These are not simple charcoal drawings of inanimate everyday objects. These are actually real 3-dimansional objects that have been whitewashes and traced with charcoal to appear 2-dimensional in photographs. They might look as though they have been photoshopped and edited to look more like charcoal drawings but photographer Cynthia Greig insists that they are not. Despite looking traced out and shaded on a flat sheet of white paper, the edges and details of the objects have been painstakingly lined with charcoal, creating the intended optical illusion. Grieg’s series, titled Representations, also explores with objects such as fruit, bottles, stationary and books.

Her series is created in tribute to William Henry Fox Talbot, a photographer who demonstrated the different ways in which photography could be used and how one could creatively interpret and reveal the truth or ‘reality’ of his surroundings. Influenced by Talbo’s philosophy, Greig says that Representations “explores the concept of photographic truth and its correspondence to perceived reality.” Her work largely explores the notion of perception versus experience and the artist role in negotiating what the viewer perceives to be the truth. “ According to her artist statement, her work aims to challenge “assumptions that define and limit our experience” and “investigates how visual information can infiltrate our consciousness, occupy our memories and influence our understanding of the world we live in.  

She challenges the viewers’ perception and experience in painting these objects white. Our knowledge tells us that a toaster should be shiny and an apple should be red. However, by outlining it with charcoal, photographing it against a white sheet and making the objects look 2-dimensional to the viewer, she plays with our understanding of appearance versus reality. 

See more of Cynthia Greig’s works here! 

Images from Cynthia Greig’s website