Steve Foust (Detroit Portrait Series)
January 16, 2018
Kurt Novak
Steve Foust (Detroit Portrait Series), 2003-2005
Archival pigment print on cotton rag paper; flatbed scanner portrait
Photograph: Daniel Sperry
In 2003, Kurt Novak began to photograph legendary Detroiters that had in their lives stamped an influential, and permanent, mark on Detroit’s creative scene. Out of frustration with the limitations of traditional camera photography, Novak began creating portraits using an Epson flatbed scanner. This approach allowed him to transcend the boundaries of convention. The eight-minute scan provided Novak additional time to illuminate the individuality of his subjects. His Detroit Portrait Series is composed of scans of personal friends and/or people he admired, including the artist Jim Chatelain, art writer and professor Dennis Nawrocki, musician Hank Jones, and the well-known art enthusiast and collector, James Pearson Duffy, to name a few. Novak planned and experimented with poses until the perfect portrait- one that spoke to the identity of the subject - had been obtained.
The passing of time is manifested in this eccentric portrait of Cass Corridor artist Steve Foust. The viewer’s gaze falls vertically, playing the role of the scanner itself as each interval of time is marked by the anxious movement of the influential artist. The seemingly patterned image of a distorted Foust may reflect his own interest in repetition found in his paintings and sculptures. Foust is widely considered to be part of the first generation of Cass Corridor artists, from 1963-1977, whereas Kurt Novak is considered to be of the second generation, their relationship being a symbolic passage of time and legacy in its own right.
Novak studied at Wayne State University from 1975 to 1980. He works in an array of tools to create his artwork, from wood, nails and paint, to scanners. His scanner portraits were on display at the renowned Detroit Symphony Orchestra. To Novak and Detroiters, the Detroit Portrait Series celebrates the ever growing creative culture in the city.
Written by Danielle Cervera Bidigare