Monomaterial environments I.

Vor dem selben Hintergrund, 2012

In many works, Beckmann has maintained a reflexive aesthetic quality which enables it to operate within the context of commercial photography while still maintaining a critical ethos. In his series of photographs of nude and clothed figures „Vor dem selben Hintergrund“ (2012), Beckmann has engaged a traditional style of portraiture with contemporary subjects. Depicting both nudes and clothed figures, the emphasis on the human form is one which echoes the tactics and clichés of the representations of the human form throughout art history. The background is used to unify the series, allowing the viewer to observe the individual characteristics of the subjects in a homogeneous environment. The backdrop and compositional considerations highlighting awareness of the crafted nature of the portrait, begging the question of how identity can be perceived or distorted through the contrivance of photography. By Tara Heffernan 2012, Art Theorist.