CHARLESTON — More than 40 large-scale photographic portraits by Martin Schoeller are currently on view at the Tarble Arts Center, Eastern Illinois University. Titled “Martin Schoeller: Close Up,” the exhibition continues through Feb. 17.
These large-scale photographic portraits are close-ups and are 5-foot high by 4-foot wide. The photographs provide an opportunity to examine the apparent complexities and contradictions of each individual portrayed.
Probably just as interesting as studying the faces is considering why these faces are known to us, or not, and how this effects our reactions to Schoeller’s photographs.
Most of the faces staring back at the viewer are familiar: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Barack Obama and John McCain, Kanye West, Paris Hilton, Sarah Palin, Andre Agassi, Cindy Sherman, and Valentino. But Schoeller also includes portraits of non-celebrities, indigenous peoples from Africa and Latin America, usually identified only by a first name.
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About the portraits Schoeller said, “Familiar faces are treated with the same levels of scrutiny as the un-famous. The unknown and the too-well-known meet on a level platform that enables comparison, where a viewer’s existing notions of celebrity, value, and honesty are challenged.”
In an gallery talk for the National Portrait Gallery the artist said, “There is no such thing as an honest portrait – every photograph is a lie .. some of them lie a little bit less than others.”
All of the portraits were taken while on assignment for different publications, such as The New Yorker and Entertainment Weekly, or other clients. Schoeller says that these large-scale photographs are “much more engaging, much more compelling” than photographs in magazines.
A native of Germany, Schoeller now lives and works in New York. He says that working with Annie Leibovitz “gave me an insight into what it takes to be a portrait photographer.”
“A photographic close-up is perhaps the purest form of portraiture, creating a confrontation between the viewer and the subject that daily interaction makes impossible, or at least impolite,” the artist said. “In a close-up, the impact stems solely from the static subject’s expression or apparent lack thereof, so the viewer is challenged to read a face without the benefit of the environmental cues we naturally use to form our interpersonal reactions.”
Schoeller became a staff photographer for The New Yorker in 1999, joining the famed Richard Avedon. His work has also appeared in many other magazines, including Vogue, Rolling Stone, National Geographic, GQ, Vanity Fair, and TIME (including last year’s much discussed breast-feeding mother cover photo).
His portraits have been exhibited internationally, and Schoeller’s photographs have received awards from the American Society of Magazine Editors, Communication Arts, and the Society of Publication Designers, among other honors.
The Tarble Arts Center is located at 2010 9th St, on the EIU campus, Charleston, Illinois. Open hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday—Friday; 10 a.m.—4 p.m.,
Saturday; 1-4 p.m. Sunday; closed Mondays and holidays. For more information, call 217-581-ARTS (-2787), email tarble@eiu.edu, or visit www.eiu.edu/tarble.
Admission is free.