Art Analysis

This piece is called Topologies of Belief by Jose Davilla, 2011. The pictures are organized into an area 99 X 351 cm. The works are Piezography print on photo based paper. The location of the photographs is not provided but Davilla is from Mexico and bases many of his works off western culture.

The photographs consist of the outline of multiple buildings, cut out of the picture. This leaves a blank space and a shadow on the white paper approximately an inch behind the pictures. The white space that previously displayed the architecture of many buildings is Davilla's way of treating common pictures in a revolutionary way. The subject of the picture should be the buildings but by cutting the main focus out, we are forced to look around it and appreciate the background or setting. The shapes of the buildings allow the imagination to run free and fill in the empty cut out with our own ideas and forms. This is a new way to represent the traditional theme of architecture.

Davilla uses black and white photographs to enhance the viewers imagination and allow them to fill in the traditional subject matter. He uses the lack of color to enhance the impact of the photos and change the perspectives from which they are viewed. The white space pulls together the photo itself, and ties into the white frames. We are forced to re imagine the scene and take our attention away from the obvious subject. The light creates a shadow on the white paper that is away from the photograph, enhancing the absence of the building that has been cut out. The buildings consist of several cut out shapes all arranged in square frames organized evenly along a middle line. This contrast pulls the viewer in and allows them to ponder the significance of the art.

I believe the purpose of this art is to force the viewer to ponder how much we focus on the largest subject, and alter our perception. By looking at these pictures for extended periods of time we start to think about what the buildings look like and who the people are. We are exposed to so much everyday, and because it is right in front of us we do not use our imagination. By taking away the primary subject in pictures, we think about what the photo was like before and what is missing. Using the fact that Davilla is trained as an architect, I began to think of the photos as his way of expressing the importance of shape in architecture and buildings. We need to broaden our minds and stray from the traditional. Davilla allows us to view a simple subject and walk away straining for the many meanings and interpretations found in the way he cuts things out.