Context and Narrative – Part Five: Research Task – Gregory Crewdson

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Brief

Look up the work of Gregory Crewdson online.

  1. Do you think there is more to this work than aesthetic beauty?
  2. Do you think Crewdson succeeds in making his work ‘psychological’? What
    does this mean?
  3. What is your main goal when making pictures? Do you think there’s anything wrong with making beauty your main goal? Why or why not?

Crewdson’s work is deliberately cinematic in style and as a result is often very popular in commercial settings. The dark nights, the heavy lights and the perfectly styled locations and actors aren’t meant to fool us into believing those moments are real, but rather they seduce us into entering the world of fiction. This visual strategy of elaborate direction, as in film, makes us lose our sense of reality and become absorbed with the alternative reality we’re faced with. Some commentators regard this is an effective method of image-making, but for others it lacks the subtlety and nuance of Wall and DiCorcia’s work. What do you think?

I had already come to the conclusion that Crewsdons images were beautiful and after listening  to him comment and discuss, the ideas behind them and the creation process, I there is also a physiological aspect at play.

The quality, colour, tone of the light often gives the images an ethereal look and feel. This is an integral part of his process (Fig 1-5)

“feel like I do have a singular story to tell in visual form I’ve always been interested in using light and color to tell that story” (Crewdson)

“Light is the way I tell a story. Many of the pictures have upwards to 30 or 40 sometimes 50 light sources everything from small light in a car to 10k lights in cranes” (Crewdson)

Pools and shafts of light sometimes diffused through mist add to the mystery and spiritual beauty. At first they seem to portray “normal” and then we realise that there is something not quite right. I was reminded of images painted by The Swedish artist Simon Stalenhag, which were the inspiration behind the superb tv series “Tales From The Loop” (I would very much recommend it if you haven’t seen it)

Crewdson himself discusses the physiological aspect to some of his images in several interviews and lectures. These are from personal experiences which he sometimes realises are present after he has created the image. Her also admits that although there is often a personal psychological element, that we the viewer, may have our own questions, underlying thoughts and feelings which are disturbed by the often surreal, overall impressionthat the images present.

“My pictures are never directly autobiographical, but they do derive from my psychological anxieties, fears and desires” (Crewdson 2017)

“I am always interested in the viewer creating their own story. In this series, I am not preoccupied with interpreting what the picture necessarily means, which does not help the viewer in any way; it is the most basic element of what you are encountering visually” (Crewdson 2017)

I have many different goals when creating images. Currently of most of my goals are to fit a brief from the course! I don’t believe there is any problem with attempting to create beautiful images just to be beautiful. I used to try and do this all the time! For many people a photograph that they buy to put on their walls at home, just has to be beautiful. It doesn’t have to mean anything to them, it doesn’t have to be familiar to them, it might just have to have a specific colour in it that goes well with the couch! I am guessing here but there must be quite a few photographers who are creating images specifically for that market and there goals must be to create a variety if “beautiful” images that people want to buy and put on their walls.

Bibliography

Figues 1-4 Crewdson,G
Available at: http://www.artnet.com/artists/gregory-crewdson
[Accessed 06/04/21]

Figues 5,6 Stalenhag, S
Available at:https://www.simonstalenhag.se/tftl.html
[Accessed 06/04/21]

At: http://www.studiointernational.com/index.php/gregory-crewdson-interview-cathedral-of-the-pines-photographers-gallery-london
[Accessed 06/04/21]

Context and Narrative – Part Five: Exercise 1 Martin Scorsese Critique

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Brief

Watch this famous scene ‘ T​ he Long Take’​ from G​ oodfellas​ directed by Martin
Scorsese in 1990: ​www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJEEVtqXd
Don’t read on until you’ve answered the following questions.

  1. What does this scene tell you about the main character?
  2. How does it do this? List the ‘clues’.

Make some notes in your learning log.

It tells me that the male main character is known to the staff of the club by name. He also seems to know the names of some of the staff. He gives good tips. Leaving his car outside. No one seems to be surprised to see him in the kitchen or arrive suddenly in the club and not being made to join the queue. He gets a table straight away and we hear someone in the queue complaining that he has been waiting for a table. This may or may not be in response to the main character being shown to a table before him. Not only does he get a table straight away, but a table is brought out and set up for him right near the stage and in front of already seated customers who greeted him very cordially. Another customer buys him a bottle of something and has it sent over. So the customers know who he is too. It seems this guy is important for some reason and is definitely being treated well by the club staff. It’s as if everyone wants to please him. He looks comfortable and seems to know his way round the premises. The colour tones change from the darkness outside to the bright stark light of the kitchen to the plush rosey red of the club. There are hints of red as they go into the club and down the stairs. Very underground “nightclub” feel about it, which might be a hint that there is something to worry about. He didn’t seem to be overly smug or self important. He didn’t just walk in through the entrance past the line ignoring everyone, which one presumes he could if he wanted to. He expected to be seated, he expected to be treated the way he was, but he wasn’t trying to make a big thing about it. I don’t think he himself was trying to show how important he was, I think he was letting everyone else do it.

I read a bit more about this shot and how it was created which was quite fascinating. I certainly reacted to it by not taking a breath until they sat down!

 

Part Four: Project 1

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Before you read any further, can you think of any photographs that are not used as a means of expression or communication? Blog about them.

This was a fairly easy question to answer. As far as I’m concerned all photos communicate “something” regardless of intent. They may communicate something different to different people, they may communicate what the author intended, the meaning may change as the world changes but they all communicate something that’s real, imagined or structured.

Images have changed what they communicate to me over time. As I have grown older and experienced more, what I see in images is sometimes different from what I might have seen, years, months or sometimes even days before. This has to be the same for everyone whatever their age or experience.

