Hess' presentation is very polished and convincing. It took me a moment to realize that these are his own beautiful works. The back story he has created is interesting and thought provoking as well. Creating a fictional story about the works and their ties to history reminds me of the work of Sandow Birk and his "Great War of the Californias" series, in which he creates works supposedly by other artists from the past that tell the story of a fictional civil war in a California. That was a unique and ambituous project involving tons of works - including paintings, drawings, prints ,maps, dioramas, models and even a film "documentary" about the war - "In Smog and Thunder". Its a funny and clever convention that can have many layers of meaning - but what is Hess' intent here?
For Art's Sake - F. Scott Hess - Collector
Hess' presentation is very polished and convincing. It took me a moment to realize that these are his own beautiful works. The back story he has created is interesting and thought provoking as well. Creating a fictional story about the works and their ties to history reminds me of the work of Sandow Birk and his "Great War of the Californias" series, in which he creates works supposedly by other artists from the past that tell the story of a fictional civil war in a California. That was a unique and ambituous project involving tons of works - including paintings, drawings, prints ,maps, dioramas, models and even a film "documentary" about the war - "In Smog and Thunder". Its a funny and clever convention that can have many layers of meaning - but what is Hess' intent here?