Ben Heine
Pencil Va. Camera – 57
During the study of the principles of media art, which are hybridization, interaction, duration and point of view, and in the search of new artists, I have come across many that people have known widely about, but who also demonstrate these principles stated without our knowledge. While looking at artists, I was intrigued by an artist who incorporates camera pictures and drawing. The artist Ben Heine is an example of an artist who demonstrates the principles of media art.
In the artwork categorized as “Pencil Vs. Camera”, Heine develops and portrays the principle of hybridization. What the meaning of this principle is, using a technique involving different genres, styles, concepts, material, media and forms and combining them to create artwork in a new “hybrid” form. In this particular piece, hybridization is shown in the camera image and the drawing aspect. Heine takes a photograph and draws a certain image, background, etc, and holds it over top of the photograph to create a new view and take on the picture. In this piece of artwork, Heine took an image of a women lying down on the ground in the middle of a street, with large building surrounding her, in what, to me, looks like an older street, due to the window shapes and the street lamp. One can presume that its colder weather, leading up to fall or spring, as she is wearing a long sweater dress, a dress in which Heine leaves no detail out when recreating it on paper. He then drew an image of a bird flying down to her; he completely fills in the whole image that is covered by the paper and leaves no white space, thus meaning no holes or gaps in the take or view of the picture. The large bird, which looks like some sort of crow, is swooping down towards her, and looks as if it is pulling a key from her heart.
I have found this piece, and others done by him, to be very interesting and unique, and I really like them and his take on them. I enjoy how he’s tooken a normal and realistic picture and turned it into an almost modernized abstract piece by adding the hybrid drawing aspect to it. This artist, I feel, I can connect to because I have done work like this in a former project done in 2012 (Unraveled Thoughts). I think this piece, and other artwork done by Heine can be seen by many people in a positive manner, as some of it is very happy and the images drawn can be so dramatic and abstract for the scene, a viewer couldn’t help but at least smile at what their seeing.
To find more artwork done by Ben Heine, his site link is:
More images I liked by Ben Heine:
Ben Heine
Pencil Vs. Camera – 22
Ben Heine
Pencil Vs. Camera – 39
Melissa Reid: Art Portfolio Blog 