The majority of photographs I have taken over the past 20years have been taken without thinking about what I want them to “say”. I could therefore suggest that they don’t say anything!
But – this is not true. I may not have been consciously thinking of what I wanted them to say but for sure I was taking them for a reason and that reason was to communicate something, either to me, to remind me of a scene or objects. Or for someone else to remind, or have a record of an event perhaps. For most of that time I suspect I was just focusing on the literal aspects of the scene or the objects and not thinking about the “feelings” particular elements of a photograph could induce. I wasn’t thinking about signs, but suspect I used some without thinking about it. I may or may not have used them correctly. I suspect I also used Punctums without realising they had a name!

 

Context and Narrative Part Four: Understanding Deconstruction, Codes and Semiotics

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Although the idea of Semiotics and the other tools for deconstruction were beginning to make sense to me, I realised that I really needed to understand it better and in a far more detailed way. I found them confusing and sometimes difficult to separate. In this post I am attempting to unravel their meaning in order to be able to apply them to images as I move forward. I hadn’t looked at this in detail for the deconstruction task using the advert image which perhaps I should have. I am hoping that If I examine them in isolation and away from a specific task I will be able to unravel them to a suitable degree of understanding.

There seem to be two main terms that pop up in my initial research. Ferdinand de Saussure and Jacques Derrida and Deconstruction and Roland Barthes Semiotics.

Jaques Derrida

“He believed language to be malleable, with many possible meanings (or polysemous); moreover he believed that language has a power of its own that can’t be held down by the demands of the user. This is an important theme of poststructuralism and gives both author (or artist) and reader (or viewer) equal status in the production of meaning”
Boothroyd (2019, 121)

Looking at this in a very simple way I see this as taking the view that what something means is dependent on both the author and the viewer. That something can mean different things to different people for lots of different reasons.

….an element within a picture might mean one thing to one person and something entirely different to another. So when reading pictures we have to hold lightly to the idea that ‘this means precisely this’. In fact the act of embracing the many potential understandings enriches the experience and allows the level of meanings to go on and on. Boothroyd (2019, 121)

At first this seems to be quite logical and something that happens all the time; dependent on many many things such as culture, age, education, experience etc…. but goes beyond that in the idea that

“Essentially, in order to fully comprehend how something has been made, you have to take it apart before you can put it back together. Derrida didn’t want people to blindly accept what was generally held as ‘​ truth’​ and encouraged a sceptical approach to understanding” Boothroyd (2019, 121)

Roland Barthes

Semiotics, the study of signs and language which Barthes used to come up the terms that help with the interpretation of photographs. It appears that there are several aspects to Barthes theory using many different words and terms. I found these very confusing and took quite a long time researching and trying to differentiate or align them. I came to the conclusion that there are two main areas, Signs and Codes and although they can be distinguished, they are also interconnected in gaining a fuller understanding. I have attempted to describe them as simply as possible. Note that some of the sections refer to other sections which is why I previously suggested they we interconnected.

Signs, Signifiers and Signified

Signs: Can be anything, such as a colour, a logo, a particular angle from which the photo was shot, an Icon an object or text.

Signifier: This is the item itself. Something used to signify

Signified: What it means (this is the tricky bit and is dependent on many things)

Denotation and Connotation

Denotation: This seems to be a more literal descriptive idea of what the image consists of, what elements are present.

“Denotation’ tends to be described as the definitional, ‘literal’, ‘obvious’ or ‘commonsense’ meaning of a sign. In the case of linguistic signs, the denotative meaning is what the dictionary attempts to provide”

“For the art historian Erwin Panofsky, the denotation of a representational visual image is what all viewers from any culture and at any time would recognize the image as depicting (Panofsky 1970a, 51-3)”

Connotation: This refers to what the elements mean

“The term ‘connotation’ is used to refer to the socio-cultural and ‘personal’ associations (ideological, emotional etc.) of the sign. These are typically related to the interpreter’s class, age, gender, ethnicity and so on. Signs are more ‘polysemic’ – more open to interpretation – in their connotations than their denotations. Denotation is sometimes regarded as a digital code and connotation as an analoguecode (Wilden 1987, 224)”.

Studium: This can be seen as the overall effect of the image. The reason you spend time looking at it, in Barthes words ” enthusiastic commitment” (Barthes and Howard, n.d.)

“what I feel about the photograph is an average effect” (Barthes and Howard, n.d.)

Puntum: This is something that catches the eye. Something that stands out.

” The second element will break or puncture the studium. This time it is not I who seek to out (as I rest in in the field of the stadium with my sovereign  consciousness) it is the element which rises from the scene, shoots out of it like an arrow and pierces me” (Barthes and Howard, n.d.)

Hermeneutic codes (also known as enigma codes). These are elements that hold some form of mystery. Elements that will “hook” people in. (these can be text). A detective story would be a good example of the use of hermeneutic codes

Proeratic codes (also known as action codes) These are elements that give us the idea that something is about to happen.

Symbolic codes: Items that have become a symbol for something else. For example, a red or green cross to symbolise health, a heart to symbolise love.

Semantic codes: These refer to elements that have hidden meaning, for example the colour red can infer danger. Black can infer horror. 

Cultural or preferential codes: These are elements that are based on such things as ethnicity, age, gender, experience, which can make understanding an image straightforward or complex. It may have elements in it that are cultural that are not understood by some or elements where the meaning is easily recognised by people of a certain age or class but not recognised at all by others. 

