Jan Von Holleben Analysis

Fig. 1 | http://www.creativetempest.com/wp-content
/uploads/2009/01/jan-von-holleben-11.jpg

Jan Von Holleben Is a photographer who takes a different perspective to photography. Instead of a mature, sensible scene, Jan flips this over by adding a childish, playful twist which results in a portrait, hiding a story behind the subject and scene. As quoted by Holleben himself; "Direct, natural, playful, considered, honest, improvised, educational, fun, childish yet totally serious by approach!"


However, a painting is just the expression of the artists emotions. To keep true to this, Jan does not rely on Adobe Photoshop to achieve turn his vision into a reality but focuses on the scene itself.

Jan's photography expresses his creativity in a childish setting. Visually telling the happenings of a child's imagination. For example, Fig. 1 is an iconic scene from the original film; King Kong. Holleben probably chose to use this scene as it show how children can be out-of-control & reckless. This is due the way how the subject is holding the doll in his left hand (the doll could represent the object of the child's desires) while the helicopter is an expression of control (Representation of parental intervention). The overall composition could be put down to Jan Von Holleben viewed children or how he was viewed when he was a young child.

Fig. 2 | http://24.media.tumblr.com
/tumblr_lycvnyuoib1qjia25o1_500.jpg

But not every image is the same. Figure 2. Holleben may not be recreating a scene of a tantrum child but is in-fact, showing the freedom & unrestricted imagination of children by closely relating the scene to a children's, Disney film; Tarzan.

Alternatively, Jan has said that his images not posses and particular meaning but maybe how his work makes people happy by expressing the freedom of his artwork (as quoted); "The best feedback I get from people on a regular basis is, that I make them very happy. Maybe that is a hidden meaning? Maybe that I truly enjoy what I do as a job and see no boundaries."

Fig. 3 | http://img.ffffound.com/static-data/assets/6
/7353b4db6923b891e53a759277993f0aabfde81c_m.jpg

The way the two kids are swinging on the vine-like branch, symbolize the freedom which children have and the lack of responsibility can also be seen in the lack of greenery (thus, not obscuring the majority features of the image). The way the two subjects also express the feeling of motion, also symbolize the lack of boundaries children set themselves...

The third image gives an insight into the emotional/psychological well being of a child's mind through distressing times... (e.g. parental relationship issues, family losses, personal troubles...). This is expressed in the dramatization of the scene, expression of the subjects and scene of which it is set in. (Very typical in a classic, dramatic children's icon such a TinTin)


Inspiration of Jan's work comes from music. This can't be clearly seen in his work but some of the his images does give an insight to the theme of music which might have inspired Jan. As well as this, his work does show a subject being courages in one form or another. Attempting to change the "smallest world" (this being the scene itself).