Gallery Exibitions

My name is Franz Szony, and I “paint with my camera,” approaching photography from an Illustrator’s perspective.  Although my technique is more modern than my aesthetic, I deem to create a wondrous vignette that is photo-real.  This way, the viewer can believe the illustration (no matter how fantastical) actually exists.

I blend my neoteric perspective with my devotion to the rococo, in essence this becomes my mantra to create a lush world that is ambiguous in character.  An image that is unclassifiable in time or place with a celebration of the androgynous.  Each image is constructed utilizing only physical sets and live models.  However, my combination of traditional theatrical techniques paired with digital hand-tinting create the illusion of a painting, even though the image is completely photographic.

I do believe in beauty, but I also believe in the intention and thought behind that beauty.  In my work, the imagery is seductive, but the feeling will encourage you to understand the story.  Much of my work is inspired by dreams.  The worlds and characters I’ve dreamt have influenced both minute details as well as entire works of art… visually and emotionally, and the diary I keep next to my bed has been filled with sketches over the years.  Most people think that when we are asleep, we are unconscious.  However, many philosophies show that we are more conscious when we sleep than when we are awake.  If so, I can’t help but think our dreams to be more real and truthful than the physical world.

If you can respond to the beauty, look deeper for the feeling, then go even further, you find the “space between your thoughts.”  My intention is to inspire the viewer into this state of mind.  If I can propel you into a transcendental daydream, my magic has worked.