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<\/a>Installation view of Dean West,\u00a0The\u00a0Painted Photograph. <\/em>Image courtesy of Alison Milne Gallery<\/p>\nA sparkling pool greets us invitingly in \u201cPalm Springs #2.\u201d David Hockney\u2019s pool paintings come to mind immediately. Looking at Hockney\u2019s series of pools and West\u2019s photograph there is indeed a strong relationship, not only in the theme but in the elements used and in the way the scene is depicted. The rivulets of water and the way they reflect the strong sunshine is similar. The young man emerging from the pool, showing his back to us, has the same posture as the young male nude on Hockney\u2019s \u201cSwimming Pool\u201d (1982, Los Angeles exhibition). The seated, elegant man looking over the scene is also familiar \u2013 the photograph has a \u2018Hockney\u2019 atmosphere. While the eye of the viewer gorges itself on the amazing scenario there is still another surprise \u2013 the glass wall. At first it seems to be only a background but a closer look at it reveals that it is a very busy visual treat itself. It is something like a focal point where everything gathers. It reflects all the elements: the water, the furniture on the other side of the pool and also lets us see the palm trees behind the wall. Wait a minute. Is the furniture on the other side of the pool or behind the wall? Are the palm trees behind the wall or on the other side of the pool? What we know for sure is that the larger palm trees and the top of a building are behind the wall. The glass wall works like a mirror that is also see-through, creating a maze-like illusion. West challenges the viewer to think twice about what they think they\u2019re seeing. This photograph is so perfect both in its details and the atmosphere of a hot day at the pool, that it couldn\u2019t be better \u2013 my apologies to Mr. Hockney \u2013 and looks very much like an oil painting, hence the title of the show, The\u00a0Painted Photograph.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cPalm Springs #1\u201d is also about rich Californians but now inside their home. West captures the pristine architecture of a modern home. It is a painstakingly designed environment, all color coded. White dominates again: all the floors, walls (inside and outside), the sofa is greyish white while the Flos Arco floor lamp is silver. This blinding white creates emptiness, symbolizing the couple\u2019s relationship. They happen to be in the same room physically but couldn\u2019t be more far away from each other emotionally. They turn their backs on each other, seemingly alone in their self-imposed bubble of self-deception. A deer stands in the garden and the man is touching the glass wall in the hope of connecting with it. Does the deer symbolize nature or is it taxidermy? The pretty, fashionably dressed young woman \u2013 wearing the same red color as the armchairs in the room \u2013 blends into the color coded decoration. The glass of red wine in front of her hints that this should be a social time. Their clothing suggest that they are going out or coming in from an outing, theatre, dinner or party. We don\u2019t know what time of the day it is. We see only a bit of greenery in the form of a tree at the top left corner \u2013 all natural elements are cut out. The couple lives in this artificial environment, locked in their misery.<\/p>\n Both \u201cBeverly Hills Gallery, February 25th, 2016\u201d and \u201cOrient Point Ferry\u201d depict crowds of people, so we hope for some interaction between them. A large group of people gathers in front of a white wall in \u201cBeverly Hills Gallery, February 25th, 2016\u201d. The wall is so blindingly white and high, with a tall palm tree, that the people in front of it are belittled, seemingly unimportant. It is a busy composition \u2013 West incorporates a lot of narrative: a girl tying her shoelace, a woman tidying up a man\u2019s jacket, an elegant lady near the tree, someone checking his e-mail or taking a selfie, a couple walking by, etc. Only one person might be going into the gallery. None of them \u2013 even people who seem to be interacting \u2013 look at each other. They are all separate entities lost in front of that large white wall.<\/p>\n The five people pictured in the hazy light in \u201cOrient Point Ferry\u201d seem statuesque. Though their positions are static, there is actually a lot of movement in the image as they all look in different directions. What they see outside the image must be very interesting. They are fully occupied by it. The little girl stops eating her ice cream; the man stops reading his newspaper; the old lady seems to be so mesmerized that her lips open slightly. Once again they are disengaged, they just happen to be at the same place at the same time.<\/p>\n<\/a>Dean West, Palm Springs #2, 2015, Type C Photographic Print. Image courtesy of Alison Milne Gallery<\/p>\n<\/a>Dean West, Palm Springs #1, 2015, Type C Photographic Print. Image courtesy of Alison Milne Gallery<\/p>\n<\/a>Dean West, Beverly Hills Gallery, February 25th, 2016, Type C Photographic Print. Image courtesy of Alison Milne Gallery<\/p>\n