1. Gregory
Crewdson
–
Twilight
Introduction
This
body
of
work
is
about
expressing
and
projecting
subjects
who
suffer
from
dissatisfaction
in
a
location
where
one
would
presume
them
to
be
tranquil
and
at
ease
within
their
confortable
environment.
Gregory
Crewdson
in
all
of
his
bodies
of
work
like
Bresson
searches
for
the
perfect
moment,
to
blur
the
line
between
reality
and
fiction.
As
Gregory
Crewdson
says
“when
everything
comes
together,
in
that
instance.
My
life
makes
sense”
this
statement
is
applied
to
the
body
of
work
Twilight.
These
images
capture
almost
the
before
and
after
of
a
scene,
caught
in
‘the
moment’
a
snapshot
of
one
time.
Crewdson
uses
real
life
locations
but
adds
surreal
elements
this
helps
combine
the
overall
view
of
the
juxtaposition
between
beauty
and
sadness
and
how
close
that
line
can
often
be.
This
is
depicted
by
how
the
subjects
are
content
but
also
in
despair
at
the
same
time
shown
by
Crewdsons
use
of
body
language,
props
and
lighting.
Demonstrating
the
contradiction
people
feel,
one
moment
happy,
the
next
filled
with
desire.
It
discusses
the
issue
that
we
are
flawed
because
we
want
so
much
more
than
we
have
and
are
ruined
as
when
we
get
these
things
we
desire
what
we
used
to
have.
Twilight
is
personal
to
Crewdson
as
it
links
to
his
interpretation
of
middle
class
within
America,
Crewdson’s
background
is
within
middle
class
America,
he
was
brought
up
in
this
environment
so
is
displaying
what
he
has
seen
in
terms
of
discontentment
in
an
environment
that
many
people
aspire
to
be
within.
This
is
from
his
first
hand
experiences
as
a
child.
The
scenes
he
creates
are
of
graceful
middle
class,
suburban
America,
but
they
display
more
than
that
by
showing
a
realistic
suburban
America
but

2. adding
complex
lighting
and
Crewdson’s
direction
of
the
actors
and
also
the
fact
that
Crewdson
searches
days
on
end
searching
for
the
perfect
location.
All
of
this
combined
is
what
gives
Crewdson’s
images
such
atmosphere
and
emotion,
they
visually
represent
what
people
in
this
enviroment
feel.
Purpose
and
Meaning
Crewdson
was
driven
to
capture
this
body
of
work
as
he
was
searching
to
create
a
visual
representation
of
social
expectations,
boundaries
and
repression
in
this
specific
environment,
which
is
not
expected
to
hold
these
conditions
hence
his
use
of
these
locations.
Using
this
as
a
visual
representation
for
how
people
living
in
these
environments
are
feeling;
ungratified
by
their
current
environment
and
situation.
He’s
trying
to
capture
people’s
emotions
by
visuals.
This
is
Crewdson
showing
how
the
subject’s
suburbia
American
life
is
not
as
blissful
as
the
overall
surroundings
make
it
out
to
be.
Crewdson’s
decision
to
shoot
at
the
time
of
‘twilight’
is
interesting
because
it
is
the
time
between
sunset
and
dusk,
where
the
surface
of
the
earth
is
neither
completely
lit
nor
completely
dark.
This
relates
to
his
concept
as
the
subjects
are
happy
with
the
life
they
have
achieved,
but
at
the
same
time
they
are
unsatisfied
with
what
they
have.
They
want
more
but
they
are
not
entirely
sure
what
that
is.
Almost
as
in
what
they
believed
to
be
perfect
is
far
from
it,
and
they
now
long
for
what
they
once
had
but
they
cannot
escape
the
world,
the
family,
and
life
they
have
created.
Often
Crewdson
directs
his
subjects
sitting
away
from
all
their
surroundings
in
mid
thought
these
subjects
are
as
‘unresolved’
as
the
images.
This
is
due
to
Crewdson’s
use
of
framing.
He
chooses
to
commonly
use
the
rule
of
thirds
in
his
images,
placing
his
subjects
in
one
of
the
intersections
which
instantaneously
draws
the
audience’s
attention
to
the
subject,
this
also
distances
the
subject
from
their
surroundings
via
the
use
of
negative
space
which
detaches
them
from
their
environment.
Crewdson
does
this
to
demonstrate
how
these
subjects
are
lost,
not
in
a
literal
sense
but
how
in
that
moment
in
time
they
are
dislocated
from
reality,
not
interacting
with
their
surroundings,
trying
to
escape,
trying
to
resort
to
a
normal
existence.
Also
using
this
type
of
body
language
adds
to
the
enigma
codes
of
the
images
as
Crewdson
is
controlling
what
the
audience
see’s
or
knows,
giving
more
questions
for
the
viewer
to
have
to
reflect
upon
and
answer
this
links
to
the
staged
Narrative
genre
and
how
Crewdson’s
work
conforms
to
this
genre
more
than
any
other.

