Photographer Daniel Warnecke‘s work explores portraiture’s essence, moving beyond the realistic conveyance of an exterior topography to questions of how a captured likeness continues to evolve despite traditional conceptualizations of it as a frozen moment in time. His latest project has involved mining material from the rich history of portraits by masters such as Gainsborough and Arbus. For this series, he has converted 2D portraits into their 3D sculptural complements giving form to Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring and to a self-portrait by van Gogh.
“By creating modern incarcerations [sic] of famously known and iconic portraits using 3D printing, I am able to engage the audience by showing them something very familiar and recognizable but in a completely new way of viewing. This starts to open questions and makes the viewer start to reassess and consider the original sitters once again. By having a 360 degree view over the 3D printed figurine, nothing is left to hid and all of the elements which could have created subjective tendencies have been removed such as camera angle, crop, size and lighting.”
While the point about the opening of the possibilities for the viewer’s consideration is well made, I have to disagree that there has been a removal of subjectivity. After all, he has chosen the clothing and completed the absent elements in ways that are highly personal. It’s not that this subjectivity is a hindrance, but rather that is surprising he should negate it as an aspect of the created piece. Possibly this stems from his prejudice as a photographer and reflects the attitude of a 2D artist newly engaged in sculptural work.
Something has been lost in the face of van Gogh and Mick Jagger, but hints of possibility are seen in the recreation of Arbus’ twins and The Blue Boy that demonstrate the worthwhile nature of this exploration. It’s not simply a matter of further mastery of technique but of the continued development of a respect for sculptural form. In other words, the difference between 2D and 3D art is more than just a matter of thickness. Thoughts on this artwork? Discuss in the 3D Printed Famous Portraits forum over at 3DPB.com.