Game Art: Robert Wetzer's Lost Worlds (2013-ongoing)
Robert Wetzer's Lost Worlds is an ongoing photographic exploration of "natural" video game landscapes such as "lush rainforests, icy mountain ranges, rushing waterfalls and barren deserts." As the artist notes on his website, what "used to be cardboard backdrops" have now become "seemingly unlimited worlds." Wetzer's approach to game photography reminds me of Justin Berry (think of his ongoing Videogame Landscapes series) and Mark Tribe (Rare Earth, 2012). But while many remediate the work of previous photographers, Wetzer's main inspiration is the paintings of Caspar David Friedrich (1774 - 1840) and Albert Bierstadt (1830 - 1902). The series, which began in 2013, features both black and white and color images. Truly stunning. You can read more about his project here.