Influences

23x14 1999



40x40 1994

110x110 1998

Chema Madoz, originally, and less commonly, known as Jose Maria Rodriguez Madoz, is a Spanish photographer and a master of photographic surrealism. Madoz takes common items and reestablishes them as a statement. I have always had an interest in surrealism but have never really experimented with surrealism in photography.
The clarity of his prints inspires me to find complexity in that which is simple. His photos may only consist of a single object but the stunning quality of the print and the texture of the subjects make the plainest photo immaculately stunning. His work reveals, not only what is blatantly portrayed in the frame, but also what is not portrayed. To look between the lines of a Madoz photo, or merely to unfocus your eyes from what your brain says you are seeing, unravels a whole new meaning to his photographs. I would like to use his concept of simplicity and clarity in future pieces of my own.
After extensively researching the Internet for the titles of his photographic pieces I was unable to find any. On www.chemamadoz.com he had dimensions of photos and the year they were taken, but no names. I think this adds a certain mysterious quality to his surreal art.