel’s general body of work. Based in New York, the photographer begins with the chaos and occasional grime of the urban streets and shapes that basis into a muted cotton candy fantasy world. Harsh and flashy lights become a gentle pastel ambiance, the rest of the world around the model seems to evaporate, and time is suspended in a state of permanence. It is so easy to be awestruck by the catharsis evoked by sculpture or painting and find yourself disenchanted by the disconnect between that view and our comparatively mundane and sparse surroundings. Woelfel’s photography strikes a genuine sense of optimism within me. Whenever I look at his work, I become inspired to find the beauty in my own life, a raw charm in my environment that can be coaxed out with a deeper glance.
Some critics of Woelfel claim his portfolio lacks diversity and is evanescent in its mass appeal. I cannot predict how the majority opinion on Woelfel may sway in the future. Perhaps it will be true that Woelfel’s contemporary popularity will prove to be more a product of clout than longevity; but personally, he is an artist whose pieces will continue to resonate with me. I also believe Woelfel is an artist who possesses a depth and breadth that is akin to any of the artists I’ve previously discussed. His cityscapes are shot in places that are objectively unattractive; harkening back to the Ashcan movement, the concrete jungle has acquired a reputation for its harshness and seediness. He takes up the gauntlet to work with these often overlooked areas and captures a moment and stretches it out for forever. This indefinite existence that is so grounded to reality, to recognizable and tangible things in our lives, reminds me of Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss. Brandon Woelfel’s ability to shift from a place of moral ugliness as depicted by the Ashcan School to the transcendence and warmth of the hallmark of the Vienna Secession speaks for the value of his work. The consistency and attention with which he shoots and edits his pieces sets him apart from those who jump on the bandwagons of gimmicky photography and pseudo-intellectual/hipster culture. On the whole, I just find Brandon Woelfel incredible, and his work certainly places his a career on a level of artistry that warrants the immense success the young photographer has enjoyed so far.
If you have an artist or a specific piece you’d like my take on, comment on this post. See you Saturday!
