Artist Daphna Laszlo Katzor

Can you tell me about your background and how it influences your work?

I'm a Graduate of the photography department in The NB Haifa School of Design.
Most of my life, I have engaged in commercial photography as a fashion and portrait photographer for one of the leading Israeli newspapers, and later in the advertising-photography studio I established. I did not imagine that I would engage in art photography, but various dramatic changes in my life had evoked in me a powerful need to engage in photography for the purpose of expressing myself, and it was in this way that I entered this field.
Elements derived from the field of advertising and journalism, wherein I had worked for many years, appear in my works subliminally. These also appear in the sculptures I create, elements of: the use of perspective, movement and dynamics, the fleeting of the moment, and the drama.
My digital-art pieces are surrealistic. Surrealism is a fine means for conveying the story of my life. Influenced by processes and experiences taking place in it, I create different episodes I experienced, and thus, in fact, I am telling the story of my life.

Which artists have had the greatest influence on your work?

I am mainly influenced by the artists of the baroque and renaissance, e.g.: Caravaggio, Rafael, Goya, Eugene Delacroix, El-Greco, Artemisia Gentileschi,
What draws and connects me to art of this period is the dramatic lighting, the atmosphere, the colours, the tension that’s created, and the feeling that everything is fleeting and in constant motion, about to change at any moment. These are elements that also appear in many of my works.
Important photographers in the history of photography: Bill Brandt (a documentary photographer, nature, nude, portraits), Diane Arbus (portrait photographer), Guy Bourdin (fashion photographer).
What connects me to these photographers is:
Bill Brandt (documentary photographer, nature, landscapes, nude, and portraits) – the drama and black-and-white contrast of his works, and the use of wide angles of the lens, which also creates drama and mystery.
Diane Arbus (portrait photographer) – her unusual portraits characterized by a high degree of authenticity and the exposure of individuals from the margins of society who were transparent until then and were not paid attention to, bur were rather ignored or mocked by society.
Guy Bourdin (fashion photographer) – dramatic photographs, wide angles, vivid colors, walking on the edge and uncompromising, dark, harsh messages.
I find myself in all of them and express this in my works.

Share your favorite medium with us.

In my art, technology is an inseparable part of the work, since I combine photography with various editing technologies to create the final piece. Instead of a brush and paints, I use a camera and different editing programs, and the computer screen serves me in place of the canvas.
I believe that the integration between classical art and technology will only continue to grow over time. We can already see this in the way virtual reality is entering every area of our lives, including the field of art.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Influenced by processes in my life and experiences taking place in it, I experienced, I am telling the story of my life.
At times, various social or political events occur around me that I either identify with or oppose, and this makes me want to express what I feel about these events through my art.
Sometimes, I come across a historical or mythological story through a book I’m reading, or an artwork by an important artist from history—from the Renaissance or Baroque periods—and I want to give it my own personal, contemporary interpretation.
There are cases when I happen to photograph something spontaneously, without prior planning, and that sparks inspiration for a new series, which I then develop further.
I am also influenced by different stories connected to my family’s history, or episodes and events I experienced in my childhood within the family, which inspire various works of mine.
In all of these situations, I feel a connection and an intuitive need to develop the idea and create my own series on the subject.

Describe how important art is for society.

Nowadays, art is a very important part of conveying messages, since social networks dominate every area of our lives and visual messages reach millions of people very quickly and powerfully, giving them significant influence. Art can be used to convey agendas in many fields, such as politics, protecting the planet, social awareness, women’s status, animal protection, and more.
In my work, I address various issues such as the takeover of nature by urbanization and industrialization, cultural and religious conflicts that harm our lives and the future of our children, the status of women today, the processes and changes women undergo, and the relationship between the female figure and the male figure, among others.

How do you define success as an artist?

An artist’s success is not always reflected in selling artworks, and selling artworks as an artist does not always mean that the artist is recognized by art institutions such as galleries, museums, and others.
The ultimate success as an artist is both to be recognized and sought after by galleries and museums, and also to sell works in order to have the ability to continue creating and making a living from the art the artist produces.
Through recognition of my work, I can raise awareness of the various subjects I deal with as a creator, and create awareness and change.

How do you develop your artistic skills?

