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![Derived from purely photographic sources, an homage to the great tradition of the Abstract Sublime.]()
Spectrum I (Gray-Green), 2009
Archival digital pigment print, artist's proof, 41.2 x 32.1 cm. No edition yet established. (id#901)
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![Derived from purely photographic sources, an homage to the great tradition of the Abstract Sublime.]()
Spectrum II (Pastel Green-Pink-Yellow), 2009
Archival digital pigment print, artist's proof, 41.2 x 32.1 cm. No edition yet established. (id#902)
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![Derived from purely photographic sources, an homage to the great tradition of the Abstract Sublime.]()
Spectrum III (Muted Red), 2009
Archival digital pigment print, artist's proof, 41.2 x 32.1 cm. No edition yet established. (id#903)
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![Derived from purely photographic sources, an homage to the great tradition of the Abstract Sublime.]()
Spectrum IV (Earth Green), 2009
Archival digital pigment print, artist's proof, 41.2 x 32.1 cm. No edition yet established. (id#904)
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![Derived from purely photographic sources, an homage to the great tradition of the Abstract Sublime.]()
Spectrum V (Dark Gray-Blue-Brown), 2009
Archival digital pigment print, artist's proof, 41.2 x 32.1 cm. No edition yet established. (id#905)
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![Derived from purely photographic sources, an homage to the great tradition of the Abstract Sublime.]()
Spectrum VI (Pale Pastels), 2009
Archival digital pigment print, artist's proof, 41.2 x 32.1 cm. No edition yet established. (id#906)
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![Derived from purely photographic sources, an homage to the great tradition of the Abstract Sublime.]()
Spectrum VII (Terra Gialla), 2009
Archival digital pigment print, artist's proof, 41.2 x 32.1 cm. No edition yet established. (id#907)
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![Derived from purely photographic sources, an homage to the great tradition of the Abstract Sublime.]()
Spectrum VIII (Earth Colors), 2009
Archival digital pigment print, artist's proof, 41.2 x 32.1 cm. No edition yet established. (id#908)
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![Derived from purely photographic sources, an homage to the great tradition of the Abstract Sublime.]()
Spectrum IX (Cyan-Green), 2009
Archival digital pigment print, artist's proof, 41.2 x 32.1 cm. No edition yet established. (id#909)
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![Derived from purely photographic sources, an homage to the great tradition of the Abstract Sublime.]()
Spectrum X (Ice Blue), 2009
Archival digital pigment print, artist's proof, 41.2 x 32.1 cm. No edition yet established. (id#910)
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![Derived from purely photographic sources, an homage to the great tradition of the Abstract Sublime.]()
Spectrum XI (Magenta-Brown-Gray), 2009
Archival digital pigment print, artist's proof, 41.2 x 32.1 cm. No edition yet established. (id#911)
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![Derived from purely photographic sources, an homage to the great tradition of the Abstract Sublime.]()
Spectrum XII (Blue-Green-Brown-Purple) 2009
Archival digital pigment print, artist's proof, 41.2 x 32.1 cm. No edition yet established. (id#912)
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![Derived from purely photographic sources, an homage to the great tradition of the Abstract Sublime.]()
Spectrum XIII (Pale Gray with Gray Streak), 2009
Archival digital pigment print, 41.2 x 32.1 cm. Not yet printed. No edition yet established. (id#913)
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![Derived from purely photographic sources, an homage to the great tradition of the Abstract Sublime.]()
Spectrum XIV (Blue-Gray-Red Stripe), 2009
Archival digital pigment print, 41.2 x 32.1 cm. Not yet printed. No edition yet established. (id#914)
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![Derived from purely photographic sources, an homage to the great tradition of the Abstract Sublime.]()
Spectrum XV (Acid Green), 2009
Archival digital pigment print, 41.2 x 32.1 cm. Not yet printed. No edition yet established. (id#915)
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![Derived from purely photographic sources, an homage to the great tradition of the Abstract Sublime.]()
Spectrum XVI (Warm Pink-Gray), 2009
Archival digital pigment print, 41.2 x 32.1 cm. Not yet printed. No edition yet established. (id#916)
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![Derived from purely photographic sources, an homage to the great tradition of the Abstract Sublime.]()
Spectrum XVII (Gray-Brown), 2009
Archival digital pigment print, 41.2 x 32.1 cm. Not yet printed. No edition yet established. (id#917)
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![Derived from purely photographic sources, an homage to the great tradition of the Abstract Sublime.]()
Spectrum XVIII (Pale Violet), 2010
Archival digital pigment print, 41.2 x 32.1 cm. Not yet printed. No edition yet established. (id#921)
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![Derived from purely photographic sources, an homage to the great tradition of the Abstract Sublime.]()
Spectrum XIX (Blue-Lilac), 2010
Archival digital pigment print, 41.2 x 32.1 cm. Not yet printed. No edition yet established. (id#923)
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Spectra: Serendipitous Photographic Abstraction
As abstract images, these works seem entirely computer-generated, and yet they are derived from a purely photographic source: the scans of various subjects and materials. A scan records an image in many rows of many pixels. But if you isolate one row and repeat it up and down, you will have a series of stripes, all of different colors. Of course you could choose any pixel row of any image and get the same effect - and this could be fun for a little while. These images of mine, on the other hand, came about by sheer chance - an anomalous malfunction of the scanner, which failed to scan the entire subject, and instead got "hung up" and repeated, many times, the last row scanned. I would never have thought of doing these - collecting them, and doing the necessary for their presentation - had these defective scans not caught my eye for their sheer visual appeal. Then, as I studied what I had, the concept came to me, a notion that would underpin what started by accident. This may sound like a mere rationalization in other terms. I prefer the unpremeditated nature of my own works, driven by simple inspiration by a found beauty.
For an extensive commentary on these works (which also relates to the Digital Abstraction in this part of the site), see the next menu item, "Spectra - The Essay".
© 2014 Allen Schill. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or used in any form without prior written permission from the author. Anyone is welcome to link to it freely or to quote brief passages, but I would like to be notified.
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