Seth Riskin lecture

Seth Riskin’s lecture showed the passion that he has for something that most of us overlook, light. He went through the history of art and pointed out how different artist used the concept of light in their work. Many of the earlier artists he showed would have a glowing light, usually a religious painting. Then he showed how art evolved to the impressionist period, where the natural quality of light during the day was portrayed. Once the modernist period started, it wasn’t about showing a literal representation of light. The brightness and contrast of colors would give a sense of light in abstract pieces of work.

Seth uses his work to manipulate light in a way the observer hasn’t seen before. It has an architectural element, sometimes highlighting the shapes of buildings and interiors. He mainly focuses on how the human body and light can be combined. Like the classical paintings he studies, his own artwork tries to give a glowing light to humans in real life. He does this through the use of holograms and other technical methods.