Painting with a smartphone camera: is that even possible? – You bet!

The photo series by Markus Schaub started in 2017. All photos were taken with his iPhone 6. The subjects are enlarged, unedited, according to the 4:3 aspect ratio of the smartphone, to the corresponding format. "For me, the smartphone camera is like a brush that I can use as a simple instrument. This gives me the opportunity to concentrate on the motifs and not to be dependent on complex photographic technology." The images captured show mirrored spaces, landscapes and atmospheric visual content, which enable a diverse reading through their poetic play on colours and shapes.

Markus Schaub says the following about the concept: "Using a smartphone to find images that are only available for a short time—for example when I am very close to an object or taking pictures through something—is a joyful discovery of the otherwise invisible. In addition, the images are in a deliberate contrast to the selfies otherwise taken with smartphone cameras, which are produced every day in dizzying numbers all over the world. " Markus Schaub describes the images as a hybrid of photography and painting, which is why he chose the term "photo paintings" for the series. Since all the works tell their own non-exhaustive atmospheric and poetic stories, they are also suitable as a combination of several images that interact with each other.

"Markus Schaub is an image hunter, a mood scavenger, and a poetry discoverer. His weapons are the smartphone and his eye. Because he sees what others overlook and makes what is invisible to others visible. The result: lucid images and surrealistic scenes that fascinate with a dense, atmospheric tension."
Rolando Baron, art critic