Cindy Sherman

Recently we watched a video of  Cindy Sherman video in our discourse class, and found out more about her life and what she does as a photographer. She dresses herself up does her make up and takes photograph of herself portraying to be different character. She said ''some people use the camera to straight on document exactly what they see but what might be interesting is to show what you might never see...showing somebody imagination'' BBC Arena(1994). She makes a totally different looking characters, and adds life to them by having the lighting and everything so perfect. She photographs a role on a women and many more. She was born in 1954, in Glen Rdge, New Jersey,

 

Cindy Sherman (2004)

In 1992 she did series of close up and extreme close up of her dolls, which is now known as 'sex pictures' shown as picture above, her photograph has that feel a image of being used and how hard it can be for being an women you can see that sadness in her photograph. Her image has that power to make one feel somewhat sorry for them, even if its lifeless. She sets up her lighting in a manner that gives power to the image.

BBC Arena. (1994). Cindy Sherman - Nobody's Here But Me (1994).Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXKNuWtXZ_U. Last accessed 10th May 2014.

Cindy Sherman. (2004). Cindy Sherman Biography. Available: http://www.cindysherman.com/biography.shtml. Last accessed 10th May 2014.

Manuel Rivera-Ortiz

He is an known for his social documentary photography of people's living condition in less developed countries. He grew up in Guayama, Puerto Rico, so he has experienced the hardship in one being poor. His work has been exhibited collections of George Eastman House International Musesum of Photography and Film. His work is also found at Columbia University. He is also founder of The Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation from Documentary Photography and Film, which supports and encourages emerging and established photographers and film makers to engage in social documentary projects and issues.

City Dump, Yamuna River Slum, Delhi, India 2005, Manuel Rivera-Ortiz (2013).

In the photograph above shows the deprivation and the hell they have to go through everyday only because they are poor, it shows as if they are so used to the smell and the gutter they no longer care, the fact that the little boy is smiling so unknowingly to the camera. I think this photograph adds up meaning because of it's black and white photography, if it was colour it would not have been as powerful because colour could be an distraction, whereas here the black and white photograph makes us concentrate on each and every detail. What I love about this image is the fact there is a car and person turned away from all the problems, like they are so used to it. Personally, having lived in one of the poorest country in the world I can look into the picture and understand the pain of the person standing there. Also for me picture like this are very inspirational as it gives opportunity for everyone who has house to live in to feel more fortunate and we have so much more to give to the ones less fortunate then us help bring together the world and value to humanity. 

Manuel Rivera-Ortiz. (2013). Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Biography. Available: http://rivera-ortiz.com/. Last accessed 9th May 2014.

Barbara Kruger

She was born in 1945,New Jersey. She studied at the Syracuse university, the school of visual Arts, she started doing a design job at Conde Nast Publication. She also has worked as graphic designer, art director and image editor at house and garden, aperture and many other publications. She layers founds photographs from existing sources with aggressive and powerful text.  Her work has appeared on billboards, bus cards, posters, a public park, train stations and many other public places.

Barbara Kruger. (2003)

She expresses feminism through the posters, like in the poster above she is trying to tell the society about women not having a voice, we as a women are silent. she conveys the message through irony and a black and white image in the background, so it does not disturb the text at the front. She usually has a black and red bold writing, that gives 'in your face' sort of idea. this poster speaks about not being heard in the society, and also if we get angry it is not very 'ladylike' to be angry or express any anger.

Barbara Kruger. (2003)

Here is yet another work of her, which is very similar to what she was trying to convey of women not being in power to speak up, 'silence is bliss' but having an women in the image rather then men gives out the meaning that women are the one being questioned if spoken and that women should keep silent most of the time. I think her work gives an powerful question to think about.  

Barbara Kruger. (2003). Barbara Kruger. Available: http://www.barbarakruger.com/biography.shtml . Last accessed 2nd May 2014.

Modernism/ Post modernism Identity - The ways of portraying

        

     Here is a poster of aftershave in 90's (Shave with Barbasol,1950), and perfume in today's time by Dolce and Gabbana ( J.T, 2009)  it has a subliminal message behind it that if you use that then a women would be after you. women has been made to publish in use of object even back then women were the one to attract men even till today, however the only difference today is that men are equally published in way of object to look at. The cultural diversity has been changed. The aftershave men's expression on the face looks happy and so does the women, they both are dressed.  on the other hand the photograph of Dolce and Gabbana, it shows that they both are intimate and  both are naked shows the fact that today people are more confident  and bold of showing who they are. The photograph is trying to suggest that the models in photograph are very attractive, the man obviously has been working out, and as for the women they tried to go for the most good looking and sexy, to attract the costumers into buying the product. however in 90's there wasn't any subliminal message like today's , like showing naked photograph.