Most of my life, I have engaged in commercial photography as a fashion and portrait photographer for one of the leading Israeli newspapers, and later in the advertising-photography studio I established.
Elements derived from the field of advertising and journalism, wherein I had worked for many years, appear in my works subliminally. These also appear in the sculptures I create, elements of: the use of perspective, movement and dynamics, the fleeting of the moment, and the drama.
At the beginning of my artistic career, my works were characterized by a noticeably more graphic style, as my career moved forward, my works became increasingly more realistic, and classical photography served as the main component of the work, and in it were graphical elements embedded, but they always remained surrealistic and bridged between reality and imagination, between the past and history and futurism, with their most distinctive element is the use of bold, contrasting colors emphasizing the statement and the message.

How can your work influence social problems?

How do you navigate the professional art industry?

Because there is exposure to an enormous number of artists through social media, it is harder to stand out among the vast range of excellent and diverse creators. The major challenge for artists today is to rise above other artists, but on the other hand, there are now more opportunities for exposure and for artists to gain recognition.
There is also a significant challenge in selling artworks, since the supply is enormous.
Another issue that makes things difficult for artists today—and places art in general, and digital art in particular, in need of a renewed definition—is the role of artificial intelligence in art. At times, it is hard to distinguish between a work created by an artist, whether a painting or a photograph, and a painting or photograph created by AI. This poses a serious problem for artists who create their own work and need to differentiate themselves from art that is not man-made.

What parts of professional art do you like most and least?

Today, the art world is extremely commercial, a sophisticated and well-oiled machine of promotion. Every step an artist takes to gain exposure of their work costs a great deal of money, and this is something not all artists can cope with. The same applies to participation in exhibitions, art fairs, and various international art events, and this is the part I like least about the professional art world.
The positive side is social media, which provides many opportunities for exposure across a wide variety of platforms, reaching all parts of the world within seconds, something that was impossible during the years preceding social media.

What do critics and collectors say about your work?

Critics and various galleries that approach me sometimes compare my works to well-known artists from different periods and with completely different styles. Everyone sees something different in my works and finds similarities to different artists and eras.
Some have found similarities to Paul Delvaux, the Belgian painter, a prominent surrealist artist known for his dreamlike scenes combining women and classical architecture. Although he was associated with the Surrealist movement only briefly, he is identified with it because of the creation of dreamlike spaces that also appear in many of his works.
In one review, my style was compared to Renaissance artist Raphael because of the complex scenes in his works, which are like a story within a single image, and perhaps because of the emotional facial expressions of his figures, as well as their movement and dynamism, characteristics that also appear in most of my works.
From the field of photography, I would like to mention this review written about works I submitted to the international photography competition: 2019 LensCulture Awards & Grants Reviewer.
"This is a very interesting collection of single images, and I have to admit that some are quite extraordinary. Your technical skills level is advanced, allowing you to produce very interesting digital art, that arrests the eye and educates the soul.
"Speaking from a technical standpoint, your work combines elements of different fields but also different eras.
"This particular feature gives your pictures a primordial feeling, that enhances the originality of the work. I like it a lot. I see great potential in this work.
"My engagement with your work was an exciting and pleasant experience, and I am looking forward to seeing more of your work in the future. In a world flooded with photographs, it is important to make valuable work" (Lens Culture Awards & Grants Reviewer Feedback 2019)

What factors influence the price of your work?

When determining the price of a work, I take into account the amount of effort I invested in achieving the results I wanted.
The process of creating my works is complex and lengthy, requiring significant investment and great patience. In the first stage, I photograph partly in my studio and partly outdoors or in other locations. In the second stage, I sort through the photographs and begin creating a sketch of the final image I intend to achieve. The next stage is the painstaking process of isolating the photographed figures from their original surroundings and integrating them into a different background that I created, together with many additional elements that form one imaginary composition.
Each work combines dozens of photographs taken at different times and places, along with graphic elements that I create myself using graphic software. Every photograph or graphic element is placed on a separate layer within the file until they are merged into one complete artwork.
Because of the great amount of time I invest in each creation, I focus on the quality and completeness of the work rather than producing large quantities of works, and I price them accordingly.

What would you like to say to other artists?

I would suggest that an artist who is just beginning their career start by creating exposure for their work in every possible way: through social media, through various websites where works can be uploaded for sale, and by exploring opportunities to participate in international art competitions.
A beginning artist should always stay true to themselves in order to distinguish their work from that of other artists, and not try to imitate others.