Elysian Park/Photo: Jean Robison

German School photographer, Thomas Struth, refused to indulge in the ‘spectacular,’ meaning, he made a concerted effort to apply no grand theories, techniques, nor imbued his photographs with any discernible sentimentality. He did, however, make a concerted effort to compose neutral images focused to infinity regardless if he was making a family portrait or cityscape. In this manner he is much like his instructor, Bernhard Becher of the Düsseldorf Academy, where he, along with his wife Hilda Becher, were the lords of the “German School of Photography” aesthetics, which eschewed aesthetics for the sake of exacting composure and superior veracity through the avoidance of emotionality in photography. Struth has said that he is most impressed with images that bare no personal signature which is interesting because everyone knows a German School photograph when they are confronted with one because they all employ the same compositional techniques (of which they claim to not do) and this belies a ‘personal signature.’

Semantics aside, what does Jean Robison have to do with Thomas Struth? Aside from the fact that both create works that avoid sentimentality choosing to emphasize neutral composition, or content, which determines the aesthetic outcome, not a whole lot. Except, the first time I came across her photographs on the old Holloys website German School of Photography’s rigid (read: masculine) formality leapt to mind. I also thought Jean was Gene. So much for (gender) neutrality. The truth is I admire Struth’s work; it’s emphasis on control and lack of overt sentimentality. Yet his images lend themselves to an abstracted poignancy upon which many readings and engagements can be introduced. There is an expansive quality to his monumental prints. I find the same quality in Robison’s work. Her photograph, Elysian Park, is reminiscent of Struth’s jungle and forest series drawing the eye to the center point – the focus on infinity. And much like Struth she allows for the viewer to engage her work on their own terms offering them a neutral space upon which to project meaning. However, unlike Struth, she uses wall sized video projections instead of those garish and environmentally unsound C41 (or most egregious and toxic, Cibachrome) prints the German School photographers are famous for. Also, I don’t believe Struth can claim to be a fan of Laverne & Shirley which makes him not as cool as Robison.

I had the opportunity to speak with her about her evolution as an artist, her various projects and assigning gender to neutral imagery.

Listen to the discussion: The meaning of Jean Robison

To see the works referenced in the discussion visit her website: www.jeanrobison.com

BIOGRAPHY:

Born in San Francisco, Jean Robison is a Los Angeles based intermedia artist who works with video,stop-motion animation, photography and the web to reinterpret the known object.

Robison has exhibited, curated and lectured in the United States, Mexico and Europe and  will be teaching a new art studio course in Online Experimentation this Fall at the University of Southern California. She received her MFA  (2006) from California State University, Long Beach in Intermedia and her BFA (1999) from Sonoma State University in Printmaking.