Vintage Cameras Focus on the Surveillance of Modern Life in Jeff Bartels's Uncanny Paintings

[Donkees]

“I’m not sure it’s possible to walk down a city street these days and not be caught on a camera somewhere, either by choice or not even knowing about it.” This idea grounds Surveillance, a series of uncanny paintings in oil by Canadian artist Jeff Bartels. Situated in urban settings with a distinctly retro flair, the works nestle vintage cameras among architecture and infrastructural elements. Oversized lenses, knobs, and levers echo the shapes of windows and doorways with branding imitating signs for shops and restaurants.

In addition to the cameras that feature heavily in Surveillance, the Toronto-based artist has placed other technologies like cassette tapes and stereos among his street-side scenes. See some of those works below, and find more on Instagram.















“If you look at the people in the paintings, none of them are doing anything particularly noteworthy or interesting. They are all just living their lives in front of a camera, some by choice, some oblivious to that fact,” he shares, noting that the surreal scenes aren’t intended to be altogether sinister. Privacy concerns aside, the paintings also speak to the increased prevalence of photographs and the ability to document and share even the most mundane moments on social media.

https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2022/10/jeff-bartels-surveillance-paintings/

[Docreed2003]

1. "Keep your electric eye on me babe"

Love this but I especially love the David Bowie poster in the shop window on the one with the Keystone featuring the "eclectic eye". Nice touch

[IcyPeas]

2. nice details. you can zoom in here:

yeah, I see a Police-Synchronicity album, Madonna, Bowie and on the other side I only recognize the Clash-London Calling.

https://www.artsy.net/artwork/jeff-bartels-surveillance-electric-eye

[localroger]

3. Alas, the effect is ruined if you are actually familiar with some old cameras

That first Speed Graphic is positively Uncanny Valley. The vertical loop of whatever at the bottom of the rails is supposed to be a pair, which you squeeze together to drag the lens holder out to its working position. Just a single one doesn't work. Also the rail board folds up to become the front of the camera when folded up, so it has to be the same size as the front of the camera. That's just how the machine works. The one in the illustration is way too short. It appears that his working source material was pictures of these cameras which he doesn't quite understand.

And how do I know this? I actually own a pre WWII Speed Graphic camera. I once had a box of Brownies. That one is kind of hard to screw up. But I also own a couple of Mamiya TLR dual-lens cameras like the LM and Rolleiflex and those don't look too workable either.

[Donkees]

4. ''Alternative Artifacts''

https://www.jeffbartels.com/paintings

Oil on Linen

Canadian artist Jeff Bartels seamlessly combines elements of Hyperrealism with aspects of Surrealism to create strange and compelling works of art. His highly detailed oil paintings have evolved over the years into this unique combination of seemingly contradictory styles. His work is sometimes referred to as Hyper-Surrealism because of the extreme realism mixed with dream like qualities. Jeff’s work has been featured in galleries and museums all over the world including Canada, Europe and South Korea.

Jeff’s newest series of paintings explores the Post Truth phenomena we live in by blurring the lines between what is real and what is not. Named “Alternative Artifacts”, each oil painting features a meticulously detailed, hyperreal object from the past that never actually existed. The series is meant to stretch and bend the truth about our past in order to bring a focus on the deceptions going on today.