Looking at some of the recommended reading for this part of the course I had a look at “Singular images: essays on remarkable photographs (LINK) and Judith Williamson’s (2014) “Advertising Articles” (LINK) all of which have started to make more sense whilst delving into this deconstruction and codes.

I decided that this was a good time to go back to the advert I had selected in Exercise2: Deconstruction Task (LINK) at look at it again with this new knowledge and try to pinpoint any elements discussed above.

The image used (Fig.1)

Fig.1

 

 

Bibliography

Boothroyd, S (2019) Photography 1: Context and Narrative. Barnsley: OCA

http://visual-memory.co.uk/daniel/Documents/S4B/

Barthes, R. and Howard, R., n.d. Camera lucida.

Context and Narrative: Assignment Four – A Picture is worth a Thousand Words – Submission

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A Picture is worth a Thousand Words

Fig.3 Anja Niedringhaus,U.S. Marines raid the house of an Iraqi delegate in the Abu Ghraib district, Bagdad, Iraq, November 2004

Why do photographer’s take photos of war? Is it to inform, to record, to shock or protest? Is war inherently photogenic? Anja Niedringhaus was very clear about her intent  “If I don’t photograph it, it won’t become known,” (Niedringhaus, n.d.)
Is it wrong to admire a war photograph as a piece of art? This picture by Anja Niedringhaus’s has clear artistic merit but includes details that makes it more than just ‘art’. Why is the woman at the centre looking directly at us? What is she trying to say? Why is the soldier there and what is he reacting to? Is he their protector or a threat?
The photo deliberately answers none of these questions but remains a powerful message about the courage of the victims, as was always her intent. She did not think of her work as art. “They say it’s art but I don’t think of my work as being art” (Niedringhaus, n.d).  The art draws me in and causes me to examine the content, but it is the unanswered questions that linger! 
It is difficult not to look at the women and children flanked by a soldier brandishing a gun without fearing for their safety. We wonder why the soldier is there and have an uncomfortable feeling that something bad has, or is about to, happen. But it is curious that the family appears to be less affected by what appears to be going on around them than they perhaps should. Are they pretending to be calm when in fact they are very afraid? 
Is the look in the younger woman’s eyes telling us something that she is afraid to show? Is she asking us to act? Or is she challenging us? It is certainly a punctum: an element within an image that “arises from the scene, shoots out like an arrow and pierces me” (Barthes, 1993) Her piercing look, directly at camera is something we cannot escape from and we are desperate to know what she is trying to convey.
There are other uncomfortable signs in the image. The older woman and the child she is holding are both looking to the right. Is something happening out of shot? The blurred movement in the right foreground corroborates this and causes us to feel a sense of panic and anxiety. It is further heightened by the soldier’s facial expression, wild eyed and open mouthed, his stance and the prominent position of his gun in the frame.
There is, however, a contradiction between the demeanour of group at the centre of the shot and the rest of the image. Their faces appear too relaxed, their stance does not suggest panic. The man half hidden has one hand holding that of one of the children and the other looped casually round his forearm. If we were to crop into just the group, would we still feel worried and anxious for them? (Fig.4) The direct gaze of the younger woman and two of the children would still questions us, but the image would take on a very different quality. It is the elements on the left and the right that give rise to the fear.

Fig.4

Fig.4

Niedringhaus predominantly photographed the victims of conflict in their everyday surroundings. She focused on women and children but often included soldiers. The destruction and conflict were very much in evidence, but she always photographed with compassion and determination and in her own words: “I do my job simply to report people’s courage with my camera and with my heart” (Niedringhaus, 2005)
Photographs that depict the horrors of war are wide ranging and varied in their ability to shock, and Niedringhaus certainly did not exclude the stark and bloody consequences from her images. In her book Regarding the Pain of Others (2014), Susan Sontag describes such photos as:“an invitation to pay attention, to reflect, to learn, to examine the rationalisations for mass suffering offered by established powers. Who caused what the picture shows? Who is responsible?” (Sontag 2004). 
However, for me it is crucial that an image can be viewed without an immediate feeing of shock and horror that causes me to turn away. Niedringhaus’s image allows us, invites us, and insists that we look closely and try to understand: we don’t need to see; we can be shown without seeing.
The composition of this image is crucial to in unfolding what it might be saying. We are drawn straight to the group of women and children, the circular marks on the wall creating a bubble in which they are separated from the rest of the image. They are central but smaller in the frame giving a sense of vulnarability. The lighting and exposure pick out the elements and details in the faces and objects that allow us to begin to make sense of the photograph and, in turn, the event. Nick Burbridge wrote in his appreciation of the author that “I think what makes Niedringhaus’ work so compelling is her focus on the incongruities that help to make people’s lives, indicate their particular history, their fears, and hopes for the future. Her photos may not provide understanding by themselves but they constitute an invitation to understanding, and a most generous one at that” Burbridge (2016)
I cannot begin to imagine how hard it must be to try and make technical decisions under such circumstances, but it seems Niedringhaus had an amazing ability to see and take “the shot”. The image was taken during a house raid by Marines in a district of Bagdad: “The Marines started to search for weapons while the women and children took refuge in the kitchen. I sensed that my presence during the raid – since I wasn’t wearing a military uniform and being a woman – helped the women feel safer. Perhaps they felt that a nonmilitary person, a journalist, would help keep them safe” (Niedringhaus, 2007)
I wonder if this explains the calmness of the group, their lack of anxiety? It might also account for the way in which the older girl looks at the camera. Perhaps it is Niedringhaus herself, holding the girl’s gaze, who is offering them safety.

Anja Niedringhaus died in 2014, shot by an Afghan soldier whilst travelling in a convoy covering the elections.

