jpeg icbm02, Thomas Ruff
Thomas Ruff
jpeg icbm02
DE
Back to top

Thomas Ruff

jpeg icbm02, 2007


Dimensions
240.0 x 190.0 cm
Physical Description
Chromogenic color print
Inventory Number
St.F.3942
Acquisition
Acquired in 2017 as a gift from private property
Status
Not on display

Texts

About the Work

Thomas Ruff has been working on the "jpeg" series since 2004. It is based on photographs from the internet, but also on pictures taken by the artist himself with a digital camera or scanned templates. In doing so, he takes up the pictorial principles of the Impressionists and Pointillists. By reducing the resolution of the photos − i.e. reducing the number of pixels per centimetre − while simultaneously enlarging their format, he creates a new, coarser image that resembles a geometric pattern when viewed closely. A real scene can only be detected at the appropriate distance − in the case of "jpeg icbm02", a rocket taking off from the ground.

The digital geometric image structure, which actually indicates the degree of image resolution and detail accuracy, is converted into an aesthetic category. Ruff's "jpeg icbm02" is thus exemplary for one of the central features of the photography, or rather image, concept developed in the Becher class. The students of Bernd and Hilla Becher have a fundamental doubt, a sceptical attitude towards the claims of truth in photography.

Work Data

Basic Information

Title
jpeg icbm02 (Original Title)
Title Translation
jpeg icbm02
Photographer
Period Produced
Object Type
Physical Description
Chromogenic color print
Material

Property and Acquisition

Institution
Departement
Collection
Creditline
Städel Museum, Frankfurt am Main
Picture Copyright
© VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023
Acquisition
Acquired in 2017 as a gift from private property

Work Content

Motifs and References

Genre
Main Motif
Associated Persons and Institutions

Iconclass

Primary
  • 0 Abstract, Non-representational Art
  • 5 Abstract Ideas and Concepts
  • 46C41 rocket (astronautics)
  • 54DD3 Start

More to discover

Albums

Contact

Do you have any suggestions, questions or information about this work?

Last update

24.11.2023