Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Mystery
"A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other" (Charles Dickens).
"But he became aware also of forces beyond any known senses, profound and mystic forces that whispered to him of the abstract nature of the world" (Guy Murchie).
Murchie, Guy. The Seven Mysteries of Life: an Exploration in Science & Philosophy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1978. Print.
Since starting this body of work, a few things have been stuck in my mind from the get-go. I have always been fascinated with the loneliness of abandoned places. They hold this nostalgic feeling for me, as if I had once been there. There's a mystery surrounding these places because I know nothing about them. I feel like capturing these places with an image, a tangible photograph that I can later hold in my hand, is a way of capturing it so I will always have a piece of it with me. I want to know why I feel this way about these places. What do they hold in them that I'm trying to capture? And why is it so important? These are some of the questions I ask myself as I'm making this series.
"But he became aware also of forces beyond any known senses, profound and mystic forces that whispered to him of the abstract nature of the world" (Guy Murchie).
Murchie, Guy. The Seven Mysteries of Life: an Exploration in Science & Philosophy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1978. Print.
Since starting this body of work, a few things have been stuck in my mind from the get-go. I have always been fascinated with the loneliness of abandoned places. They hold this nostalgic feeling for me, as if I had once been there. There's a mystery surrounding these places because I know nothing about them. I feel like capturing these places with an image, a tangible photograph that I can later hold in my hand, is a way of capturing it so I will always have a piece of it with me. I want to know why I feel this way about these places. What do they hold in them that I'm trying to capture? And why is it so important? These are some of the questions I ask myself as I'm making this series.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Luis Beltran
Beltran is based in Valencia, Spain. He works mostly with photo manipulation, digital art, and photo illustration. He considers himself a storyteller, who has dedicated his work to "those who daydream, who believe that without illusion there is no hope." His photos are described as surreal and dreamlike. He likes "to talk about the loneliness and mystery that is intrinsic to all our lives" (Luis Beltran).
Beltran's images "suspend me between what's real and could be, and make me dream of the impossible. The contrast, the textures and perspectives all make the subjects come alive to me" (liberalsprinkles.com)
While this artist primarily works with digital photography, I am still attracted to his style. Some of his images seem a little over manipulated to me but on the whole I like his work. His plain landscapes are beautiful and haunting at the same time. I really enjoyed his quote above. I feel like some of my images, especially of the ghost town, feed right into this idea. That's why I'm so attracted to places like that, because of the loneliness I feel. I enjoy that feeling sometimes. There is beauty in what is abandoned and left behind, almost as if those places take on a life of their own, outside of what we had planned for them. The second quote is also important for me in my work. I feel like adding texture to my images, with the paper I use, will really make my images come to life. I can't wait to see how they come out when I start printing.
Beltran's images "suspend me between what's real and could be, and make me dream of the impossible. The contrast, the textures and perspectives all make the subjects come alive to me" (liberalsprinkles.com)
While this artist primarily works with digital photography, I am still attracted to his style. Some of his images seem a little over manipulated to me but on the whole I like his work. His plain landscapes are beautiful and haunting at the same time. I really enjoyed his quote above. I feel like some of my images, especially of the ghost town, feed right into this idea. That's why I'm so attracted to places like that, because of the loneliness I feel. I enjoy that feeling sometimes. There is beauty in what is abandoned and left behind, almost as if those places take on a life of their own, outside of what we had planned for them. The second quote is also important for me in my work. I feel like adding texture to my images, with the paper I use, will really make my images come to life. I can't wait to see how they come out when I start printing.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Abandoned
"Throughout history, abandoned places have held a fascination for many people. This has often found expression in art: ruined buildings in deserted landscapes are a common subject in paintings..." (Lesley Adkins, Roy Adkins).
"Reality seems valueless by comparison with the dreams of fevered imaginations; reality is therefore abandoned" (Emile Durkheim).
Adkins, Lesley, and Roy Adkins. Abandoned Places. London: Grange, 1996. Print.
Abandonment was one of the things that was brought up in my mid-term critique and in individual meetings. I've noticed since starting this series just how much my work has changed. A lot of my images, even if they don't include any man-made objects at all, still give off this feeling of abandonment. They appear to be places where people only pass through. I've become more and more interested in these ideas since second semester began. I'm really attracted to places like this. I think it's because when I'm in these environments, I truly feel alone, even when other people are present. It's my hope that my final body of work conveys this feeling of abandonment and feeling alone and being okay in your surroundings.
