Crossing the Border: Identity Issues in the Scope of Representation

Abstract

After photography first emerged in the early 19th century, it has developed as a technology that enhances human ability to preserve visual information and challenges the tradition of painting as the fundamental apparatus to contain optic experiences. For generations, artists have been making paintings to represent both factual moments and fictional plots that mark the ups and downs of the humankind, making painting a reliable source of evidence for critical judgments, especially in terms of the historical and scientific archive. However, the making of the artifact can take ages and cost a big fortune; the finished piece’s reading can be highly subjective to outside influences, which undermines the integrity of the painting as an information carrier. The introduction of photography solved all these problems. Compared to painting, photographic images can be taken immediately. Digital technology also made the storage of images more stable and cost-friendly. The advantage of photography seems to make representational painting obsolete. However, the interaction between the two media is never a zero-sum game. This thesis will attempt to push the border of painterly representation in the scope of photographic images, discussing humanity’s interdependency and information from the angle of identity issues. The essay will work as an explanatory component of the author’s studio work, consisting of a diptych of oil paintings and preliminary work and studies.