artist map

Edgar Degas inspires me through his paintings, specifically those of ballerinas. He has an ability to capture movement in his paintings that feels both ethereal and human.

“A painting requires a little mystery, some vagueness, and some fantasy. When you always make your meaning perfectly plain you end up boring people”

Edgar Degas

Edgar Degas from Paris, France.

Gregory Crewdson inspires me through his cinematic approach to photography. He adds a sense of irrationality to everyday scenes, providing a thought-provoking quality to his photos.

“My pictures are about everyday life combined with theatrical effect. I want them to feel outside of time, to take something routine and make it irrational. I’m always looking for a small moment that is a revelation.”

Gregory Crewdson

Gregory Crewdson from Brooklyn, New York.

Claude Monet inspires me through his landscape paintings, particularly his water scenes. I like how his loose brush strokes come together to form a beautiful scenery.

"Try to forget what objects you have before you - a tree, a house, a field, or whatever. Merely think, 'Here is a little square of blue, here an oblong of pink, here a streak of yellow,' and paint it just as it looks to you, the exact color and shape, until it gives you your own impression of the scene before you."

Claude Monet

Claude Monet from Paris, France.

Jonas Bendiksen inspires me through his diverse photos taken around the world. He has a keen ability to capture intimate moments and diverse cultures, often incorporating social commentary into his work.

"I think the most important quality for a documentary photographer is empathy. You need to be able to put yourself in your subjects' shoes and understand their lives from their perspective."

Jonas Bendiksen

Jonas Bendikson from Tønsberg Municipality, Norway.

Julie Blackmon inspires me through her photos depicting family life. Her photos combine everyday life with a fictitious element, channeling the work of a filmmaker.

"My work became more conceptual, as I began to realize that I was not obligated to capture “reality” exactly, but that I could work more like a painter or a filmmaker, actively shaping the images I was creating. This realization—that fiction can often capture the truth more memorably than reality—was a major shift in how I saw the world around me, and it transformed my work.”

Julie Blackmon

Julie Blackmon from Springfield, Missouri.

William Eggleston inspires me through his photography of everyday life. His photos allow me to see the beauty in the mundane.

"Often people ask what I'm photographing, which is a hard question to answer. And the best what I've come up with is I just say: Life today."

William Eggleston

William Eggleston from Memphis, Tennessee.

Wong Kar Wai inspires me through his cinematography and filmmaking. He has a distinct cinematic style that incorporates saturated color grading and step printing, immersing the viewer in his emotional narrative.

"To make films, it always begins with two words: what and how. First of all, you have to find a story, or what are you going to tell? And you have to find a way to tell it visually."

Wong Kar Wai

Wong Kar Wai from Hong Kong.

Yoshitomo Nara inspires me through his cartoon-like characters and simple paintings. His paintings usually include seemingly innocent characters that carry a deeper, often rebellious meaning.

"In the past I would have an image that I wanted to create, and I would just do it. I would just get it finished. Now I take my time and work slowly and build up all these layers to find the best way. Just like you cook so that you know it’s going to be the most delicious, you find a way to make your art the best it can be."

Yoshitomo Nara

Yoshitomo Nara from Hirosaki, Japan.

George Inness inspires me through his landscape paintings. His paintings transcend realism and give a sense of mystique.

"The purpose of the painter is simply to reproduce in other minds the impression which a scene has made upon him. A work of art does not appeal to the intellect. It does not appeal to the moral sense. Its aim is to instruct, not to edify, but to awaken an emotion."

George Inness

George Inness from Newburgh, New York.

René Magritte inspires me through his surreal artworks. I like his play on reality by blending mundane beings in extraordinary contexts, evoking a sense of mystery.

"I take care, as far as possible, to make only paintings that arouse mystery with the precision and enchantment necessary for the life of ideas."

René Magritte

René Magritte from Lessines, Belgium.