Mad Paule’ and
Photography Today
The question whether photography is art has oft been heavily
debated and for a good one hundred and eighty two years now. John Berger(1972),
an art critic and artist, pointed out that “by
their nature, photographs have little or no property value because they
have no rarity value. The very principle of photography
is that the resulting image is not unique, but on the contrary infinitely
reproducible.” Yet why has the
photograph persisted and continued into the 21st century? What makes
it special and most enduring of all mediums? Importantly, can it considered to
be an art form?
Today, with the digital
innovations, anyone can take a photo with their smartphone or Iphone and become
an “artist”. New software programs like Photoshop CS (2003) have transformed
the way we look at photographs. Artists like Jeff Wall, Mathew Brandt have
given photography a new name and edge. As Patrick Coyne, editor, cautions, “it's about the master using the tools, not
just the tools available.”
Keeping these observations and
pointers in mind, coming across a young rising and talented photographer, Mad
Paule’ and his beautiful photographs is truly a delight. He makes no
compromises in his work and focuses on the spontaneity of the moment. Inspired by the
Japanese aesthetics, wabi-sabi or “things rotting away gracefully with time”, he believes in
keeping the subject spontaneous and fresh. He evades clichés in his work “
especially when I am documenting something,
I absolutely detest the blank “made up” expression” and “
like my pictures to be as close to the
character.”
Black and white is his forte. He
works in colour too but feels that they are trickier to manipulate. Depending
on the theme, he decides his colour choices in advance, as “thanks to the RAW format, I can bring back the colors into my
photographs even if I click them in black and white.”
Mad Paule’ enjoys manipulating
his images and superimposing two different pictures in the same frame. They
evoke various emotions such as nostalgia, sadness, mystery or deep turbulences
that are like ripples across still waters. As the artist explains, he draws
from his personal experiences and the world around him. He is troubled by the
indifference and callousness he encounters in the surroundings. In his earlier
years, he was deeply influenced by novelist Charles Dickens and especially
identifies with his book, “Hard Times”. He also follows the works of
photographers Gottfried Helnwein and
Nobuyoshi
Araki closely.
Paule’’s interests lie in the
human figure and its intricacies. He is presently working on the figure as an
abstraction. Street photography engages him equally for it is “
challenging, time consuming and tests your
patience and you may come back frustrated after a full day walk or sometimes
even after a month.” His photo blog is full of nature, moments and people
who are important to him. He treats it like a sketchbook from where he can draw
his sources for a new shoot or idea.
Yet Mad
Paule’, as he likes to be known by, is in a tearing hurry. He wants to
experiment in various media (illustration, installations) and get people to
“wear” his art. He signs off by cautioning that photographing in public places
can be difficult and offers gems of advice- “
Nobody can predict anything….. The key is to give it some time and wait
the way you wait for a crocodile to hunt. Go out a lot, talk to more and more people,
have an approachable attitude, learn to take NO politely. If you act suspicious
and self-conscious, it will not only show in the picture but also in the
attitude of people toward you.”
At present, Paule’ plans to do a
photo exhibition tentatively titled Mad Paule’ .It will be largely a
series of collaborations between him and his circle of artist friends. Till
then, if you want to see more of his work, especially his ongoing series, visit
his website www.madpaule.co
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