Gotham Visions / Second City is a portfolio of stylish, unsettling urban landscapes, a collection of dark, brooding night scenes shot in seemingly lifeless cities.
Emmanuelle Becker’s imagery is cinematic and particularly influenced by American film noir and German expressionist cinema. The portfolio captures the sense of uncertainty that rumbles through desolate city streets at wee hours. There is tension in the work, something that is psychologically charged and makes one consider the possibilities that exist outside of the photographic frame.
Dramatic lighting, ominous shadows, and velvety blacks create a compelling and mysterious sense of loneliness. The absence of any human life adds to the apocalyptic feeling in the photographs. Architectural forms and details emerge from foggy atmospheres. Exaggerated camera angles and tight cropping contribute to the psychological unease which emanates from these set-like streets scenes. Here and there the light from scattered windows is the only sign of life in an urban landscape in which the viewer is left wondering if he himself is not the last man on earth.
About Emmanuelle Becker
Emmanuelle Becker is a visual artist-photographer living in Paris. She studied photography and printmaking at George Washington University in Washington, DC., graduating with honors and then obtained a Master’s degree in painting at Pratt Institute in NYC. Her photography is influenced by her multi-disciplinary artistic background. Intriguing suggested narratives characterize all of her photography, street and studio shots alike, giving her imagery a singular surrealistic quality. Becker’s work has been exhibited in Europe, Western Asia, and the United States. She is the recipient of multiple awards and distinctions and her work has been featured in several international photography publications. [Official Website]
