Eccentric's Corner: Surreality

Jill Greenberg

Profession: Photographer

Claim to Eccentricity: Puts a human gloss on baboons, bears, and celebrities

Jill Greenberg is a sought-after photographer who spent her childhood in suburban Detroit doodling chimeras in notebooks.
Just out of art school, she became a pioneer practitioner of Photoshop, superimposing her wild imagination on pictures she snapped. Greenberg's portraits of crying children, cheeky animals, and flawless models gleam with a heavenly light that runs counter to her interest in the dark side of life. Her book Monkey Portraits is out in paperback, and her collection of anthropomorphized bear photos previously has been displayed at the Fahey/Klein gallery in Los Angeles.

Why are you drawn to surrealism?

I like things that question reality. I don't take things seriously, and I like the humor in surrealist paintings, the intensity of the themes—life, death, and sex.

I don't think I'm a great storyteller—I'm really bad at telling a story verbally. But I love a still shot that tells a whole
story. It doesn't need to be a fact; it just needs to be a strong, compelling image.

Do you have a special connection to animals?

I don't think so. But as a kid I always created characters that were combinations of people and animals, and they always had crazy distinct gestures that defined them.

I shoot trained "actor" animals. I position them the way I would people. Once I asked a trainer, "Can we get this polar bear to look sexy?" He thought I was crazy. We did get her to put her hand on her hip, to show a little attitude. The animals seem more human when you can see the whites of their eyes. I do prefer to shoot people, though, because you can talk to them.

Your subjects come out shiny and unblemished. Do real-world imperfections make you shudder?

I do Photoshop things in my mind! For my fine art projects, I make things perfect to me, but not necessarily perfect. With the kids in "End Times" [a series of crying children, meant to show how upset the new generation would be if they knew the state of our world] I didn't retouch their scabs, but I did add the shine. There wasn't a message in having them glowing; it's just what I like.

"End Times" caused a big stir after a blogger called your method—bringing on the tears by taking away your young models' lollipops—tantamount to child abuse. Were you surprised?

Images of crying kids are so intense, and that's why I love them. Sometimes kids cry to manipulate their parents, though, when they want to watch TV or stay up late. I really think the criticism was coming from men who didn't really know how to deal with their emotions when they saw these pictures. It was so upsetting to me at first. But now I'm more famous as a result, and that is good for my work.

As a frequent celebrity portraitist, what have you concluded about our culture's obsession with fame?

I think it's sort of crazy. I guess we just need people in common to talk about since we don't live in tight communities anymore. I don't get starstruck when shooting celebrities, but if someone is really good looking, I can get flustered.

What's the most unconventional thing about you?

I look normal. I look like a nice mom. I don't dress like a crazy edgy artist. But I have a really dark sense of humor. I can out-disgusting-joke my husband and his friends.

My husband says that he fell in love with me when he saw my sketchbook. It was full of weird scenes of orgies, with animals and people, twisted stuff.

Is your husband's personality similar to yours?

All of my magazines are full of pictures, and all of his are full of words. I've spent my whole life in my head, in my own little world, making my art. But now I can ask him about the outside world, and he knows the answers.

Are you an observer of life, then, more than a participant?

I'm a voyeur. I think a lot of photographers are. They have to be.

Don't you feel like you're missing out on life?

I try to participate too. But ultimately, what I like to do is to make cool pictures. When I'm with the kids and it's a beautiful day and the light is beautiful, I stop enjoying the moment and go get my camera to document the moment.