Sunday, November 7, 2010

Artist Post 10: Loretta Lux

Loretta Lux


Loretta Lux was born 1969 in Dresden, East Germany.  Lux studied painting and graduated from the Academy of Visual Arts in Munich.  Lorette Lux is a fine art photographer and is known for her surreal portraits of young children.   In 2004, Lux displayed her work at the Yossi Milo gallery in New York.  The entire gallery sold out making Loretta Lux well known.  Later in 2005, Lux received the Infinity Award for Art, from the International center of Photography.  Lux has displayed her work numerous times in both solo and group exhibitions. 

Loretta Lux takes photographs of children, picking out the outfits she wants them to wear, "I never allow them to wear their own clothes," Lux stated, and then she chooses one photo out of two or three sessions of taking photos with the same child.  After choosing a photograph of the child, Lux then takes the child out of the computer file and then places it or a different background that Lux painted or photographed.  Lastly Lux removes details and alters the colors making the overall picture appear like pastel. 

It is thought that Lux is longing for an idealized childhood creating perfect children in her work as a result.  Lux’s childhood appears to play a large role in her artwork in reference to Lux’s childhood growing up in eastern Germany Lux stated, “I deeply resent the fact of having grown up there."  "My work isn't about these children," she explains. "You can recognise them, but they are alienated from their real appearance - I use them as a metaphor for innocence and a lost paradise."

Lux prefers her work to be at an intimate scale 12inches by 12inches (small) to 20inches by 20 inches (Large). 

Loretta Lux’s work attracts me because of her calm pastel like photographs.  They are calm yet they make me think about how they were created.

Lux’s most recent exhibitions: Solo, “Loretta Lux” Kulturhuset, Stockholm, 2009 and
Group, “Collection” The National Museum of Art, Osaka, 2009


Loretta Lux, "Lois" 3, 2000, 12"x 12" or 20" x 20" (?)


Loretta Lux, "Hidden Rooms" 2, 2001, 12"x 12" or 20" x 20" (?)


Loretta Lux, "Girl with Marbles", 2005, 12"x 12" or 20" x 20" (?)


Loretta Lux, "The Green Room", 2005, 12"x 12" or 20" x 20" (?)


Loretta Lux, "The Rose Garden", 2001, 12"x 12" or 20" x 20" (?)




Works Cited

Loretta Lux. 6 November 2010. <http://www.lorettalux.de/>. 

Baring, Louise. "I use children as a metaphor for a lost paradise." 12 March 2005. 6 November 2010. Telegraph. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3638552/I-use-children-as-a-metaphor-for-a-lost-paradise.html>. 

Loretta Lux. Wikipedia. 31 October 2010.  7 November 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loretta_Lux>. 

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