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