Surrealist Artists.

Christophe Huet is a French artist who uses CGI and Photoshop to create incredible works of art. He often uses a mix of photos and CGI and some works are actually 3D rendered. When he was young, Christophe Huet wanted to be a musician but this education turned out to be too hard for him. He then decided to change his interest from music to photography. He passed his photography exams, and has been retouching photo’s for more than 10 years now. He has worked for big companies such as Nike, Motorola, and PlayStation. He also has a very clear philosophy: he’ll refuse any job that degrades certain people in any way. Likewise, he always tries to make some extra time for jobs associated with cancer, aids, and ecology.
Unfortunately, Huet is a very mysterious and enclosed artist, and not much more biographical information is available on him. His art is very appealing, however, and he is apparently a very successful photographer.

Philippe Halsman (1906-1979) set the standard for celebrity portraiture. From the 1940s until the 1970s, his portraits of actors, intellectuals and politicians appeared on the covers and pages of the most popular magazines in Europe and in the US. He arrived in New York in 1940, with little knowledge of the English language, no money, no contacts, and a camera. Within two years his work appeared on the cover of Life magazine, starting a 30 year association with the magazine. Life published 101 covers by Halsman: a record unmatched by any other photographer in history.
Halsman grew up in Riga, Latvia, and began his photography career in Paris in the 1930s, contributing to Vogue and other fashion magazines. He neglected the old fashioned portrait style of soft focus and favored dark, sharp images, and soon gained a reputation as one of the best portrait photographers in France. However, with the invasion of France by Hitler's troops, he was forced to flee to America, with a visa obtained by the help of his friend Albert Einstein.

In 1958 Halsman was listed in Popular Photography's "World's Ten Greatest Photographers", and in 1975 he received the Life Achievement in Photography Award from the American Society of Magazine Photographers. He also held numerous large exhibitions worldwide.

Artist’s Name: Christophe Huet

Title: Tomorrowland

Date: 2005

Description: A floating car waits quietly by itself under a streetlight on an autumn night.

Analysis: Although the car is centered horizontally, the rule of thirds is used vertically, and the viewer is instantly attracted to it. The loneliness of the subject tempts the viewer to infer what may be going on in the photo.  

Interpretation: In my honest opinion, I think this photograph depicts the future as a very gloomy and lonely place. People nowadays seem to get so caught up in worrying about their future that they forget to appreciate the little things and give value to the most significant things happening today. It almost shows a disconnection in its entirety from any kind of happiness at all.

Judgement: I find this piece to be extraordinary. It is beautiful and almost seamlessly edited-It actually looks like a real picture! The artist’s use of the elements of photography really invites the viewer into the piece, and I think that the mix of the low key surroundings with the streetlight really compliments the car. I honestly love this piece and it makes me wonder even more about what our future may look like.  

Artist’s Name: Philippe Halsman

Title: Dali Atomicus

Date: 1948

Description: Dali, the famous surrealist artist, is suspended in the air along with spilling water, cats, and a chair. A canvas is being suspended as well, but the stand is floating off somewhere else. The disorder of this image gives it its interesting quality.

Analysis: This interesting piece is so eye-catching due to the fact that there is no specific focal point. All elements of the work are interesting, and the arrangement of the objects makes the viewer see a calamitous, disorganized side of the famous Salvador Dali. The lighting element is perfect, even though shadows are visible, and in short, the piece is beautiful.

Interpretation: I believe this piece is trying to show the extremely hectic yet enjoyable lifestyle of Salvador Dali. His smile and mustache show his friendly and comical nature, and the floating canvas along with him painting shows his dedication to art. The cats, chair, and water show that he doesn’t need to be organized in order to make beautifully organized artwork.

Judgement: Personally, this piece is amazing for its time and the fact that all of this was done in one shot blows my mind. The difficulty of this shot was astronomical, but still, Halsman manages to capture it. I find it very interesting because of the flying water and cats. I enjoy how it truly portrays a day in the life of a great artist.

Both artists are extremely unique but different. Halsman is an artist who left his wealth in France and came to America with nothing, and still quickly rose to fame by his beautiful works of art. Huet, on the other hand, is an artist who went through formal education for his profession and became a professional photographer and CGI/Photoshop artist. In Halsman’s work, you can tell that everything is very carefully planned and meticulously structured. Huet, likewise, uses computer technology to make his own photographs surreal. His use of editing and technology is completely different from Halsman’s “one-shot” photo style. Sometimes, Halsman must even take up to 30 shots in order to get the right one. Huet can just change editing with the click of a mouse. Both styles, however, are beautifully interesting, and their influences are totally different. Huet is truly a pioneer in his style, being one of the first to publicize editing and use of CGI and Photoshop to this scale. Halsman seems to be influenced by other artists of his time, including his good friend Salvador Dali.