Kalyan Parker Artist Statement


NIGHT, FOG, RAINSTORM

Currently, my black and white photos are not online. My darkroom is currently under construction. However, a few of my favorite color photos are available for viewing.

I have to be honest; I was absolutely surprised how fast digital technology overtook photography. I will continue to use film for all of my black and white photography since it is a true art form in itself. However, color photography, is a different story. Color photography is a cheaper form of art, compared to black and white; kind of like acrylics to oils. People still do oil paintings even though acrylics are cheaper, safer, and quicker to apply, the reason being that oils are "the real deal." When people commission a painting, they never commission an acrylic. The same holds true for black and white photography. When people hear black and white they think of a darkroom.  When people hear the word "color" they think of their last family trip to the zoo.

Since color photography is cheaper, I have gone digital. The color photos on this website are some of the last pictures taken with a 35mm camera. Today when I visit Europe, Washington DC, or even Iowa, digital images rather than negatives accompany me on the plane home.

For my black and white photography, I am an Ashcan follower. The Ashcan movement occurred in the beginning of the 20th century in New York. Other examples of movements are Impressionism, which took place in France in the 19th century, and Modernism, which began in the closing years of the 19th century in both the United States and Europe. The Ashcan portrayed common aspects of American life and is known more for its subject matter rather than its style, whereas Impressionism is known for its style (Impressionists were concerned about how haystacks and water lilies were seen and painted).  The Ashcan portrayed real life and urban reality; this is what was real and true, therefore beautiful in itself, thus constituting as "art." But what captured everyone's attention was how they painted dark scenes, hard labor, and the disenfranchised in America-in other words, poor people. They didn't paint Jesus, Mary, or John the Baptist. They painted the working class waiting for a bus after work out in the cold. You have to keep in mind that most patrons who commission art are usually wealthy and want happy scenes over their fireplaces, not paintings of a late bus. As you can imagine, this was quite a scandal in the art world. However, this is what the Ashcan was all about: portraying how real people went about their lives. Two of my favorite members of the Ashcan movement are Robert Henri and John Sloan.

So what does this have to do with my color photography? For both black and white and color my pictures demand long exposures, either at night, in the fog, or in the rain. As I continue my photography, I will concentrate strengthening my style on just these three areas. While my color photos may not be symbolic in subject matter, they do pay homage to my style. The only downside is that I have to lug a tripod everywhere I go, and this is not fun when it involves an airport.

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