Footnote:

I selected the black and white version of this image for two reasons. It is the version which appears in the authors publication Anja Niedringhaus At War (2011). It is also the version I saw, along with several other photographs, at an exhibition in Berlin in 2011.

References

Figure 1. Niedringhaus, A., 2004. Marines from the 1st Division raid a house in the Abu Ghraib district of Baghdad, Iraq. November 2, 2004.. [image] 
Available at: <https://www.anjaniedringhaus.com/> 
[Accessed 16/3/2021].

Niedringhaus, A., 2007. Emotions Speak Through Images | Nieman Reports. [online] Nieman Reports. Available at: <https://niemanreports.org/articles/emotions-speak-through-images> 
[Accessed 26/3/2021].

Barthes, R., 1993. Camera Lucida. Vintage, p.32.

Niedringhaus, A., 2005.  
Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjJD6D47FLA> 
[Accessed 17/03/2021].

Burbridge, N., 2014. Pulitzer-Prize Winning War Photographer Anja Niedringhaus: An Appreciation – SheRa. [online] SheRa. 

Available at: <http://www.sheramag.com/pulitzer-prize-winning-war-photographer-anja-niedringhaus-an-appreciation/&gt;
[Accessed 20 March 2021].

Sontag, S., 2004. Regarding the pain of others. London: Penguin, p.102.

Context and Narrative: Assignment Four – A Picture is worth a Thousand Words – Research

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  1. At War – Anja Niedringhaus (2011)

This book was purchased at the same time I attended an exhibition of several different photogrphers work in Berlin in October 2011.  It also includes text written by Niedringhaus herself with contributions from others, which gave me an insight into photographer and information that helped me to get a better understanding of her intentions, the story behind some of the images and their similarity to other works of art. (Fig.1-4). It was also interesting to have some my own observations corroborated by others on my selected image.

2. Emotions Speak Through Images – An Essay in Words and Photographs: Anja Niedringhaus (n.d)

It was very reassuring to read an article written by Anja Niedringhaus herself. It gave information relating to the circumstances surrounding some of her images and an insight into her own feelings and motivations. I was already aware of the danger she and her colleagues were often in but this article, although it didn’t linger on it, made it clear that they were putting their lives at risk on a daily basis.  It also gives a feeling of the camaraderie that existed between her and her fellow photographers and journalists and gives an insight into the relationships she had with the soldiers that she was embedded with. It also showed that he compassion and caring was not only focused on the victims but the soldiers too. “I was glad to see the Marines I’d come to know again. The assault had been difficult and dangerous, and a bond had grown between us. I wouldn’t say they were friends but, I cared about them” It also reminded me that there was sometimes a glimpse if normality in the middle of all the suffering when she spoke about Gaza “The refugee camps are so depressing and sad, but this beach always held something special for me. It’s like a refuge from surrounding chaos: quiet, with the bluest of blue water, and soft sand. Often I would go there in the morning to watch the young men fish as they balanced on boats not much bigger than surfboards, casting their nets deftly into the sea. This seemed one of the few signs of normal life in Gaza. It was on the last day of Ramadan that I saw this man saying his midday prayers; he sat a little further up the beach where no one else was near” This article helped me to start to understand how it is possible to photograph scenes with compassion knowing that what you are doing is fighting for change.

3. Singular Images – Alexander, D.M. (2005)

This was once of the articles recommended for the course and after reading it for enjoyment, I started looking at it from a perspective of being described as a good example of of writing about single images in the course notes. Her comments on the photograph, the facial expressions, stance, clothing and direction of gaze helped me to look at my selected image, almost with different eyes! It seems it is very easy to gain a great deal from looking at an image without actually realising why! I had come to so many of the same conclusions but would never have stopped and asked myself why. I guess this may well be the sign of a good photo! I found the style of writing very easy to read and additional information on Diane Arbus was relevant and helped to put the image in context. Once again I noted the linking of paragraphs which I am beginning to realise is one of the keys to getting an essay to flow.

4. Camera Lucida – Roland Barthes (1993)

I found this book very useful in helping me to understand his ideas and get a better feeling for such elements as “Punctum” “Stadium”, “To Signify” and in general his tools of deconstruction. I did find it heavy going at times but I’m sure it will be a very worthwhile addition to my growing library of photo related books! It was very useful for a particular quote I used in the essay which described the idea of a Punctum in a way that perfectly fitted an element in the image that I was trying to describe.

5. An advert for Panzani – Rhetoric of the Image – Roland Barthes (1994)

This was another recommended read and again I found it quite hard going. It did however further my understanding when it comes to deconstruction and I found the example (the advert) useful in putting his ideas into practice.  It was interesting using an advert because with such images it is imperative that a particular message(s) is put across and therefore it can’t be left to the viewer to decide what it means. It has to mean what it sets out to mean either consciously or unconsciously. This could be said of other non commercial images but often an author wants there to be some personal input and if they author wants it to conjure up personal feelings then that intent should be part of the image. Although very difficult to decipher at times, it contributed to my initial understanding and helped when I started looking at the image I had selected for the assignment. Although the image I had selected and the Panzani advert were two completely different images I was still able to ask the same basic questions of both of them. What is there and what does it mean?

6. Susan Sontag – On Photography (1979)

This book helped on several levels. Examples of essay writing and also essays relating to photography. I found it much easier to read that Barthes and this will be another good addition to my selection. The essays (the ones that I have currently read) had a really nice flow to them and helped to stop me from getting confused or bouncing from one subject to another. She does reference lots of other peoples work in her essays and this is something I feel I need to do more of.

