Abstract Closeups

Whether it is a deep-dive into a series of process studies or broadening the scope of vision, the abstract closeup, (or also in some cases, macro photography) reminds the viewer that a different perspective doesn’t always lie beyond the frame. Microscopes have been placed under the lens for over a hundred years with Frank Percy Smith creating one of the first films To Demonstrate How Spiders Fly, produced in 1909, zooming in on a tiny creature to reveal a huge new world. What happens to patterns, figures, the subject or geometrical forms when the perspective of the observer's viewpoint has changed? Why shoot at a flower and not zoom in and capture the pollen too? This controlled gaze is firmly in the hands of the artist, often forsaking realism or recognition of the subject. In turn, a whole new composition is found, hidden within a larger setting. In Artsper’s own selection of work, the artists Collective and Vianca Reinig  focus on just that, studying the many possibilities of interaction between colors and patterns. The closeup enables Reinig to add a different set of emotions, moods, and depth to the closeup’s newly formed surroundings. This conversion from viewing three-dimensional objects, into two-dimensional photographs creates optical illusions of vibrancy, of movement and holds a firm place in the story of abstract art.