Mongolian Painted Masks Black and White Still Life Photography
Wide Eyes and Painted Smiles Gather in a Close View
Standing before these Mongolian masks, I was drawn to the different expressions gathered together. A large smiling face occupies the upper right, while smaller masks crowd the foreground and the space behind it. I photographed them in black and white, allowing the painted features and worn surfaces to carry the still life.
The faces have several things in common, but they do not feel identical. Dark brows curve above wide eyes, mouths open into different shapes, and the largest mask has deep lines across its forehead. Some faces are paler than others. I like how those changes keep the eye moving through a closely filled frame, from one expression to the next.
Their surfaces add another kind of detail. Small cracks, rubbed areas and uneven patches interrupt the smooth painted cheeks. Light catches the raised noses and rounded brows, while the eye openings and mouths become darker points. I kept the background less prominent, with enough surrounding objects visible to show that the masks were part of a larger group.
For me, the photograph works between the familiar shape of a face and the visible surface of an object. The expressions feel lively, but the marks in the paint keep the masks tangible. The close arrangement lets both qualities remain present, giving the still life a mixture of humour, texture and the slightly uncanny feeling that first held my attention.
© Dan Kosmayer, 2022
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About My Fine Art Photography
Every photograph in my collection comes from my own travels, explorations, and years behind the camera.
I create my work as photographic art rather than mass-produced decoration. From street portraits and abandoned places to landscapes, architecture, and the unusual subjects I discover along the way, each image begins with something that made me stop and look.
My photographs are available in multiple sizes so the same image can work in anything from an intimate wall space to a large statement installation.
