Essay - David Levinthal:

Since 1972, I have worked at developing and refining a personal photographic style and vision. Utilizing toy figures and structures as subject matter for the creation of a surrogate reality, I have endeavored to create a 'fictional world' that simultaneously calls into question our sense of truth and credibility.

Much of my work over the years has dealt with myths: the myths of the American West, the idealized 'perfection' of the female icons of the fifties, and the realm of sexual fantasy. All of this work has been undertaken using toys as the subject matter for my photographs.

Setting up the toy figures is just the beginning. The set itself is just the background. It is a scene. And it is within and from that scene that the images themselves are found. No matter how often one poses figures in the studio, there is always a difference between how the set is envisioned and how it comes to life with the camera.

David Levinthal