FWYS

“The L.A. landscape photographs in Rearview are not processed using pieces of the city itself but are printed on and embedded into large cement slabs that mimic the prominent infrastructure of the coastal metropolis. The works on view include both vertically and horizontally oriented landscapes, the largest of which — a pentaptych — measures more than six feet tall and close to 18 feet wide. The fresco technique is known for its durability; the paint (or in this case pigment from Brandt’s inkjet prints) is added directly to the wet plaster, becoming an integral part of the wall or slab.

The meticulous process employed in the creation of the photographs in Rearview imitates the layering of fixed structures such as highways as a means for humanity to assert itself over nature. As enduring as the fresco technique and concrete infrastructure may be, Brandt’s works and the L.A. urban landscape are nonetheless vulnerable to time and natural forces.”

by Rae Quinn, Musee Vanguard of Photography Culture (https://museemagazine.com/culture/2024/12/3/matthew-brandt-rearview-mb-gallery)