Crater (Dimensional Abstraction #4)

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Watts is greatly interested in science and fascinated by modern technology’s effects on the natural world. At first glance this seemingly extraterrestrial scene looks realistic. In fact, the image has been highly manipulated by Watts, raising questions about what the viewer is actually seeing. Why are the stick’s shadows bent? Where is the crater mentioned in the title? The crosshair grid drawn over the photographic image lends the illusion of scientific accuracy. At the same time, by slightly distorting familiar forms, the artist urges us to acknowledge photography’s artificiality. Watts presents his images in individually designed frames that he paints and rubs with graphite, contrasting that handwork with the mechanized process of photography.

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