iPhone and I Visit the Portland Art Museum
November 5, 2012
The teenagers were having a lot of fun with their phone cameras and the Greek Statues at the Portland Museum's exhibit, The Body Beautiful. Mimicking poses, standing with Hercules like he was a personal friend, self-portraits with white statues and glass reflections - I too wanted to play with my phone camera, and so I did. As all visitor-centered institutions should be, The Portland Art Museum has open photography policies.
At last, I was making my move and unleashing the hidden power of all the little camera apps I had been hoarding on my iPhone for the past year. I put away my sketch book, pens and pencils in order to spend the rest of the afternoon playing.
This first photograph is of one of the lovely, nude, Greek men standing in the Atrium and me with my iPhone, using my little red Olloclip with its fisheye lens. Wood Camera was used to create the paper texture.
Compulsively, I have purchased several clever accessories for my iPhone camera. The photograph below was taken with the vignetting filter on my beloved $14.95 DLC Dial-A-Filter clip-on wheel. Ten special effect filters to play with...hours of fun for a frivolous person like me. (Alaska by Matthew McCaslin)
The DLC thingy also has a double/triple exposure "lens." Multiples of Dan Flavin's neon sculpture cannot help but be a good thing.
Ahhh, Instagram, my new best friend. I love it's filters and unrelenting square shape.
Parts of things must disappear by its very nature. Oh well. If you could see more of this photograph, it would be recognizable as Richard Serra's paintstik painting, The American Flag is Not an Object of Worship. The partial man, I would recognize anyplace. (Wood Camera App and Instagram)
There can be an awful lot of Phillip Pearlstein nudity without the addition of multiple over lapping realities. More is more. This was also "enhanced" with the Dynamic Light App.
One of the great things about the iPhone camera is the ability to get quite close to its subject matter. This is a tiny piece of Ellsworth Kelly's Green Relief. Pretty much turned into a mess with the endless fiddling that is possible with the Posterize App.
The DLC wheel is hard at work here. It has a couple of color filters and here the blue, that for no know reason has no blue in the middle is highlighting the fruit in George Seagal's sculpture, Helen and the Apples.
Taken with DLC's soft lens and the Naples filter in the Wood Camera App. The plain walls and floor surrounding this small Richard Serra rusting steel piece outshine the piece itself. It's fun to see what happens with just the press of a digital "button."
Yes, you too can make your photographs look like an original oil painting or a pop-art fantasy. Using the self portrait reverse "button" on the iPhone camera and with some help from Cindy Sherman, I took this self-portrait. I opened it in the Aristo Oil HD App, selected a digital button, slid the digital slider and...Voila, an Original oil painting: Cindy and Me
It was a delightful way to spend a rainy day in Portland. The collection is excellent and their special exhibit, The Body Beautiful, was much more than a lot of white marble naked people standing around on pedestals. The body theme was highlighted throughout the museum in paintings, graphics, modern sculptures and especially by the teens living response to the art within and without.
Photo Tropedelic attempts to have its way with the classic, iconic Greek sculpture The Discus Thrower, but his beautiful form remain strong.
Speaking of the body beautiful...In one of the galleries a sculpture of an overweight down and out man by Duane Hanson, Dishwasher, was surrounded by a group of young study group of teens. The kids expressed confusion as to why anyone would create or even look at such an ugly thing. To explore their perceptions, the docent asked, "Is there one single way we should all be?" The girls answered quickly.
I love Portland. Used to visit often during my Sate Dept. career. Also love your photos. Most involve my favorite American artists.
Ilo-mai
I got lost in Portland last year and couldn't wait to get out. Bicycles everywhere, no place to park and Occupy Wallstreet taking up much of the downtown area. Too damn many liberals for me.
Love
Don
