GJ Verellen

Untitled

GJ Verellen

This image there is a Caucasian young woman laying down on a white sofa wearing an orange dress that flows off the bed. Behind her is a cupboard with plants and books. The Sofa is covered in pillows ranging in size and color between gold, green, and white. The young woman is laying with her eyes closed, presumably asleep

GJ Verellen looks at the representation of the human subject within Western art history and photography for his thesis project. He investigated how they have influenced fashion and its commercial world. Photography and painting have had a long and rich history as they have influenced each other for over 200 hundred years. Through a series of portrait images based in response to paintings, Verellen explored the relationship between representation, paintings, and photography. By blurring the lines between painting and photography, he wants to challenge the viewer’s relation between the two mediums as well as that of the subject. In most of Western art history, white female subjects painted by male artists have dominated the landscape. In the majority of paintings, they are painted as passive ‘objects’ for the male gaze.

In Verellen’s work, he has worked with a diverse group of people to represent contemporary society and the globalized western world we live in to bring his thesis to life by creating images that reference painting, photography, and elements of fashion photography whether they were in front or behind the lens.

Verellen has referenced iconic paintings in my photography either by the positioning of the model, or photographic techniques. Many of his shots are inspired by a specific painting, yet the photos he created are either inspired by a specific work or have the influence of others, either consciously or subconsciously. The Images are printed on matte paper to reference a canvas feel, as well as color editing. Framing these photos in a salon-style framing with a mix of contemporary and ornate frames that include his own images and the source images creates a relation between old and new. The presentation itself looks like an art salon making the audience question the relationship between the two.

In this image, the subject is in the background. The majority of the image displays a row of columns where the subject is standing in front of. She is wearing brown pants, heels, a collared shirt, and a brown taupe that matches the brown pants. On her right hand she is holding a brown fuzzy bag while her other hand is in her hip

In this image, a Caucasian young woman is leaning against one of two pillars in the photo. The speckled creates a painterly effect on the pillars and adds separation between the subject and the background. She is wearing a seer and shiny dress with many layers, typical for the 18th century. Her blond hair softly blows in the wind as she gazes to the right.

In this image, a light skinned model wearing a green dress and pink scarf is leaning on her side while sitting on a rock looking over at the right side. In the foreground is a collection of rocks and boulders while in the background there is lush green foliage towering over the model.

In this image, the subject is a light skinned model wearing a silky green dress covered in flowers with a pink scarf around her arms. She is standing in the middle of the composition facing the camera in front of lush green high grass that towers above her.

In this image, a light skinned model wearing a green dress and pink scarf is leaning on standing on a rock looking over at the left side. In the foreground is a collection of rocks and boulders while in the background there is lush green foliage towering over the model as well as 2 ducks to the right of her.

In this image, the female subject is wearing a pink suit in the center of the image. She is surrounded by foliage and greenery. The trees and plants are creating a spiral-esque shape that focusses into the female model.

In this image, a female Asian subject is standing in the middle of the composition wearing a pink dress. She has one leg out of the dress’ slit and her right arm on her forehead. On her left side is a tree that grows diagonally across the image. Far behind her are three parkways and more greenery that take up most of the image.

In this image, a female Asian subject is standing in the middle of the composition wearing a pink dress. She has one leg out of the dress’ slit and both her hands in front of her. On her left side is a tree that grows diagonally across the image. Far behind her are three parkways and more greenery that take up most of the image.

In this image, a white male can be seen wearing a black suit and white shirt on top of a cliff. His pose is awkward as he is trying to find balance as not to fall. He is surrounded with gray rocks that dominate the image.

In this image, a male subject is standing centered in the composition wearing a black suit and white button up with both hands in his hair. He is standing on top of a cliff surrounded by greenery and plants. Behind him is a lake that goes to the horizon

In this image, a white man wearing a black suit and white shirt is descending a spacing between two large stone structures. He is holding on to both sides and so he will not lose balance. The rocks have a grey- yellow tint to them that contrasts the blue sky.

GJ Verellen

GJ Verellen is an American-Belgian-Canadian photographer based in Toronto who has been taking photos since 2017. He is working towards a bachelor’s in photography at the Metropolitan University of Toronto.

Photography allows him to express his love for beauty in everyday life as he documents exciting colors, shapes, and light. It is the simple yet intriguing interplay between form and light that GJ is inspired by and conveys in his work and expresses his creative ideas. His love for fashion and portraiture drives him to create work where he captures elegance and prestige in a truthful manner.

His goal is to photograph anything that challenges him, whether an editorial, a fine art collection, or the essence of a person.