Gregory Crewdson was born in Brooklyn, New York on September 26, 1962. After seeing a Diane Arbus retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, he became interested in photography. He studied photography at the State University of New York at Purchase, where he recieved a B.A in 1985. While there he was classmates with Jan Groover and Laurie Simmons. Crewdson then went on to Yale for an M.F.A. in photography, which he recieved in 1988. One of Crewdson’s early series, Natural Wonder took place in Lee, Massacusetts, where he had also shot his series of portraits for his thesis at Yale.
In 1992 Crewdson developed his Natural Wonder series, “in which birds, insects, and mutilated body parts are presented in surreal yet mundane domestic settings” (Guggenheim museum). Crewdson’s next series, Hover, (1995) turned away from brightly colored imagery, and switched to “black-and-white bird’s-eye views of strange situations set in the streets and backyards of Lee” (Guggenheim museum).
It wasn’t until Crewdson’s Twilight series in 1998 that the surreal and cinematic elements of his imagery began to emerge, as he re-introduced color into his large scale prints. Crewdson’s photos have become more and more elaborate, “requiring dozens of assistants, Hollywood-style lighting, and specially crafted stage sets” (Guggenheim museum). Crewdson’s photos, although set in American suburbia, are eerie and dark, and play with an element of the surreal. Although at first glance some of his photos seem to depict normal surburbia, upon closer examination one begins to feel the tension and unease that his photographs create.
Crewdson currently teaches photography at Yale, and lives and works in Lee, New Haven, and New York.
Imagery:
http://coromandal.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/amstaged_0305.jpg
http://blog.camera80.ro/images/2006/november/gregory-crewdson-6.jpg
http://vienofoto.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/gregory-crewdson.jpg
http://sarahh.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/00027gyt.jpg
Interview:
http://www.sitesantafe.org/exhibitions/virtualgalleries/frcrwan/crewdsonqa.html
Gallery representing artist:
http://www.luhringaugustine.com/index.php?mode=artists&object_id=66
No artist website available.
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