7. Susan Sontag – Regarding the Pain of Others (2004)

Of all the research I did relating to war photography this book was the most helpful. Again it give me insight into good essay writing but also give me new and previously un imagined thoughts on photography and war. I did, however have to keep reminding myself that my essay was about an image and not just about war photography.
Described as a book length essay it poses questions about the purpose of war photography, and how it does or should affect us. This was very relevant to my essay as it touched on the intent of the photographer in taking that and her other images of war.

8. Advertising – Judith Williams (2014)

I looked at all of these examples and really started to get a feel for the elements that can exist  in an image. For advertising they are being used to get our attention and make us feel like we can’t do without what’s on offer. I was already aware this was happening but I don’t think I was quite aware of the extent or they way in which particular elements could influence me. When it is obvious that they are trying to influence, I tend to be less interested and sometimes even a bit affronted that they would think I could be taken in. For example there are plenty of ads that give the impression that they are Government backed or medically backed when they are not. By using backgrounds, symbols, colours, clothing and typical elements they give us an impression in order to try and make us feel secure and confident in the product. I note that for some of these there will be small print at the bottom of the page or screen to let you know that this is an advertisement.

9. Beneath The surface – (2012)

Another recommended text from the course notes which really opens up Bathes idea of deconstruction with a great example (Jeff Walls Insomnia). Having seen this image a very long time ago and finding it confusing, I was really pleased to get the opportunity to look into it in detail through this text.

10. Writing a Critical Essay – Melisa Koons (2018
I bought this book last year after realising that I didn’t really know the basics of writing a critical essay. Although the book concentrates on literature, the information relating to structure and things like making sure that the introduction elements were actually covered in the main sections was all very helpful.

11. Academic Essay Writing – OCA Study Guide
Another useful guide and once again although it was aimed more at literature, a great deal of it was very helpful. I also took then opportunity to compare it with several  essays just to make sure I understood what they were suggesting. One of the recommendations was that we need to link paragraphs and I think this was probably one of the most useful bits of information I picked up. I doubt if I would have applied this before reading the guide. The majority of the essays I looked at did indeed link most paragraphs and it really helped them to flow.

12. YouTube Video October 2005. Niedringhaus, A.,
Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjJD6D47FLA&gt;
[Accessed 17/03/2021].
I tried to find as much material as possible relating to the image and also that included her own words and opinions. There isn’t a great deal available on line but her speech after accepting the The International Women’s Media Foundation  Courage in Journalism Award in October 2005 helped me to start to uncover her reasons and feelings behind her images.

13. Burbridge, N., 2014. Pulitzer-Prize Winning War Photographer Anja Niedringhaus: An Appreciation – SheRa. [online] SheRa.Available at: <http://www.sheramag.com/pulitzer-prize-winning-war-photographer-anja-niedringhaus-an-appreciation/>%5BAccessed 20 March 2021].

This piece pf work was a great help in continuing to allow me to get more detail about Anja Niedringhaus intend and motivation. It picked out specific elements from some of her images, questioned them and gave some insight into the the intent behind them. Extremely useful for the assignment.

Bibliography

Figure 1
Neidringhause, A. (2011)
At: https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/books/2012/03/11/war-offers-images-photojournalist-two-decades-global-conflict-zones/Djuc8cR1FmxfPTO88zvvxI/story.html [Image]
[Accessed 29/03/2021]

Figure 2
Seurat, G. (1883) “Une Baignade”
At: https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/19740/seated-nude-study-une-baignade [Image]
[Accessed 29/03/2021]

Figure 3
Neidringhause, A. (2010)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/victoria-cross-afghanistan-rick-hillier-1.5796078 [Image]
[Accessed 29/03/2021]

Figure 4
Rosenthal, J  (1945) “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima”
At: https://fineart.ha.com/itm/joe-rosenthal-american-1911-2006-raising-the-flag-on-mt-suribachi-iwo-jima-1945-gelatin-silver/a/5272-73344.s?ic4=ListView-ShortDescription-071515
[Accessed 29/03/2021]

 

I don’t know enough about “ART”- Learning Highlights

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07/04/2021

After my previous post below, I made a concerted effort to research artists referenced as inspiration for images. I need to understand the depth of the inspiration and get more of an idea of what it might mean across the board for photography in general, and for me. I am hoping that the more I do it the more likely I am to have inspiration myself and have a wider variety of art to inspire me!
While researching some of Jeff Walls images (Fig 3,4) for the second part of Exercise 1, (LINK) I was given the perfect opportunity to look at other artists (Fig 13-15) who inspired some of Walls work

 

 

 

01/04/2021

It is dawning on me that my knowledge of “art” and artists is sadly lacking! I know the “usual suspects” and could even tell you what is the in the background of the Mona Lisa! However it does seem that I need to know more. By that I don’t necessarily mean just photography. Other forms of art come up all the time in the course and I am constantly surprised when people manage to compare a modern photograph with an old master, for example. Do some people have a catalogue of “paintings” in their heads ready to pop out at any moment when they see another piece of art?
This was really brought home during Context and Narrative Part four (LINK). During my research for the assignment a couple of photographs were compared to other pieces of art. The photographs that were being compared were ones that I knew well and I was really amazed at the comparison. (Figs.1 – 4)How could I have not seen it? Well – because I wasn’t thinking about comparing them and don’t have enough knowledge to be able to (unless something looked like the background of the Mona Lisa!) I’m not suggesting that I should always be able to do this off the top of my head, but it did make me aware that I should have a wider more varied knowledge.

The course is opening my eyes to “art” and I surprised myself and my partner (who knows way more about art than me) when answering a question about a painting on a TV quiz show. The only reason I knew the answer was because the particular painting had been the subject of an exercise previously on the course. So, without doubt I am learning a great about “art” all types of “art” on this course but really feel the need to know more, for research, for self knowledge and to help my own ability to create images. I suspect visiting more exhibitions and galleries is one way to go and as soon as we are able to get out about I will start making a list. I love architecture and fashion so will have to try and include these in my visits.