3.
The
lighting
links
to
his
conceptual
practice,
by
lighting
images
during
twilight
specifically
due
to
the
juxtaposition,
which
constantly
crops
up
in
Crewdson’s
work.
He
doesn’t
want
complete
darkness
upon
his
images
but
neither
does
he
want
too
much
light.
This
type
of
lighting
adds
to
the
fictional
and
‘surreal’
element
of
the
images
as
this
time.
"Twilight
is
evocative
of
that.
There's
something
magical
about
the
condition."
The
mystifying
nature
of
this
lighting
combined
with
strong
artificial
lights
and
certain
backdrops,
props
and
location
create
the
ideal
suburban
America
for
Crewdson’s
shoots.
Above
a
standard
picture
of
suburban
America
Below
a
Crewdson
Image
depicting
Suburban
America

4. He
has
shot
it
in
a
certain
mind
set
trying
to
blur
the
line
between
reality
and
fiction;
this
is
why
he
often
has
beams
of
light
shining
through
his
images,
almost
a
sense
of
hope
in
this
same
old
environment,
as
I
believe
it
relates
to
this
perfect
middle
class
families
who
are
caught
in
their
‘twilight’
what
they
once
aimed
for
they
are
now
running
away
from,
the
‘American
dream’
relates
to
how
these
people
living
in
these
suburban
house
are
in
competition
with
each
other,
always
having
to
maintain
this
perfect
family
scene
which
Gregory
is
trying
to
depict
is
completely
fake,
hence
the
beam
of
hope
shining
throughout
many
of
his
images.
Gregory
crewdson
images
are
influenced
by
film
names
like
Steven
Speilberg
to
David
Lynch.
The
link
to
speilberg
is
straight
forward,
Speilberg
is
known
for
his
extravagent
film
sets
and
his
expedential
use
of
lighting
and
props,
Crewdson
is
directly
influenced
by
this
idea
as
his
own
images
use
the
same
complex
film
sets
and
extravagent
lighting.
David
lynch
was
heavily
involved
in
the
surrealism
movement
known
for
his
surrealist
films
and
his
unique
style
towards
creating
films
like
‘blue
velvet’
often
containing
elements
that
can
disturb
or
mystify
audiences,
a
style
reffered
to
as
‘lynchian’.
Surrealism
is
a
‘20th-­‐century
literary
and
artistic
movement
that
attempts
to
express
the
workings
of
the
subconscious
and
is
characterized
by
fantastic
imagery
and
incongruous
juxtaposition
of
subject
matter’.
Crewdson
often
captures
the
moment
between
the
‘before’
and
‘after’
the
moment
when
a
scene
is
in
full
swing,
like
shown
below,
the
image
depicts
a
woman
in
underwear
hunched
as
if
she
has
just
cracked
and
the
‘perfect’
world
around
her
has
cracked
too,
I
believe
this
is
what
Crewdson
is
trying
to
capture,
the
falling
apart
of
a
scene.
A
surrealist
Crewdson
image:

5.
Crewdson
links
directly
to
this
as
his
is
often
considered
a
surrealist
himself,
working
with
fantasy
and
the
juxta
position
of
fact
and
fiction,
often
in
the
form
of
a
subject
placed
irregulary
in
a
scene
confusing
but
dazzling
the
audience
simultanesiouly,
‘mystyfying’
the
audience
just
as
david
lynch
would
in
his
films.
David
lynch’s
photography
Awarding
as
many
questions
as
it
answers.
All
of
crewdsons
work
is
very
personal
to
him
and
all
of
his
work
contains
a
psychological
element
to
the
images,
I
feel
this
links
to
crewdons
relationship
with
his
father.
When
Crewdson
was
growing
up
his
psychonalsyt
fathers
office
was
located
in
the
basement
of
his
home.
Crewdson
although
told
to
ignore
the
whole
situation
was
forever
intrigued
by
the
situation
and
wonder
about
the
conversations
happening
below.
Since
this
Crewdson
has
used
his
interest
his
photography
to
also
show
a
phsychological
element
in
his
images
hence
his
heavy
use
of
enigma
codes,
almost
staging
a
scene
that
he
believes
many
people
are
feeling,
representing
emotions
with
visuals.