Jeff Wall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jeff Wall
OC RSA
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Jeff Wall at Paris Photo 2014
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Jeffrey Wall
September 29, 1946 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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| Alma mater | University of British Columbia Courtauld Institute of Art |
| Known for | Photographer |
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Notable work
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Picture for Women (1979) Mimic (1982) A Sudden Gust of Wind (after Hokusai) (1993) |
| Movement | Vancouver School |
| Awards | Hasselblad Award (2002) |
Jeffrey Wall (born September 29, 1946) is a famous Canadian photographer. He is known for his very large photos that are lit from behind, like big light boxes. These photos often look like movie scenes.
Jeff Wall also writes about art history. Early in his career, he helped start a group of artists called the Vancouver School. His photos often show scenes from Vancouver, mixing its natural beauty with city life.
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Jeff Wall's Life and Work
Jeff Wall studied at the University of British Columbia. He earned his master's degree in 1970. After that, he moved to London, England, to continue his studies in art history.
Later, he became a professor. He taught art at several universities, including the University of British Columbia. He also wrote essays about other modern artists.
How Jeff Wall Makes Art
Jeff Wall started making art again in 1977. He created his first photos that were lit from behind. Many of his pictures are carefully set up, like scenes from a play or movie.
These photos often refer to famous paintings or stories. He might get ideas from artists like Hokusai or writers like Franz Kafka.
In 1978, he showed his photo The Destroyed Room. He displayed it in a storefront window, making it look like an art installation. This was a new way to show photography.
One of his well-known photos is Mimic (1982). It looks like a quick photo of real life. But it was actually carefully staged. The photo shows a couple and an Asian man walking on a sidewalk. The boyfriend makes a rude gesture towards the Asian man. This photo shows how Wall uses his art to explore social issues.
Picture for Women (1979) is another important work. It is a large photo on a light box. Wall sees this photo as a challenge to traditional photography. The light boxes make his photos feel like sculptures.
This photo shows Wall himself and a woman looking at the camera. It is often seen as a picture of an artist in their studio. The photo was inspired by a famous painting by Édouard Manet called Un bar aux Folies Bergère.
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Manet's painting shows a barmaid and a man reflected in a mirror. Wall used a similar idea in his photo. He placed the camera in the middle of the scene. This way, the photo shows the act of taking the picture itself. It also looks directly at the viewer.
Many of Wall's photos are very complex to make. They can involve actors, sets, and digital editing. They are like making a movie, but all in one single picture. For example, Dead Troops Talk (1992) shows a made-up scene of soldiers. It is praised for its deep meaning and power.
In the 1990s, Wall also started taking photos of still lifes. He makes two types of pictures: "documentary" photos, which are unstaged, and "cinematographic" photos, which are staged.
A Sudden Gust of Wind (after Hokusai) (1993) is a "cinematographic" picture. It is based on an old Japanese woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai. Wall recreated the scene in modern British Columbia. It took him over a year to make, using many different photos to create one seamless image.
Since the early 1990s, Wall has used digital tools. He combines different photos into one image. He got the idea for his backlit photos from bus stop advertisements. Later, he also started making traditional black and white photos.
His work After "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison, the Prologue (1999–2000) shows a scene from a famous novel. It features a cellar room with many lightbulbs, just like in the book.
Art Shows and Exhibitions
Jeff Wall's art has been shown in many places. His first solo show was in Vancouver in 1978. Since then, his work has been displayed in major art museums around the world.
Some of these include the Tate Modern in London and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. He has also had big shows that look back at his entire career.
In 2011, for a show in Brussels, Wall chose about 130 works by other artists he admired. These were shown alongside 25 of his own photographs.
Awards and Recognition
Jeff Wall has received many important awards for his photography:
- Hasselblad Award in 2002
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2006
- Officer of the Order of Canada in 2007
- Audain Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Visual Arts in 2008
He is considered one of the most important artists working today. Many experts believe he has pushed the boundaries of what pictures can do.
Influence on Other Artists
Jeff Wall's large-scale photos and carefully planned compositions have inspired many other photographers. He has influenced artists like Andreas Gursky and others from the Düsseldorf School of Photography. Gursky has even said that Wall was a "great model" for him.
See also
In Spanish: Jeff Wall para niños
