15/11
Masahisa Fukase
from Masahisa Fukase: Bukubuku (2004)
The lighting, the reflection on the water, the bubbles. There is such a vivacity in these pictures, such power. Every picture is so magnetic and I am fond of every single aspect of it. There is no need for a big-budgeted set with a high quality camera and gadgets. A bathtub, a model (any model really) and yourself and your camera.
This set of pictures were really the starting point for my idea of the shower pictures. Although Masahisa Fukase's pictures are in a bathtub, they are set in the same scene and deal with water and nudity. The facial expressions in Bukubuku gave me a lot of inspiration and is what really drove me forward in this project. If I hadn't seen these pictures, I would not have been able to produce what I did for this project.
14/11
Martin Parr
Martin Parr's use of flash and saturation is extraordinary and narrates a vivid story. They feel vintage, remind us of old times (especially the top one and the last one). Thanks to the flash, the details are clear and the jewelry (likely diamond) reflects the light that adds more dimension to the picture. Same for the vinyl like nails. Needless to say is the color scheme, highly saturated, orange toned: wonderful.
The third one is quite interesting. The first plan is blurry while the background is clear and sharp. It is the opposite of usual portraiture and feels more original and unique compared. The beach is navigated more towards softer colors, pale yellow, sand color, light blue, the subject is vivid and clear even though she is out of focus. Which makes the picture all the more interesting.
14/11
Alix Marie
fine art BA CSM, photography MA RCA
- clinical/medical aspect of photography
- mix touch and vision
- started exploring print
- surface of the skin and the surface of the paper
- gender stereotypes
- photography and sculpture
- using the monumentality of sculpture
- taking aspect of photography, memorial
- scrupled up prints that seem like meat/flesh
- hanged prints of bodies Hanged Hung Numb
- detailed sculptures
- sculptures on the wall were X Rays
- surface, inside and outside
- Bleu published book
- PVC
- tests -> push the idea
- practice base, have fun with materials
- heavy research
- where the works are exhibited, mythologies, legends etc.
- work with close circle
- digital
- queer theory, but work with gender stereotypes
- titles
- show in Switzerland - sucking on the night
- comes from godmother who is quite dyslexic, mystical
- means depressed to her
- titles come from specific spots, a lot from research
- titles in french that have double meaning
13/11
Henry Callahan
pictures from The Model Wife
Henry Callahan's composition in every picture is impressive. There is both a distance and an intimacy that we can feel. The subject is far, but they exude such a strong presence that we can see how strong Henry Callahan and his wife's bond is. His wife is often centered, showing how the photographer's life revolves around her. Chicago and Lake Michigan were one of the most striking pieces to me, the sense of isolation, yet dearness. They are beautiful images, delicate yet powerful. It seems that there is not much retouching done, maybe contrast is lowered slightly?
Henry Callahan explores the numerous hues of grey, instead of having blocks of white and black, which makes his works all the more deep and layered.
13/11
Emmet Godwin
pictures from The Model Wife
Emmet Gowin displays playfulness and beauty in his photography. Edith and Rennie Boooher, Danville, Virginia, 1970 is extremely comical, his wife showing her bosoms while an elderly person at the bottom right is blurred, as if she's turning her head. Edith has a daring attitude, yet the overall scene is very comical.
In Edith and Elijah, Danville, Virginia, 1969, there is a delicacy, a tenderness. The translucent fabric, the expressions, the lighting participate in capturing such assets and the outcome is beautiful.
Edith, Danville, Virginia, 1971 is almost angelic, with the background light and the reflective aspect of the piss. An act that is considered unacceptable publicly is portrayed divinely and preciously.
12/11
The Body
pages 256 and 257
Medical conditions captured in photography. Neither go them have a homogenous background which suggests that they were being taken for the purpose of photography, not for medical records. The bodies are perceived as something that could create rather than anomalies to be treated.