 

Context and Narrative: Assignment Four – A Picture is worth a Thousand Words – Feedback and Reflection

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I enjoyed this assignment far more than I imagined. Writing an essay of any length is a daunting task and 1000 words sounded like a mammoth one to me. As it turned out I could have gone on writing way past the 1000 word restriction! The first daunting thoughts of course came from my initial overview of the assignment prior to any planning or research. I was working on what I had in my head relating to semiotics, deconstruction etc. That just didn’t seem enough. Once I started my planning and research I realised that 1000 words would never be enough to say all the things I wanted to. This gave me a different problem – how could I make sure I put in the bits that I saw as important, kept to the task without going off on a tangent and of course write an essay of a suitable standard?
Going back to the exercises in part four helped a great deal and applying some of the tasks to my chosen assignment image helped to keep me focused. I had to keep reminding myself that this was an essay about a single image, not just about the author or war photography.

Tutor Feedback

Overall feedback

  • You have put forward some pertinent points about what the photograph’s communication through the elements within the frame and have referred to some good external sources.
  • Although this is a relatively short essay, try to focus the thrust of your discussion based around potential surrounding contexts.
  • Please submit assay in Word format, it is easier for me to annotate for feedback!

Feedback based on Learning Outcomes

  • Your introduction is presented as a series of questions that could all be essays in their own right! It might be better to focus a piece of writing of this length on just one of these questions so that you can investigate it in greater contextual detail. For example, if you were to expand on your question, is war inherently photogenic, you could afford to discuss some of the debates that surround images of suffering and the way that they desensitize the viewer. Alan Sekula, Martha Rosler (the Bowery) and Abigail Solomon-Godeau are important figures in these debates.
  • There are also other interesting questions raised in the main body of the writing that could also be essays in their own right. For example, the photographer’s comments about the fact that she is a woman helping to change the way that the subjects of the image reacted. This could be the beginning of a really interesting piece that discusses this specific image in relation to other female photojournalists.
  • Less chatty and more academic…Try not to ask too many questions throughout the main body of the text!
  • In general, try to use less speculative description of the image and move towards observations that are clearly based on existing thoughts about your chosen context.

Think about how critical essays are constructed – could you be more critically thorough?

Action points

  • Simplify your subject matter – the final section where you talk about the different way that female war photographer’s shoot the world would be a really interesting position to take in relation to this image.

So – What I took from the feedback was in essence, try to concentrate on one question and look at the image from this point of view. More academic and less chatty (not sure quite what this means other  than make it harder to read!!!!) and get rid of some of the questions in the main body. The area that that I might want to focus on is to discuss this specific image in relation to other female photojournalists. This last bit is the bit that I least understand. If I’m supposed to be looking at and writing about this image, how can I bring other female photographers and potentially their images into the essay? I am really going have to think carefully about how to best do this.

Context and Narrative: Assignment Four – A Picture is worth a Thousand Words – Planning

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Brief

Write an essay of 1,000 words on an image of your choice.
The image can be anything you like, from a famous art photograph to a family snapshot, but please make sure that your chosen image has scope for you to make a rigorous and critical analysis.

The planning for this assignment is going to be a mix of finding a suitable image and researching the ways in which to write a critical analysis of the image.

When I first read the brief for this assignment, my head started to fill with images that might be the subject for the essay. At this time I was also trying to understand the “tools” for deconstructing an image (LINK). I am already starting to see the images in a different way and just beginning to really understand  why they “say what they do”

I decided to include some of the images I was considering here (Fig 1- 17)

Writing an Essay (Critical Analysis of an Image)

My first port of call was the recommended study guides which proved to be really useful and helped me to produce  a more detailed plan for the overall structure of the essay and what needs to be included.  I also went back to Singular Images (LINK) and Beneath the Surface and some of the Judith Williamson’s analysis of ads. In addition to this I looked at Susan Sontag “On Photography” and scoured the internet for critical essays, particularly those written around photographs and photography.

Selecting the image

I selected one of Anja Niedringhaus images (Fig. 3) I saw this image for the first time at an exhibition in Berlin in 2011. Her images had a profound effect on me and no matter how many other war photographs I view, I am always comparing them with hers. Prior to undertaking this part of the course, I had never analysed this or her other images to the extent where I was able to start understanding why they affected me so strongly.

Fig.3 Anja Niedringhaus,U.S. Marines raid the house of an Iraqi delegate in the Abu Ghraib district, Bagdad, Iraq, November 2004

I studied the image method as I had used for the deconstruction task in Exercise 2 (LINK). This proved extremely useful going from describing what I was seeing and highlighting the signs (Fig.18). I then moved to describing what they might mean or signify (Fig.19)

Fig.18

Fig.19

Doing this in 2 parts was really helpful in setting out what I could see and what it might mean and gave me the beginnings of content and  structure for the essay.

