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

Thomas Schutte Exhibition Serpentine gallery

                                          
                                           Thomas Schütte(2012)

I went to see Thomas Schutte in Serpentine gallery, his work has been mainly based on portrait; he has done several self portrait, sculpture and photographs. The self portrait painting of ‘mirror drawing’ he experiments with not only water colour but with ink and crayon, although seen as a simply drawn, there is a sharp hesitant lines which gives out boldness in his eyes, in one of his water colour with him adding the colour red it makes the portrait look even livid and fearless because he just has half of the image, and even with just part of his face showing, the first thing we look at is eyes and it is as if his eyes are speaking all, and gives the portrait control. It also give the feeling of eye following you, or asking you question with the hitch of anger. ‘you don’t make art you find it’ as the word of schutte, explains he explore the means of representation and creating the space of accident to happen.  Self portrait could be taken as a way of showing persons inner self, their identity. His sculpture portrait on ‘Memorial for unknown artist 2011’ raises the issue of emotionally stimulated, yet self-reliant because of the both hands being included and as an artist your hands are the most significant. The sculpture also confers the meaning behind isolation, yet helpless, his eye makes it look like he is tired, and the beard ages sculpture making it look even more helpless and powerless.  His work ‘united enemies’ which schutte make in the early nineties, gives out the vibe of being dystopia in context to the distorted human form, these photographs also has sense of concern with human figure. His work has meaning of unknown power emerging in one, yet they have a glimpse of comical surface with poetic and dysfunctional figure, you get the feeling of the sculpture being yourself and the darker side of human nature, or it could be challenging the meaning behind life and death. Many of his work are like a art of surreal and as if being in a dystopian world, the world of imagination. Schutte shows the conceptual art to be imaginative at the same time meaningful and give out the feeling of trying to show the darker side of the human nature.

Thomas Schütte. (2012). Thomas Schütte: Faces & Figures Installation view, Serpentine Gallery, London. Available: http://www.serpentinegalleries.org/exhibitions-events/thomas-sch%C3%BCtte-faces-figures. Last accessed 11th April 2014

Jeff Wall

He is a canadian photographer, he has exhibited his work internationally for 25 years. He also played a key role in establishing photography as a contemporary art form. He has done many black and white photography as well as colour.

A Sudden Gust of Wind (after Hokusai) 1993 photography by Jeff Wall

 

Travellers Caught in a Sudden breeze at Ejiri. Katsushika Hokusai. ca. 1832. Woodcut

   One of his iconic image is taken to be as 'A sudden Gust of Wind( after hokusai) 1993', his recreation of hokusai is phenomenal. He has made even the paper blow out the same way, as of the painting. He sets his studio and people in a way that has been modern, but at the same time looks like the old painting. By having his people in suit and tie it conveys the message of them being tired of their work. In the old painting they were farmers which has been recreated into man who look like office workers.  He has managed to recreated even the hat in the painting by replacing it with a plastic bag. Even the lighting on the images has created the same effect as the painting.

Tate (2014). Jeff Wall Photographs 1978–2004. Available: http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/jeff-wall. Last accessed 4th April 2014.

zoowithoutanimals. (2014). A Sudden Gust of Wind. Available: http://zoowithoutanimals.wordpress.com/2014/01/28/a-sudden-gust-of-wind/. Last accessed 28th March 2014.

Semiotics

  Semiotics means the meaning behind an object and symbol, a sign. Signs are all around us. it plays an important role as part of our daily life. It comes in many forms.

 Migrant mother, Dorothea Lange. Oxford  University Press (2009).

This is a photograph by Dorothea Lange, is an iconic photograph of an migrant mother, she is mostly known for her black and white photographs in depression era. In this picture the use of black and white adds texture and depth of field in the photograph. Black and white challenges the aspect of the modernisation making the photograph to be more effective and more realistic. If added color in an image it could have washed out the real life stories involved and created a more dull piece. The depth of the blacks contrasted with the lighter colours give emotion showing the worries and the sorrow in her eyes and between her facial lines and help to create that role of juxtaposition in work. The composition of the photograph as just showing the women's face specially her eyes which are looking into distance and her children to look away provides the message that she wanted her children to look away from the depression era and sorrow she was going through, pass through the moment in blink of a eye or perhaps the pain and suffering of the children is not as excruciating as what she has been through. however if he look deeper into the women she looks relaxed, which bring ambiguity to if she was so used to in this pain and sorrow.

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS (2009). Dorothea Lange (American, 1895–1965). Available: http://www.moma.org/collection/artist.php?artist_id=3373. Last accessed 21st March 2014.

Jacques Henri Lartigue

                  

Jacques Henri Lartigue, bibi and me in the mirror during our honeymooon.Hotel des Alpes, Chamonix, January 1920.© Ministère de la Culture-France/A.A.J.H.L.

The photograph above was that got my eye, the way that lartigue has setup this photograph, tell us more about their relationship and although it was during their honeymoon, you could feel the sense of distance between them in this photograph. to support that, it seems like there is only her clothes hung and the only chair in the shot and mainly the fact that he is the person on the mirror and whereas her,she looks like she is waiting for him.

The time when I went to see Jacques Henri Lartigue at photographers gallery, in was in the first floor. As I entered the room, the dim lights confused me to where I should start looking from, I started viewing the first one on the right and started walking into the second photograph realizing that after first few photographs this was his journey, his story about 'Bibi' his wife, in fact after a while I found out that Bibi was his first wife and mother of his only child. The exhibition was the first international showcase. It has several black and white photographs, mostly photograph of his wife Bibi and his loving days to when they had a child, and how they got separated.  

Culture24(2004). Lartigue And About Face - Contrasts At The Hayward Gallery. Available: http://www.culture24.org.uk/art/photography-and-film/art23490. Last accessed 20th March 2014.

The Secret life of Walter Mitty

   

                             
                            Collier(2013)
When I went to see 'The secret life of Walter Mitty' directed and star Ben Stiller, he played an role of a normal life person who goes into a fantasies filled with romance with his co-worker played by Kristen Wiig, heroism and action. Who's normal life takes a turn when he goes on a hunt for the '25th photograph' that went missing, he is set to go through adventure in the movie, and he comes out of his boring life into this wild adventurous life that he could have only imagined. In search of that photograph and the photographer, he is being forced to take steps which is led to laughter and tears. The movie and specially the ending was beautifully constructed as he came to find that final photograph. The movie specially inspired me when the photographer in the movie was so passionate about his job, and what he did. As for the poster above it give the hint of the movie, it shows an normal office working person with a suitcase. However when we notice the shark below him it shows the power and confident he is. 

Adam Chitwood. (2013). New Poster and Images from Ben Stiller’s THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY Read more at http://collider.com/secret-life-of-walter-mitty-poster-images/#Fm2tVVFVZrc0wSmS.99. Available: http://collider.com/secret-life-of-walter-mitty-poster-images/. Last accessed 21st February 2014.

Collier (2013). New Poster and Images from Ben Stiller’s THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY Read more at http://collider.com/secret-life-of-walter-mitty-poster-images/#Fm2tVVFVZrc0wSmS.99. Available: http://collider.com/secret-life-of-walter-mitty-poster-images/. Last accessed 21st February 2014.