Artist of the Week: Michael Kenna

 Michael Kenna

I could have probably guessed that this man was going to be a catholic priest, with his consistency and conservatism in his work.  The slideshow hinted that Kenna would be categorized in the same category as Ansel Adams, but I would disagree with that and say that there is noticeable difference in the two artists' styles for the two to be categorized differently. I would categorize Kenna's works as artistic landscapes.

I would say that someone could recreate these shots with relative ease, given the same circumstances as Kenna.  The shots aren't necessarily complex, but are quite time consuming to set up all the same.  I would definitely say that this conservative form of photography is rather uninteresting for my tastes.  

“I look for graphic shapes, I look for simplicity of line, I look for an almost two-dimensional canvas with brush marks on it.”

     I would say that this method is very straightforward and easy to interpret, due to the two-dimensionality presented by this specific method.  It's definitely a rather mechanical approach towards the artistic trade that is photography, which I do appreciate.  The concept is reminiscent of a painting from the Renaissance.