Bibliography

Figure 1-8
Anja Niedringhaus
At: https://www.deutscheboersephotographyfoundation.org/en/collect/artists/anja-niedringhaus.php [Images]
[Accessed 23/03/2021]

Figure 9
Horst P. Horst Carmen Face Massage (1949)
At: https://huxleyparlour.com/works/carmen-face-massage-1949/ [Image}
[Accessed 25/03/2021]

Figure 10
Horst P. Horst Lillian Marcuson, NY (1950)
At: https://huxleyparlour.com/works/lillian-marcuson-ny-1950/ [Image]
[Accessed 25/03/2021]

Figure 11
Horst P. Horst Lisa with Turban, Paris (1939)
At: https://huxleyparlour.com/works/lisa-with-turban-paris-1939/ [Image]
[Accessed 25/03/2021]

Figure 12
Horst P. Horst, Salvador Dali (1943)
At: https://huxleyparlour.com/horst-p-horst-surrealism-and-the-avant-garde-2/ [Image]
[Accessed 25/03/2021]

Figure 13
Horst P. Horst, Lyla (1936)
At: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/106116134953031404/ [Image]
[Accessed 25/03/2021]

Figure 14
Horst P. Horst, Calvin Klein Fashion
At: http://www.artnet.comWebServices/images/ll1911529llgZGeR3CfDrCWQFHPKAD/horst-p.-horst-calvin-klein-fashion [Image]
[Accessed 25/03/2021]

Figure 15-17
Horst P. Horst (Vogue Covers)
At: https://archive.vogue.com/issue [Images]
[Accessed 25/03/2021]

Part Four Research Task: Insomnia

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Brief

Using the weareoca website you need to search ‘​ Beneath the Surface​’ to give you access to a blog about Jeff Wall’s (1994), ​Insomnia​, interpreted using some of the tools discussed above.

Read and reflect upon the chapter on Diane Arbus in S​ingular Images: Essays on Remarkable Photographs ​by Sophie Howarth (2005). This is out of print but you may be able to find it in your local university library: some of the chapters are available as pdfs online. You’ll find the Arbus chapter on the student website. If you haven’t yet read any of Judith Williamson’s (2014) ‘​ Advertising’​ articles (see Introduction to Context and Narrative), now would be a good time to do so.

Insomnia Jeff Wall (1994)

Using the weareoca website you need to search ‘​ Beneath the Surface​’ to give you access to a blog about Jeff Wall’s (1994), ​Insomnia​, interpreted using some of the tools discussed above.

Fig.1 “Insomnia” Jeff Wall (1994)

I saw this image many years ago, and without doubt if it hadn’t had a title that is so explanatory, I would not have come to the conclusion that the image related to the condition insomnia. There is desperation, sadness and something very uncomfortable about the image that gives rise to a suggestion of a breakdown or some other manifestation of mental illness.

Beneath the Surface by Sharon Boothroyd starts by discussing the formal level of the image and what it donates. She describes a kitchen which is donated by the presence of a cooker, freezer, table and chairs but goes on to suggest that

“….what we miss in the denotation is the connotation of the type of kitchen that it is” (Boothroyd, 2012)

There are plenty of phrases and words that I am finding difficult to understand in relation to the tools used to deconstruct an image but the words denotation and connotation seem to be fairly straight forward. I see them in simple terms as being what something is and what something means. The kitchen has a cold feel to it, mainly brought about by the harsh lighting, stark colours and emptiness. Boothroyd writes

“The cold colours of the cupboards and the starkness of the scene, the harsh lighting and the hotspots, give a kind of eerie feel.  It connotes a place of discomfort; of coldness and unease which we can sense even though we cannot actually be in that kitchen.  This information has been delivered to us via a series of signs and signifiers carefully selected and utilised by the photographer: (Boothroyd, 2012)

I am unsure at this time exactly what is meant by signs and signifiers but they seem to be things that have been used to conjure up the connotations. Boothroyd talks about her own personal experience of insomnia whilst pregnant and the open cupboards alluding to a frenzied search for a snack that might help.

She moves on to discuss Walls writings and

“creating a dialogue between his work and other artists” (Boothroyd, 2012)

Wall’s “A sudden Gust of wind after Hokusai” is referenced as a work based on that of Hokusai’s woodcut ‘A Strong Gust of Wind at Ejiri’ from circa 1831 which leads Boothroyd to ask the question “So what does Insomnia refer to?” and its use in plays such as those by Macbeth to portray feelings of guilt or regret. Bringing it into a more modern time it is often a symptom of stress and anxiety. Boothroyd all alludes to the artist, insomnia and the creative process.

The size of the image is discussed (its big) suggesting that Wall wanted it to gab peoples attention and also commenting on Walls own words when he stated that the image was made in response to the words “When a prince doesn’t sleep well, a nation doesn’t either” and that

“this work was made as part of the desire to depict unimportant people in his images and in doing so he makes the narrative transcend culture, class and success.  He speaks to us all”

The last phrase “He speaks to us all” made me think of parts of the course where the question around self portraiture has asked about these images being just about self or to highlight issues affecting a wider audience. I had alluded to the fact that I had always thought of self portraiture big about self in previous posts and once again I am seeing that this is far from the truth.

Judith Williamson’s (2014) Advertising articles

Before looking at and reflection on the chapter in Singular images, I decided to have a look a the advertising articles by Judith Williamson, mentioned in the brief.

I found some of them really helpful in starting to understand some of the deconstruction tools mentioned in the course notes. One in particular was the Dove advert (Fig.2)

Fig.2

Its reference to items that code an image in a way to suggest something is really useful. The phrase

So what is it about the image that codes her as ‘real’?

alludes to several things in the image, but mainly to the process of non glamorisation, the opposite of what we might see in a typical beauty advert. Williamson points out some of these differences

…the woman is laughing and appears to be looking at something specific – her arm, which she is touching to feel the effect of the advertised product. Women in beauty ads often smile, usually in a seductive or mysterious way, but they don’t laugh. They never look at anything directly unless it is the viewer – or else they look vaguely into the middle distance…

…Her skin and limbs are not photographed in such a way as to sensualise them for the viewer – they are not in close-up, or angled so as to be presented as ‘available’, but instead her figure is seen straightforwardly at a short distance…

…The woman in the Dove ad appears to be feeling and responding to something independently of the viewer, which is highly antithetical to the general mode of glamour advertising…

(Source Photographic Review – Back Issue Archive – Issue 83 Summer 2015 – Column Page – Advertising Dove – Column by Judith Williamson., 2004)

Singular Images: Essays on Remarkable Photographs

Read and reflect upon the chapter on Diane Arbus in S​ingular Images: Essays on Remarkable Photographs ​by Sophie Howarth (2005). This is out of print but you may be able to find it in your local university library: some of the chapters are available as pdfs online. You’ll find the Arbus chapter on the student website.

