Analysis Of The Art Style Of Erik Johansson

I chose this artist because I really am lured in and interested by his art style. I like how he incorporates everyday objects, landscapes, and people, and then manipulates them to create amazing and surreal images.

Biography

Erik Johansson was born in 1985 outside a small town called Götene, Sweden. He grew up on a farm with his family, parents and his two younger sisters. For as long as he can remember he has liked drawing and also has a interest in computers. At age 15 he got his Erik got his first digital camera, a very simple one, just a point and shoot. This opened up a new world for him as he was used to drawing and not photography. Erik felt like he wanted to do something more to the photos, having an interest in computers made this step easier. He built an interest in photo manipulation by playing around with photos on his computer. This is how it all started, and now he works as a full time photographer on personal and commissioned projects.

Style

Erik Johansson has a very distinct style. He combines photographs and manipulates them in a way which creates surreal scenes. Elements that are common in each of his artworks are that they are all showing things that are very unlikely to appear and happen in real life, but the images look realistic, which gives the sense that the image is real.

Materials And Techniques

Erik always starts with a sketch, a simple idea to build off of. This is where he plans and decides whether or not the idea is worth putting together. He then starts shooting and collecting the material for the project. He never uses stock photos in any of his personal projects. Finally, he puts the photos together. He uses Adobe Photoshop CC and Adobe Lightroom.

Analysis Image Visual Analysis

This image evokes a feeling of being lost and wonder. It does this with the man looking down, and as you look further into the photo you can see the horizon line, so that gives us the idea that this land continues to go further and evokes a feeling of curiosity. Even though the feeling of being lost is prominent, there is also a feeling hope as the image is strikingly vibrant. The water on the land is broken. Shape is being shown to make it look like the water is in a geometric form. The triangles on the land aren’t connected, and are scattered on the sand therefore showing that something has been shattered and disconnected. The texture of the water is very smooth, still and glossy, and evokes a feeling of tranquility. Texture is also being shown in the water behind the man, showing that the canoe has traveled along it. The reflections of the trees are being shown in the water using colour and texture, you can see that green being shown in the water, but you can tell that it is a reflection because of the smooth texture. The clouds have a smooth and silky texture.

Visual Analysis Continued

This image can have a narrative to it. The man is standing above a canoe, and seems to have just reached the land. The man is alone in a vast area of land which raises a feeling of loneliness and isolation. The dead fish on the shore give us this feeling that maybe this land has been abandoned or is currently vacant, further increasing this feeling of isolation. The colour on this man’s clothes are very dull, giving us a sense that they are well worn. Which could mean that this man has been travelling for a while. This image can have a deeper meaning to it as the shattered water can symbolise that this man is very torn about something, the clouds projecting out of the water pillar can symbolise all the thoughts racing through his mind. But in all this chaos, the vibrancy of the image can symbolise the fraction of hope in his life. There is a column of water in the top centre of this image. This adds to the narrative as the column of water can be seen as a storm beginning to form. You can also see the clouds being projecting out of this pillar of water. Giving us a sense that something is being released or escaping.

To create this image, Johansson used a variety of tools and techniques. Erik took pictures of this landscape with the man standing in the canoe. The canoe is actually on the sand but Erik uses Adobe Photoshop to manipulate the image to make the canoe appear to be in the water. It would be very difficult to get the shape and texture of the clouds in this position, he would’ve needed to get very lucky. He would’ve taken the picture of the clouds at a different time, and then cut out and manipulate them into the photo with the water and sand. Erik uses layers in photoshop to manipulate each part of a photo. So the disconnected water would be on one layer, the sand would be on another and the clouds would be on another. Making this piece of art the materials and equipment that Erik Johansson uses are the Hasselblad H6d-50C and Hasselblad X1D camera. He uses a custom built PC, but he also uses a Macbook, and the program that he mainly uses to manipulate photos is Adobe Photoshop CC.