Review & Preview: A beautifully designed retrospective of art history

Leister explains: "Many of the century-old rules, grid and colour theories are still essential parts of our profession as designers. But where exactly does this compilation of rules and theories originate from? How can you get easily lost in this matter but at the same time recover? It has been challenging to come to a conclusion, especially when these debates rather prompt questions than come to close.

"In contrast to brush and paint, photography can merely reflect the existent. It can capture and visualise what I can see. Photography can frame a moment; more so, it is able to emphasise what otherwise would be overlooked or missed due to negligence. But even the digital picture depends on light, colours, shapes and motives.

"During the set timeframe, I attempted to select and focus on these basic features, and even tried to accentuate or challenge the given motive in order so as to visually reflect on each epoch. Preview stands for my work as incentive, inspiration and preview of something endless which is constantly evolving.

"Review is a summarising retrospection on my research and collection accumulated during the realisation and development of the photos, which have contributed to understanding the complexity of the matter. The text collection in the form of a book is supporting rather than fundamental. It is a reference book containing various thoughts and theories concerning men who already long ago have devoted themselves to the arts.

"Additionally, it is a collection consisting of facts, essays and poems addressing arts and its history in factual, dramatic as well as fond and critical way. Art and its characteristics are not supposed to be lecturing but primarily affect through perceiving the pictures. As pictures come into being through various impressions and conceptions, independent from spontaneity and the fact that it will always remain subjective, I acknowledged the importance of adding these statements, quotes and explanations in a separate reference book."

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Via direct submission | All images courtesy of Jil Leister