The guy who painted this picture, Venetian born Ippolito Caffi (1809-1866) is something of a mystery. I only became aware of him through an image of one of his works appearing in a catalogue of a Turner exhibition. I can find nothing of him at the State Library of Victoria which is very unusual. He specialized in scenes of night festivals in his native city as well as unusual lighting effects and weathers. His understanding of light is almost hypnotic which is why I admire him.
Bill Henson /
It was great to see photographer Bill Henson emerge from the shadows of the politically charged controversy over his work and stage a typically evocative exhibition at Gippsland Art Gallery, Sale. "Meaning comes from feeling" is the comment I took home with me from the talk he gave at the opening.
Gregory Crewdson /
While there is plenty to admire in the beauty of Gregory Crewdson's photography, it is the deep underlying psychology of his work that impresses me. Crewdson has said that he wants his work to be both beautiful and have an underlying anxiety, loneliness perhaps even fear. It is interesting to hear him speak of his work and to note the absence of the usual conceptual, post modernist gobbledegook you hear from so many artists these days. Perhaps it's because he knows his work stands on its own merits.