Phillippe Halsmann

Phillippe Halsmann was an American portrait photographer who was born in Riga as a part of the Russian Empire. Halsmann had a unique visual style within his photographs which gave an impression that something was slightly off. This granted his work instant recognition amongst audiences. When Halsmann began to collaborate with surrealist artist, Salvador Dali, his work continued to branch out into the more visually dynamic. Halsmann is able to use strong imagery in order to create a hyperreality without any assistance from computer technology, which is something that I would like to consider in my own work.

This image utilises a typical setting of a man at his desk. Halsmann manages to change the foundations of what would typically be an average image by decorating the environment with people. This slight change within one of the simplest of images causes massive effects to how the audience perceive the image. This is an example of how a simple alteration can have massive effects on the image or setting.

This image is instantly concerning. The audience will notice a suspicious man who is appearing next to a skull. The audience, upon further investigation will begin to notice that the skull is made up of people. This creates an almost unnerving image as a result. The effect is heightened as two different images are merged together in a way that causes them to appear from one perspective. This causes further disorientation to the audience as they attempt to make sense of the image. This image simply shows how to take simple tricks and present them in skewed ways in order to create an unnerving effect/reality.

What would have been a simple portrait image has been transformed due to the use of practical effects. We can see that a bird has landed on Alfred Hitchcock's cigar in a way that causes the audience to immediately associate this image with something out of a film. This simple factor of the image immediately causes the image to become otherworldly. Surrealism has caused a simple portrait to become something more, which will cause the audience to view it totally different as a result.

This image show perhaps Halsmann's most interesting and recognisable works within surrealism. He uses complete practicality in order to create a zero gravity effect. The most noteworthy aspect of the floating objects is the fact that only every day items are included. This is just another example of how Halsmann has taken an everyday setting and turned it on it's head, creating his own hyperreality.

Summary:

Phillipe Halsmann's work is a massive inspiration for my project. I have studied how he has managed to manipulate an image or an everyday setting and create something extraordinary. The thing that I appreciate most about his work is the way that he had to experiement with surrealism before the invention of photoshop, meaning that he had to utilise other more practical methods. As a result, he creates an instantly more believable world that causes audiences to be amazed at the hyperreality in which he has created.