MAKE A PICTURE
Activity
In this week's activity, we would be focusing on the work of László Fehér and explore his subject matter as well as the use of colour. Participants would have an opportunity to head outdoors and take photos with their smartphones of subjects such as people/strangers, urban surroundings, everyday spaces, the mundane or the bleak. They would then return to the museum space to sketch out their photograph, as well as choose their colour palette for their sketch. There is also an option to use László Fehér's colour palette, which, in this work is limited to monochrome and a few colours.
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About the Artist
László Fehér is a Hungarian artist who focuses on provocative photorealistic paintings, often with specific social and critical accent. In terms of working on the theme/subject matter for his works, Fehér takes a lot of photographs and uses them as his notes. He also often allows a theme to mature for years, even decades before subsequently realizing it on canvas.
His photography-based paintings are reduced to the bare minimum, contrasting his subject matter with a stark and plain background. Doing so allows these snapshots of life to be grounded both in reality as well as fused into a universal timelessness.
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About the Artworks
In Face from the Square (2007), Fehér brings to fore the homeless as his subject matter to represent the social inequality as an inevitable sign of urban development. These portraits and visions of the homeless were captured by Fehér during his walks through the square near his home.
In using large-sized canvas, Fehér aims to enlarge and make spectacular the presence and realities of the homeless. At the same time, they point to a symptomatic presentation of postsocialist Hungary and the problems it faces today.