J.T. (2009). D&G FRAGRANCE ANTHOLOGY CAMPAIGN. Available: http://stylerumor.com/blog/2009/07/27/dolce-gabbana-fragrances-anthology-campaign/. Last accessed 26th April 2014.

Shave with Barbasol (1950). VINTAGE AD BROWSER. Available: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/shaving-ads-1950s. Last accessed 26th April 2014.

Susan Sontag

                                                     

    As I borrowed the book 'on photography' by Susan Sontag, 1977, from the library, I chose the oldest looking one on the shelf, as i wanted to feel I was reading the first edition that she ever did. I started opening the first page and as i was reading along her style of writing and her use of words got me hooked! The first chapter of the book 'In plato's cave' explains the means on photography, she believes in looking through an photograph, and explains in the book that photography is by means far more advanced and useful then any other media i.e television, as it cannot store any elements as for photography it challenges that idea and forms an instrument that captures an certain object or person or memories that has happened in past.

'Photographs furnish evidence'  she explains that a photograph is something  that shows  evidence, it gives the hint of what's real in from of an evidence.  she talks about different terms of photography, from being of general family photo album to fashion photography. she also talks about Alfred Stieglitz to Dorothea Lange's photography. She talks about Diane Arbus how she likes to take photograph of nudity. 

Sontag, S, 1977, On Photography. penguin books.

Robert Frank

He is one of the influential man in photography. He is a Swiss photographer and film maker,When he was on a two year trip across America he took over 28,000 photographs in which about eighty- three of them was in his best collection to what he is best known for was 'The Americans' which the introduction was written by Jack Kerouac. He began his career in photography in the mid-1940s before emigrating to America in 1947.By 1960s he had all his attention to film and not returning to still photography until 1970s. His last gallery show was at Pace Macgill in 2009. Today frank lives and works quielty in New York. Also his show ''looking in: Robert Frank's The Americans'' opened at National gallery in Washigton D.C in 2009.

                                                 

                                              

      

One hour book by Robert frank  is happened in New York City, 26th of july 1990 between 15:45 PM -16:45 PM he single shot the movie in that time. Its original title for french tv was ''C'EST VRAI''.Robert Frank'f Film one hour is a single- take between Frank and actor Kevin O' Connor what seems like walking a blocks of Manhattan's lower side east. The book had transcript of dialogue but also two pages of credits, half a dozen crew workers and 27 actors.

Frank R (2007),one hour,Steidl,Germany

Robert Frank . (2005). Robert Frank Biography. Available: http://www.danzigergallery.com/artists/robert-frank. Last accessed 25th April 2014.

Identity ( gender, race )

Fascination Perfumery (2014): Fig 1

      

Fascination Perfumery(2014) : Fig 2

What is identity? its the sense of who you are and what you are, it changes in terms of events and experiences. 

Female has always been the key in advertising, they are taken as an 'object'. As for today's society you could say there has been an improvement, today men are also in someway taken as 'object'.  In the photograph above (fig1), it is shown an ideal advert of an perfume for men. The image conveys the message of ' if you use the product then women come after you' not just any women the way she is portrayed, it makes her look sexy and attractive. Its the same for the men, he is shown masculine and with the tattoo representing his masculinity, and women with her bracelets showing the feminine side of her. The man in the image looks like he is not showing much of an interested in the women as she moreover looks desperately trying to get the man's attention. It goes the same for the other advert of 'Gucci' they are both naked, as if its their trademark for men and women being naked in an perfume advert! the women you can see has bit of blond hair blue eyes, is known as a 'perfect women' to be idealized by many men, to attract more costumers.  to sum this up I would say that today's advertisement has been about naked female and male, to attract our attention, in terms of gender, women are still being used for an eye as an object.

Fascination Perfumery (2014). Gucci Guilty Intense for Her. Available: http://www.fascination-perfumery.co.uk/acatalog/Gucci_Guilty_Intense__Female_.html. Last accessed 9th May 2014