Jan Dibbets - Perspective Corrections

Jan Dibbets Perspective Collection (2004)

Jan Dibbets Perspective Correction: My Studio I: 1 Square on Wall (1969)

In Perspective Correction, My Studio I, 1: Square on Wall (1969) the Dutch artist Jan Dibbets (b.1941) illustrates a small square drawn on his studio wall. The square is drawn at such an angle so that it is in opposition with the perspective of the studio appearing to rest on the surface of the image. The ‘corrected’ shape appears to come forward towards the photograph’s surface while the ‘interior’ space of the photograph remains intact. Dibbets viewed the single photograph as an abstract, flexible element and simultaneously a naturalistic fragment. Dibbets’ interests lay in the paradoxical relationship between abstract form and naturalistic fragment, which presented a wide range of possibilities for the construction of ambiguous images. By imposing the precise form of the square Dibbets interrupts the usual process of perception. The image he makes is constructed specifically for the camera, existing ‘only as an image and has no model in the real world’ (Fuchs, 1991:13). Through his photographic works Dibbets’ questions how an image should behave. The work addressed a host of issues, including the role of three-dimensional illusion in painting and photography, the veracity of photography, the nature of the art object and the role of photography in documenting ephemeral actions.