Artwork by Loretta Lux

The Bride

Girl with the teddy bear

The Drummer, 2004

Loretta Lux has used an isolated child in her photo. The child is playing the drum and staring directly at the viewer. The light and shadow of the photograph is artificial as there seems to be no shadows. The colours are like a fresco painting. The lines are straight and very organised. All of these elements and principles communicate the ideas of childhood being a symbol of lost paradise with the emotionless expression on the face of the child. The photo makes the viewer use their imagination.

The Rose Garden, 2001

Lux portrays an isolated child standing in a rose garden. Emphasis is on the child at the centre of the photo. The Garden shows balance with symmetrical design and perspective. The colours are muted and portray a different era to today. The child's face is blank and seems like she is lost in a daydream, emphasising the idea of lost childhood.

Loretta Lux - Photographer and Artist

Loretta Lux was born on 1969 in Dresden, East Germany. She then moved to Munich and graduated from the Academy of Visual Arts in the 1990's. She didnt start experimenting with photography until 1999, and debuted at the Yossi Milo gallery, New York in 2004. This put Lux on the map.

She lived in a communist society which was monitored by the Stasi (secret police).

As a child she was taken to museums and art galleries by her grandparents.

In some of the photos she has taken of the children, the clothes they are wearing are sometimes her own childhood clothes.

Ideas and Artistic Intention

* Loretta creates a vision of childhood for the viewer to project on to and reflect on their childhood.

* She presents the world of a child as magical, mysterious and sometimes a scary place.

* She intentionally creates ambiguous images, enticing viewers to use their imagination.

* Loretta invites reflection on what it means to be a child, as well as adult nostalgia for times past.

* Childhood for Loretta is a symbol for paradise lost.

* Her images have a strong psychological effect on an audience.

Resources

http://www.lorettalux.de/

'Photography - Production and Appreciation', S. Jane