Unit 5 Contextual Influences in Art & Design

Photographer Research

Patrick Tosani 

Patrick Tosani is a French photographer, born in September 1954

I like Patrick Tosani's work as ...

I find this photo most interesting as the I feel there is a lot of questions that could be asked when looking at the image. Firstly I wonder what the braille means, could it link to the photo. Also why there is braille on the image. Braille is for people who can't see so it is interesting that it is on a photo that they won't be able to see. I like the idea of having the whole photo out of focus to not include the face, it makes it look mysterious. 

Michael Gakuran

Michael Gakuran is a photography who likes to explore abandoned areas. He faces challenges getting these photos such as getting there when its actually illegal and having to shoot quickly as he didn't have a lot of time. 

I really like all the pictures he has taken as they show how derelict the place has become. The left picture is my favourite the low angle shows how the buildings towers over everything else. I also like how in middle picture the person puts into perspective how big the buildings are. 

Henri Cartier-Bresson

-Born August 1908, died August 2004.

-He was a French photographer and painter.

-He was considered the master of candid photography and developed street photography.

-His work was inspired by many photographers.

I like Henri Cartier-Bresson's work as its not set up. I think with his photos he sets up the camera to get the foreground and background he wants then waits for people to walk past. For example the right picture, the stairs lead into the rest of the photo which he would of done on purpose but then he might of waited for the bike to ride past. A lot of his photos include architecture, and often have children in them.

Ansel Adams

FACTS
- Born February 1902 , Died April 1984

-  Famous work: Yosemite National Park (Moon over half dome)

- Style: All his photo are in black and white as he thought colour is distracting. He uses a big depth of field so everything is in sharp focus.
- Influences- Ansel Adams was influences by Paul Strand and Edward Weston who were straight photographers.

FEELINGS - I like he has chosen to use black and white as I think this makes the photo more dramatic. Most of his photos have clouds in which is effective as it adds extra depth and texture to the image. He has used a high contrast, this shows more of the detail of his subjects. Also in a lot of his images the mountains are the background. This works well as makes the photo more interesting to look at. 

This is my favourite one of his photos as it is very interesting to look at. The river leads in to mountains in the background. The river is a lighter shade which is effective as otherwise the photo might appear too dark. 

Aaron Siskind

FACTS
- Born December 1903, died February 1991
- Famous work: Terrors and Pleasures of Levitation, Harlem Document
- Style- Abstract Expressionist, He takes pictures close up of constructed areas, his work is  abstract combined with straight photography. 

-Influences - Mark Rothko who was an abstract expressionist painter. 

FEELINGS- Aaron Siskind's work is interesting as he uses unusual subjects to photograph. Also its not always clear what the photo is of. He uses black and white although his photos would probably normally contain a lot of colours, for example graffiti. 

I like this photograph because it shows texture. This has been done by the different tones used, it also gives a 3D effect. It not obvious what the image is of which would make the viewer spend more time looking at it.

Francesca Woodman

FACTS
- Born April 1958, died January 1981

- Style: Black and white pictures of herself or female models. Many of her photographs show young women who are nude, blurred as she uses long exposure merging with their surroundings, or whose faces are obscured. 

FEELINGS- I like Francesca Woodman's photos because its as if they tell a story. The movement of the person gives a ghost like effect. The surrounding of her photos are also interesting, for example the photo on the right looks as if it was taken in an old, maybe abandoned, house. This adds more of a story to the photo.

This is my favourite photo of hers (left) because it looks very random. The movement could be from her falling. Her feet are not blurry which means they are not moving. The whole picture would make the viewer wonder what is going on. The location it was taken looks empty and plain, drawing more attention to the person.

Alexey Titirento

FACTS

-Born November 1962

-Famous work: City of Shadows

-Style: long exposure, black and white, normally of crowds of people with a still subject in the foreground.

FEELINGS- I like Alexey Titirento's work because it shows a different perspective of crowds and people. This is because of the slow shutter speed, it has shown the movement from the people. The use of a still object is effective as it makes the image more interesting to look at.

I like this photo most because the man stood still in the middle makes you question why he is. He's stood still while the world is rushing past him, I think this is really effective.

Hannah Hoch

FACTS

Born November 1889, died May 1975

Hannah Höch was a German Dada artist. Known for her work of the Weimar period, when she was one of the originators of photomontage.

A lot of her work criticised topics in media such as the beauty industry. Other themes that is shown in her work include politics, racial discrimination and same sex couples. Women where often a central theme. 

I like Hannah Hoch's work because it's very original. They often give a strong message about issues from the past. The way she has fitted part of different images is interesting as they don't normally fit together but still are effective. It makes the overall image more interesting to look at.

Cindy Sherman

FACTS- Born January 1954

She is an American photographer best known for her portraits. Cindy Sherman's work is often linked to feminism, because her photos show the objectification of women in the media. Sherman works in series, typically photographing herself in a range of costumes. She shoots alone in her studio, which means she takes on the roles as author, director, make-up artist, hairstylist, wardrobe mistress, and model.

