Photography and time have always been deeply intertwined. In this particular photographic project the concept as well as the passage of time is represented both historically and metaphorically. The visual style calls back to the aesthetics of the Pictorialism movement, popular between the end of the 19th and the early 20th centuries, while the works of Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Steichen present the major sources of influence and inspiration for me. The preference of dark blurry scenes as well as specific tonality and mood imparted on the picture by the artist’s own personality were at the core of the pictorial expression due to the interest of emulating paintings and elevating photography to a high-art status. This presents a very interesting connection back to the essence of photography and the word itself, which can roughly be translated from Greek as "painting with light". As I’ve been deeply interested in starry skies from an early age, I hence chose the star-light to be the painter in my pictures. But there is a deeper meaning to this choice as well. Each bright speck in the sky is a star, which has sent its light hundreds and sometimes even thousands of years ago on its way to Earth, where it was eventually photographically captured. It is awe-inspiring to wonder what the humanity and Earth looked like at each of those past moments, but also to realize that each photograph shows a collection of light from completely different epochs, combining them into one centuries-encompassing picture.

About

Nikita Roytman was born in the last millennium in the city of Kiev, Ukraine. Both of his major fields of interest during childhood and adolescence, astronomy and photography, culminate beautifully in his contemporary artistic endeavors. The former got explored in much scientific detail during the studies of physics and astronomy at the University of Heidelberg, while the latter took a professional turn during the years as the photographer’s assistant in an old studio in Heidelberg. There, Nikita was granted an opportunity to learn a deeply humane and aesthetic approach to photography, while at the same time discovering his inner philosophical view of this art form and developing his own style and vision. After relocating to the city of Leipzig, Nikita Roytman has been active as a freelance photographer and artist since, while working on his current projects, such as "Nocturnal Mood Of Time" and "Noctiluscent Days" and developing new ones.

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