Thomas Ruff r.phg.03_II, 2014 Chromogenic Print Edition 1 of 4 240 x 185 cm Thomas Ruff's series “phg” (photograms) represents a logical further development of his technique based on classical photography while using completely digital ways and means. This series was inspired by the technique of the photogram, which was pioneered by the Surrealists in the 1920s. Black-and-white motifs were created, without the use of a camera, by placing objects on photographic paper and then exposing them to light. A 3D software specially developed for the artist now enables Thomas Ruff to produce large-format photograms – as digital facsimiles, so to speak – and also to use colour in the process. This he does in various ways, each original photographic technique or effect being indicated in the title by a prefixed abbreviation. The prefix “s”, for example, stands for “solarized” (such photograms were briefly re-exposed to light during development), while the prefix “ch” stands for chromogenic colour print. The resultant images comprise sweeping forms, circles, waves, lines and surfaces in subdued colours and in compositions that are reminiscent of the painting of the 1920s but have an aesthetic all their own, an aesthetic that clearly belongs to the 21st century.