Her most well known work is 'complete untitled film stills'. 

I like Cindy Sherman's work because its very unusual. I like how she can completely change her look to appear like a different person. I also like how in her recent ones the background looks as if it matches the character she is dressed as. In her older pictures she shows the character look scared and vulnerable. In the left photo the camera is at a low angle which normally suggests the person is powerful, however the buildings are towering over her which makes her appear smaller. The collection of work 'complete untitled film stills' is her response to some films, I find them interesting as they have there own story.

Her more recent photos are represent stereotypical women character. They sometimes have exaggerated features. 

Tom Hunter

FACTS- born 1965

His photos are often linked with classical paintings, for example the photos above are similar to the paintings 'the milkmaid' and 'girl opening letter at an open window' by Johannes Vermeer. His work documents life in Hackney, including local issues and news headlines. He is the first photographer to have a one-man show at London's national gallery.

I like Tom Hunter's work as I think its clever how he's interpreted older paintings into more modern photos. In the paintings the main source of light is from the window, Tom Hunter has used the same light. In each photo there is a lot of objects in them, this makes you wonder what is going on in the photo.                                                                                    

Ralph Meatyard

- Born May 1925, died May 1972

-American photographer

Ralph Eugene collection 'No focus images' goes against the rule that images should be in sharp focussed. This makes his work more abstract. Its really hard to tell what the picture is of, the viewer partly has to imagine what is going on. I like how the pictures create the feeling of the subject being just out of reach. The black and white is effective as it disguises the true identity of the subject.

 Rineke Dijkstra

Born June 1959, she lives and works in Amsterdam. One of her famous series' is beach portraits.

Rineke Dijkstra concentrates on single portraits, she focuses on different groups in each series of her work, such as adolescents, clubbers and soldiers.

Rineke Dijkstra's photography goes against the rule of thirds as all the subjects she uses are placed in the centre of the photo. Most portraits have the model to the side to follow the rule of thirds, this leads you eyes to wear the person is. Dijkstra's work is interesting because of how she has positioned the people. I think this could improve the photos as it makes them more symmetrical. The background in a lot of her photos  is quite plain, making the main focus on the model. 

Tom Hussey

Tom Hussey is an American photographer specialising in commercial advertising and lifestyle photography.

I really like Tom Hussey's reflection work as it shows the story of the person. Its very clever how he has angled the camera so you can see the person and their reflection. I also find the images quite sad as you see the old man looking into the mirror, reflecting on his earlier life.    

Book Review 

A book review is important because it will help me evaluate and analyse work. Also the more you read about photography, the more you can understand words used in photography, and it will be easier to write about my own work.

About André Kertész

Kertész was born in July 1894 and died September 1985. He was a Hungarian born photographer. Today he is considered one of the figures of photojournalism.

André Kertész - The polaroids

Introduction by Robert Gurbo and foreword by Eelco Wolf. Photos by André Kertész.

Published by W.W. Norton & Company in October 2007

The Polaroids book is quite a small book which is nice to be able to carry it round. The colour of the book is quite plain except the photos, this makes them stand out. There is one displayed on each page, except a few where there is 2, I think these ones link with each other. It starts off with writing by Robert Gurbo and Eelco Wolf, followed by the series of Kertész polaroids. At the beginning of the book it says how Kertész was lost after the death of his wife but became inspired when he started using the Polaroid SX-70. Most of his photos were either shot from his window or in his windowsill. They included still life, portraits and some landscapes.

The text in this book goes into quite a lot of detail about Kertész's life which even though is interesting, I found it quite a lot to read.

The sky is a lot of his picture and this give them all the same blue colour to them, the sky is the background and there is normally an object in the foreground. I noticed there was a lot of hearts in his photos, it looks as if it is a glass heart. This could represent how he was feeling at the time. The first photo is a photo of a women, possibly his wife, and a thorn circle placed over it. This photo looks quite dark and could be showing how he is sad over the death of his wife. Nearer the end of the collection of images is where you see the glass heart and this could suggest that his photography has inspired him to carry on.

The photos are all in colour, the photo are mainly still life images although there are a few portraits.

I like this photo as I think it has a meaning behind it. I think the objects in the foreground represent two people, in the background is the shadow of someone on there own. It could portray him missing someone. I like the composition of the photo as first your eyes are drawn to the foreground then you notice the shadow.

Even though this photo is quite abstract, I don't like it. I find it boring to look at, there is not a lot of colour or tone. There isn't a lot to look at which I think will make people not want to look at it and work out what it could be showing. I mainly like the rest of his work though.

I enjoyed reading and looking at this book. Firstly the book tells you about Kertesz' life, this is really good as it gives the photos afterwards have more meaning. It tells you about how he started out, the death of his wife and how he was motivated to start this collection of photos. The rest of the book is the polaroid photos. There are a few photos I dislike, but I liked the rest of them. I feel they all have a meaning and the way they are set out makes each one look at its best.

