Exploration of Mourning: “White Knight” by William Josephs Radford
Art is a product of human creative activity. It has no limits in the exploration of the artist’s feelings and intimate life moments, from birth to death. This is what William Josephs Radford, a talented British-Spanish contemporary photographer, targets in his latest “White Knight” project dedicated to his emotional journey of mourning his father’s passing.
Shades of Grief in the “White Knight” Series
“White Knight” is a deeply personal series of photographs created by William Josephs Radford in the process of living through the loss of his father. As the artist confessed, the project was not meant to be a story of mourning and grief; instead, Radford was trying to transform his grieving into something beautiful. As a result, all photographs from this series bear much symbolism and meaning, trying to share the artist’s personal journey from presence to absence and making sense of the loss.
Radford used new techniques in this project to convey his emotional state and share important messages through visual forms. Many photographs are performed in the ghosting and lens masking techniques, along with Radford’s signature light painting approach. Some of the emotional images were created with a Vaseline-smeared lens to share the moment of watching the world with tear-filled eyes and commemorating the drama of observing a dear person’s cognitive decline.
Most works are staged in the blue-and-red color palette, which is also symbolic of Radford’s creative intention for this project. According to the artist, he wanted to render the duality of life and death, the intricate balance between calmness and anger, and the never-ending cycle of love and loss in life. By using framing for personal items, Radford shared his desire to anchor the memories of his father for years to come.
About William Josephs Radford
William Josephs Radford is widely known in the international art community for his fascination with non-conventional art-making methods. One of his series, the 2022 Merging Moments, dwelt on the non-stable, fluid nature of reality, allowing the audiences to explore various meanings, forms, and layers captured by the artist.
Radford’s works are esthetically elegant and spiritually challenging, often touching upon the complex themes of human identity and belonging. The artist is also famous for his groundbreaking experiments with color. For example, his 2023 series of abstract photographs welcomed the spectator to examine the versatility of white shades and embrace the deep symbolic meaning and richness of connotations of white in various cultures.
You will find more innovative photography art at William Josephs Radford’s website.