Ralph Gibson and his Art on the Human Subconscious

     Ralph Gibson is an American artist who grew up in Hollywood surrounded by famous individuals. He was born on January 16th, 1939. The man got his inspiration from the sets of movies he would visit as a child. According to the International Photography Hall of Fame, his father was the assistant to Alfred Hitchcock, so he was able to visits the sets with his father. 

    His art is focused mainly on the human subconscious. It relies on the feelings of the viewer and the interpretation of his works. I find that many of his photos bring a sense of nostalgia to the viewer. 

    This first photo is reminiscent of looking out the car window as a child. Notice how the photo is of the camera looking out of the back window of the car. It can portray a child looking out the window, a person looking out the window of a taxi, or maybe even a pet. I personally view it as a child looking out the window at the bikers. It catches a moment of life in the subconscious. A scene you wouldn't normally think about as it happens. It gives off the mundane neutral energy of life.

    I feel this photo is very easy to describe. It looks like a man or a boy, whichever it is is unclear, holding a rose behind his back. The individual is seemingly dressed in all black, and the photo gives off a solemn vibe. This picture gives off the impression of someone at a funeral or during a memorial service. Maybe it's the funeral of a parent, or a lover, or the individual's own child. The photo very clearly is not happy, or maybe that's just how I view it. I lost my father when I was seventeen, my brother was only eight-years-old. This photograph reminded me of us at our father's funeral, in which was the first and only time my brother was dressed in all black, and was the most serious I'd ever seen him. This photo stuck out to me personally because of that, and I'm sure many people also saw this scene in a similar light.

    This photograph is the very opposite of the last one. A baby in its bassinette, with what seems to be its parent playing guitar beside them. It gives off a happy and content feeling, maybe even adoration, depending on if you like kids or not. It looks as if the baby is reaching towards the music. Maybe it's the very start of the child's love for music, maybe it will become its first memory. A lot can be said in this photograph. It can be seen as peaceful or inspiring. 

    Ralph Gibson has also done a lot of notable work in the theme of erotica. He published an entire book with the theme, simply titled Nude, which he advertises on his own website (ralphgibson.com). I find sexually incredibly interesting and apparently so does Gibson. In the book are photos of tasteful nude photographs, those of which simply show the nude figure of mostly women in passively erotic situations. Then, there are the more pornographic photographs depicting the lust and passion of sexual actions. I feel that Gibson's ability to portray emotions on every side of the scale is impressive. It shows he understands the human mind.