"Reality seems valueless by comparison with the dreams of fevered imaginations; reality is therefore abandoned" (Emile Durkheim).
Adkins, Lesley, and Roy Adkins. Abandoned Places. London: Grange, 1996. Print.
Abandonment was one of the things that was brought up in my mid-term critique and in individual meetings. I've noticed since starting this series just how much my work has changed. A lot of my images, even if they don't include any man-made objects at all, still give off this feeling of abandonment. They appear to be places where people only pass through. I've become more and more interested in these ideas since second semester began. I'm really attracted to places like this. I think it's because when I'm in these environments, I truly feel alone, even when other people are present. It's my hope that my final body of work conveys this feeling of abandonment and feeling alone and being okay in your surroundings.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Trevor Paglen Question/Response
1. Is your work supposed to have a social message?
2. What role does your work play in the political landscape of our society?
(Side note: I got the time for the lecture confused and I was not able to attend because of another class)
2. What role does your work play in the political landscape of our society?
(Side note: I got the time for the lecture confused and I was not able to attend because of another class)
Robert Frank
Robert Frank was born in Z¨rich, Switzerland. He is an important figure in American photography and film. His most famous book, The Americans, came out in 1958. It was influential in the post-war period. He was applauded for his fresh outsider's view of American society. In 1955, he received his grant from the Guggenheim Foundation, which allowed him to travel all across the United States and photograph people from all walks of life. He traveled for the next two years, his family accompanying him for parts of the road trip. In his later work, Frank expanded into film/video work and experimented with composite images and manipulated photographs.
"When people look at my pictures I want them to feel the way they do when they want to read a line of a poem twice" (Robert Frank).
"Quality doesn't mean deep blacks and whatever tonal range. That's not quality, that's a kind of quality. The pictures of Robert Frank might strike someone as being sloppy - the tone range isn't right and things like that - but they're far superior to the pictures of Ansel Adams with regard to quality, because the quality of Ansel Adams, if I may say so, is essentially the quality of a postcard. But the quality of Robert Frank is a quality that has something to do with what he's doing, what his mind is. It's not balancing out the sky to the sand and so forth. It's got to do with intention" (Elliot Erwitt).
I researched Robert Frank this week because the basis of his work is formed on travel photography. The whole basis of my own work has been about traveling and going different places. I enjoy passing through new environments. Photography is my own way of meditating and feeling out my surroundings. I learn more about a place through photographing and observing everything around me. I really like the first quote by Robert Frank. I also want to make work that makes people stop and stare and think about what I am showing them. I want my viewer to look at my photographs and understand how I feel when I am in that place. I really appreciate Robert Frank's aesthetic. I like the fact that a lot of his images had to be taken on the move, almost like snapshots but with more meaning. I love the whole idea of traveling and documenting everything you experience.
"When people look at my pictures I want them to feel the way they do when they want to read a line of a poem twice" (Robert Frank).
"Quality doesn't mean deep blacks and whatever tonal range. That's not quality, that's a kind of quality. The pictures of Robert Frank might strike someone as being sloppy - the tone range isn't right and things like that - but they're far superior to the pictures of Ansel Adams with regard to quality, because the quality of Ansel Adams, if I may say so, is essentially the quality of a postcard. But the quality of Robert Frank is a quality that has something to do with what he's doing, what his mind is. It's not balancing out the sky to the sand and so forth. It's got to do with intention" (Elliot Erwitt).
I researched Robert Frank this week because the basis of his work is formed on travel photography. The whole basis of my own work has been about traveling and going different places. I enjoy passing through new environments. Photography is my own way of meditating and feeling out my surroundings. I learn more about a place through photographing and observing everything around me. I really like the first quote by Robert Frank. I also want to make work that makes people stop and stare and think about what I am showing them. I want my viewer to look at my photographs and understand how I feel when I am in that place. I really appreciate Robert Frank's aesthetic. I like the fact that a lot of his images had to be taken on the move, almost like snapshots but with more meaning. I love the whole idea of traveling and documenting everything you experience.
(Note: Frank does not have an official artist website)
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