On the the left one, the lump seems to be quietly sitting on the subject's knee, There is an air of tranquility even though it is such a powerful image. The trouser's sleeves are just being rolled up and blends into the background. There's a mysterious feeling with the light leaks at the back. But there's an honesty in the picture that could only have been possible with the subject and the photographer's collaboration.
14/11
Juergen Teller
Self portraits. The color scheme is simple yet nice and pleasing. The scene from self portrait 2014 is taken from his daily life, yet there is something bizarre. The white walls seem to be evoking how he lives in some sort of igloo, naked. The light that is reflected on his skin and the overall calmness of the picture is very nice for the audience.
This picture, self portrait 2016 is far more absurd than the first one. Naked, on a donkey. The audience is asked themselves numerous question: why naked? why the donkey? what's the relationship? What is interesting to see is that both self portraits, although taken from different year, seem to be taken from the same shoot. White walls, naked Juergen Teller and that light blue collier that is present.
As I was planning to take some self portraits, Juergen Teller's self portraits were a nice starting point to reflect upon. Although they are titled self portraits, they do not seem like it. I've learnt that self portrait is not just a profile picture of yourself but rather something that tells about you. That there are really no rules except for the fact that there is some part of you in it.
14/11
William Eggelston
William Eggelston's use of colours is splendid. I think each image is quite unique and are differently toned, yet we can recognize that they are from the same creator.
The first one deals with patterns. The red and blue pattern of the woman on top of the floral pattern of the couch, the criss-cross of the fence, not to forget the greenery. The colours are beautiful and the composition is brilliant. We do not know the subject but we are curious about her and are willing to learn more about her.
It is an alternative way to shoot a portrait: from the back. In the second picture, the face is not the essence, but the back is. This makes the audience more intrigued and lets them guess what kind of a person hides behind that back. The back tells information as much as we see the person from the front: cigarette, jewelry, hair, clothes etc. It does not mean that there is a loss of identity if it is taken from the back. I found that this technique was an interesting approach to portrait photography.
A monochromatic picture, the third one. Unlike the first two, the subject is not necessarily centered, but the composition is brilliant. Without getting too far, we see the facial expression, but we also see the use of white space (well, yellow in this case). It is simplistic but pleasant to look at. The yellow is not too loud and it leans more towards the green. It seems flat but the lighting and shadows are still present.
13/11
The Model Wife
by Arthur Ollman
13/11
Harry Callahan
text from The Model Wife
13/11
Emmet Gowin
text from The Model Wife
12/11
Francesca Woodman
Francesca Woodman's photographies were daring and powerful. They dealt with the themes of suicide and mental illness, which corresponded to one of mine. I thought how she staged everything was very impressive and well thought out. Untitled 1979 on the right shows a composed posture from Francesca Woodman but the background is ghostly and horrifying. There is a clear contrast between the first plan the second plan that adds all the more a shocking impression. Francesca Woodman seems so calm in front of such event, as if she got used to it.
In the third picture, we do not quite perceive what is being shot in here and gradually, we begin to see: a woman and her breasts. The poignant aspect in this photography is how angelic she seems while there is a menace: the end of the umbrella pointed towards her. The set is thoroughly researched and thought out.
I was inspired by On Being an Angel in displaying significant, metaphorical objects in my photography for this project.
12/11
The Body
Photowork of the Human Form
by William A. Ewing
ESTRANGEMENT
The portrayal of disfigurement, spots, broken body parts. These are all "flaws", that are considered societally unattractive. Whether it is on our bodies on somebody else's body, we keep picking on defects that other's do not even see. However, the chapter estrangement surpasses the "usual" imperfections and extends them to the realm of sickness, mishaps and death. They are what we turn our heads away from, what we feel pity but at the same time compassion and empathy. It is interesting in this chapter that there are numerous approaches to this thematic: some look clinical as if they came out of medical files and some look sensual and intimate.
By photographing the body weaknesses, the photographers turn them into an art form, something beautiful and eternal. They are being crystallised in time and space.
10/11
Oxford Handbook website Body Politics