“Hopper Meditations” by Richard Tuschman is a personal photographic response to the work of the American painter, Edward Hopper. “I have always loved the way Hopper’s paintings, with an economy of means, are able to address the mysteries and complexities of the human condition.”
Placing one or two figures in humble, intimate settings, Hopper created quiet scenes that are psychologically compelling with open-ended narratives. The characters’ emotional states can seem to waver paradoxically between reverie and alienation, or perhaps between longing and resignation.
Tuschman’s pictures diverge from Hopper’s paintings. The general mood in his work is more somber, and the lighting is less harsh than in Hopper’s. He is trying to achieve an effect perhaps closer to the chiaroscuro lighting of Rembrandt, another painter he greatly admires.
He would like the lighting to act as almost another character, not only illuminating the form of the figures, but also echoing and evoking the their inner lives. He would like to marry the theatricality of Rembrandt with the humility of Hopper.
“I like to think of my images as dramas for a small stage, with the figures as actors in a one or two character play. The characters, by appearance, are rooted specifically in the past. The themes they evoke, though — solitude, alienation, longing — are timeless and universal.
Richard Tuschman began experimenting with digital imaging in the early 1990’s, developing the style that synthesized his interests in graphic design, photography, painting and assemblage. His work has since been exhibited internationally and recognized by, among others, Photo District News, American Photography, Prix de la Photographie, Paris, and Photolucida’s Critical Mass.
Images courtesy of Richard Tuschman
Discover: www.richardtuschman.com