Overall I found this book interesting to read and would recommend it to people.

PRESENTATION OF BOOK REVIEW:

Gallery Report 

The Grant Bradley Gallery-

Card showing the current exhibition:

Gallery- the Grant Bradely Gallery was quite small but spacious. It wasn't part of a bigger gallery and while I was there they were showing a photographic exhibition. The gallery looked plain and simple as there wasn't much colour in the exhibition parts. The white walls were effective for making the main focus on the photos.

  I found the way it was set out a problem because the lights reflected onto the framed work, making it harder to see the image. It wasn't quiet in the gallery as there was a coffee shop in it and there was music playing, I visited around midday so the coffee shop was quite busy, although I was the only one in the gallery part. 


The gallery space made it easy to look at and understand the photos as you can focus on the easily, even though the light reflection was annoying. There was plenty of information about where, when and who the photo was taken by.

Work- The exhibition included work by Caroline Hyman, Edward Sturgeon, Tim Rudman, Leigh Preston, Alan Hayward, Steve Smith and more. When walking around the gallery I saw that a lot of the work was of people, flowers and landscapes. They were mainly in black and white. 
One photo I liked in particular was Calendish Stones by Edward Sturgeon. This image was in colour which I think was better for this photo. It was of rocks in Scotland. I don't really know if the photo has a meaning because I think the composition was quite simple. It was about A3 size and displayed next to some of his other work. 

Overall I wasn't that impressed with this gallery as I don't think it shows the photos at their best. I also think it was more of a coffee shop than a gallery. 

Dismaland-

http://www.dismaland.co.uk/map/

Although Dismaland was more of an art exhibition and not a photographic one, it was one of the best exhibition I have been to. I enjoyed the atmosphere and thought the way it was set out was good.

Dismaland bemusement park was set up by Banksy in a disused outdoor swimming pool in Weston and was there for 5 weeks. It was an exhibition with work and sculptures from different artists, including Banksy. There was a lot going on there, which I liked as there was always something new to see. Outside there was sculptures, graffiti, a cinema screen showing videos, a castle and a big wheel. 

The indoor gallery space had work on the walls and some sculptures in the middle and sides. Like outside there was a lot of distraction so I didn't get to see all the work. The room was dark with lighting that made the sculptures stand out and also lit up the images well. 

I think the whole exhibition showed off the work at its best as the way it was set out made it interesting to look at. The music playing and the staff that were very grumpy added to the atmosphere.

I think all the work in Dismaland related to each other as it portrayed problems in todays society. Things such as war, environmental issues, politics and a lot more.  

The cinema screens was showing about 20 different short films. I found some of them really weird but these were my favourites,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTXfAtckS3g

                                                 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxUuU1jwMgM
                                                 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdYaTa_lOf4

Overall Dismaland was the best gallery/exhibition I have been to because of who unique it was. Although there was quite a lot of bad reviews saying it was depressing and disappointing, I think it is better than a gallery that is plain. There was a lot of distraction but it was still easy to understand the messages the artists are trying to portray.

Bristol Museum and Art Gallery - Documenting Death 

I visited the documenting death exhibition in Bristol Museum and art gallery. It had a lot of displays relating to every aspect of death. This included the process of dying, funerals and who death is different around the world.
The gallery was quite a big space but sectioned off into narrow paths. It leads you round to the different stages of death. Although this was good as it followed a kind of story, at some points it got crowded. The walls where quite a bright pink which I thought was strange for a dark subject. Each bit of work was well lit to be able to see it at its best. The exhibition was in a separate area from the museum so there was no other distraction.

The was a variety of work from image to objects relating to death. It was interesting to see how everything linked and the story behind it. There was human ashes there which I found a bit creepy as it was someone who had died not long ago. The work was spaced out so each one had its own space for people to view it.

In conclusion, this gallery was good as it took you through the stages of death which showed some interesting objects and images. There was a lot of text to fully explain what it all meant, this made it easy to understand. At the end of the gallery space which was where you could write down and reflect on the exhibition. I think that is a good idea as death can be a sensitive subject.

Gallery evaluation
All three places I visited where very different each other. My favourite was dismaland because of how interesting it was and because of how much there was to see. My least favourite was the Grant Bradley Gallery as I  found it quite boring.
The gallery space has a big impact on the work on show. If the work in Grant Bradley was in Dismaland it would of defiantly been overlooked. The Documenting Death made everything link and used annotation to explain what everything meant, this is effective as without this the object would have no meaning.
The atmosphere is what made the galleries good for me. The bright pink walls in Documenting Death made a dark theme a bit more engaging. The depressing feel of Dismaland was what made it good as a lot of the themes involved weren't cheerful subjects. It made you think more deeply about the meaning of the work.
From visiting these galleries I will definitely try and visit more unique exhibitions as this is what makes it interesting.