Artist Research - Alexey Titarenko

Alexey Titarenko

Alexey Titarenko was born in 1962 and is a Russian photographer and artist. He is best known for his photography and in particular, his photography series called 'the city of shadows'. His images can be thought to represent an element of time as they present figures as fluid like which can be thought to show their movements which can relate to set periods of time. 

The above image is very effective as the women in the background are more in focus and clear whereas those in the foreground are blurred therefore showing their movement in the set amount of time. I like how the image is in black and white as it gives a more dramatic feel and also a sense of mystery. 

I like this image due to the blur of the umbrellas which makes the image more interesting. I like how this image is more grey rather than distinctive black and white as it gives a less sinister feel to the image and instead a more relaxed feel. The image almost looks as though the people in it are visiting the beach or are on a leisurely day out. 

This image is very similar to the one above as it looks as though it was shot from the same or very similar position. I like the image as it seems to be very dull which is demonstrated by the actual image as well as the colour scheme. It shows the passing of time well due to being able to see the peoples movement with their walking. This is done by the use of long exposure. 

This image is also very effective due to the clear passing of time element. It appears as though the man who is in focus is watching the time pass which is demonstrated by the blur of the passing people which has been produced by the photographer using long exposure. 

I like this image as it is taken in a different way from the other images. The angle which it has been shot from is very interesting and I like the way that this also shows the passing of time well by the people being fluid like. This look is made more effective by some of the people being blurred while others are clearer. This shows how the people have moved or changed over the set time period. 

Influence -

Titarenko's work has influenced me as it has made me think more about using long exposure to show movements during a certain amount of time in my own work. In addition to this, his work has made me think about the mood in which I hope to convey through my images and think that the use of different filters will help with this, for example, black and white which is used in the above work.

Summary -

In my opinion, Titarenko's work is very effective in presenting the passing of time through the use of long exposure works to show the movements and time passing. I like the way that his images make the figures appear almost fluid like and also like the slightly ghostly feel which are present in his images as this also contributes to the audiences realisation that the images present the passing of time. Overall, I like the work and will try to adopt some of his style into my own work when I shoot.