Jan 4, 2009 10:13 am US/Eastern
CBS 2 At The Met: Contemporary Photography
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Pictures don't always tell the story. When you see "Reality Check: Truth and Illusion in Contemporary Photography," be prepared. The thirty photographs, from the 1970's, and most from the Met's permanent collection are meant to confuse. You can't tell if what you're looking at is authentic or make-believe. And Senior Research Associate tells CBS2's Dana Tyler, that's just what the photographers want.
"There are pictures of set up models and fake things that look strangely real and then there are also pictures of real landscapes that look strangely artificia. I think the contemporary idea today that alot of photographers are playing with this ambiguity between the real and the artificial."
That said, it makes you wonder, did photographer David Levinthal capture the harsh realities of war, or not. Fineman explains, "As you look closer, wait a minute those aren't real soldiers they look like plastic toys. He would set up these themes on the floor in his parents' living room and then photograph them. At first glance, when you're looking at them you think you're looking at a war photograph. World War II, that photojournalists sent back from the front. These pictures are among the first that really raised the question of photography of illusion and how a photo can create something that we think is real but really completely fake."
Place your bets on a snapshot of Las Vegas by Thomas Struth. "In the background you see this hotel tower looming up over this bizarre scene of a Caribbean port town which happens to be in the middle of the nevada desert. This is a real picture straight unminipulated picture of an incredibly fake place."
With a nod to high technology, Photographer Craig Kalpakjian captures the reality of the downsizing of corporate America. Fineman says, "In fact it is no where. This hallway does not exist in 3-d reality. This is really the kind of capper to the whole idea of truth or illusion in photographs because it's a photograph of a non-existent place. As digital technology comes more and more important in photography, this is something we may see more and more of in the future."
"Reality Check: Truth and Illusion in Contemporary Photography at the Met until March 22.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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