Jan Groover who died on New Year’s Day 2012 was one of
the first people to blur the lines between art and photography back in the
1970’s.
She started out as a painter but soon moved towards
expressing her vision through her camera. She is noted for being one who paid
incredible attention to colour and film processes. And during her previous work
with art she gained knowledge of and frequently used strong compositional
elements with line and shape within her pictures
Her work with kitchen items and vegetables that were
taken in her kitchen in an almost traditional “still life” style were seemingly
boring to the uncouth onlooker but was a breakthrough in the art world showing
that photography had a real place in the contemporary art scene and was no
longer confined to sculptures and paintings. There was a very keen market to
support this movement which these days has been all but forgotten by modern
photographers who shy away from extreme modernism in favour of more emotive
portraits of humans.
It’s only when you look at the pictures that you realise
the art lies not in the object itself but in the shape and form of the photo,
the use of line and great attention to colour. Jan worked with colour and
shadow in a time where black and white was still king.
I personally enjoy her work due to the strong forward
thought that has gone into the composition and the clever use of line and
reflections within objects that make the boring “pedestrian” utensils seem
larger than life and exciting. Any person who can take a photo of a fork and
make it look interesting has a rare skill indeed. A skill that unfortunately is
lost these days with popular photography.
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