Fig.3 Arbus, D. A young Brooklyn family going for a Sunday outing nyc (1966)

Liz Jobey starts by describing the image using some thought provoking and powerful words. Pity, victims, benighted, watchful, nervous and protective being just a few. It is obvious by Joby’s description that this is not the “normal happy family snap” If you were only to read her description without viewing the image you would be able to get a very clear idea of the mood of the image.

“When you look at this young Brooklyn family about to set out on a Sunday outing, you can’t help wondering what will become of them”

This gives the essay a very clear basis on which she builds.

I tried to discover if Diane Arbus had directed them not to smile but was unable to verify this. Although Jobey writes

“…Forced to look straight ahead, forbidden to smile, the pose encourages separation rather than cohesion…”

She goes on to describe the people, which in essence backs up and gives credence to her earlier statements. Her description details their attire and the feelings that are being projected by the way they are being portrayed. She talks about the man and his “whole physical presence being tentative, a lightly poised figure in shades of grey” “watchful, nervous” In comparison her description of his wife uses words such as “voluptuous”, “armoury”, “self protection”, “defiant”. There is a difference in the way the experience is affecting this married couple.

Joby gives us some facts about the family which only serve to compound the idea that this image may indeed be showing us a reality that is so often hidden behind the smiles and poses we see in family photographs. We learn that they are a young couple by the name of Richard and Marylin Dauria. Richard an Italian immigrant working as a car mechanic, they have three children, one of whom is “mentally retarded” and were married when Marylin was sixteen. Marylin was twenty-three when the photograph was taken. We also learn later on that this was not the only encounter between Arbus and the family. Another image believed to have been taken on the same day shows them at home in their living room. It does make me wonder if there was more staging to this image than meets the eye and that albeit many of the things that  we and Joby are suggesting from the image may be true; could it also be true that Arbus made sure this came across by the way in which she staged and took the shot. We get some more information later in the essay relating to Arbus and her methods which add to this idea.

“We know from accounts given by her friends that Arbus was a very persuasive person, who spoke, as she wrote, quirkily and with great charm. She accused herself of being ‘kind of two-faced’, when photographing people. ‘I’m very ingratiating. It really kind of annoys me. I’m just a little too nice.’ So whatever misgivings they might have had, the two of them stood there, looking ahead with what they perhaps felt was as little expression as possible, except that their faces are so expressive, and each one· has a different reaction and a different emotion. For Arbus, a multiple portrait was rare, and in this case it was a rich reward. This was not only a picture about individuals and the gap between how they intended to look and how they looked, it was a picture about the family, about the distance between the ideal and the reality”

 

It’s hard to believe that anyone would want a photograph taken of themselves that illicit the kind of thoughts this one does. It is not know what Marylin and Richard thought of the photograph and wether they hated it, liked it or were indifferent or indeed if they have ever seen it! There is an uncomfortable feeling about the image, as if we are seeing something that is  being shown to the world that they did not agree to. Not the photograph but what the photograph is saying about them. This is the case regardless of wether what we think is true or not.

Arbus was known for making her photographs disturbing and uncomfortable, as Joby describes

“The photographs that first marked Arbus out for attention in the early 1960s were portraits of the people she referred to as ‘freaks’, men and women living on the margins of society because of their physical or mental or sexual difference. They included midgets and giants, circus performers and drag queens, faith healers and mystics, each of whom she sought out and persuaded to pose for a photograph. But although they were all in some sense extraordinary and ‘different’, it wasn’t this that made her photographs disturbing, it was the way she photographed them; it was the way they engaged”

The essay give enough information about the family, the photographer and the era in which it was taken for us to gain an insight into the image beyond just a brief glance, a feeling of sadness and despair then gone.

“It was an ordinary Sunday afternoon like any other. But her portrait tells otherwise; its power comes from the ordinariness they refute”

Bibliography

Boothroyd, S., 2012. Beneath the surface. [online] The Open College of the Arts.
Available at: <https://www.oca.ac.uk/weareoca/photography/beneath-the-surface/&gt;
[Accessed 15 March 2021].

Figure 1 Wall, J. Insomnia (1994)
At: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/jeff-wall/jeff-wall-room-guide
[Accessed 15/03/2021]

Figure 2
Unilever, 2004. [image]
At <https://www.source.ie/archive/issue83/is83column_Judith_Williamson_11_58_13_03-08-18.php&gt;
[Accessed 17 March 2021].

Source.ie. 2004. Source Photographic Review – Back Issue Archive – Issue 83 Summer 2015 – Column Page – Advertising Dove – Column by Judith Williamson.. [online]
Available at: <https://www.source.ie/archive/issue83/is83column_Judith_Williamson_11_58_13_03-08-18.php&gt;
[Accessed 17 March 2021].

Figure 3 Arbus, D (1966)
At: https://www.moca.org/collection/work/a-young-brooklyn-family-going-for-a-sunday-outing-nyc
[Accessed 15/03/2021]

Alexander, Darsie M.Singular images: essays on remarkable photographs