Pinterest board
Visit to the Tate
Room 1: the radical eye
In this room was photographs from the beginning of modernism. Artists in the modernist period explored what the camera could do that the human eye alone could not, and how this could be harnessed to present a new modern perspective on the world.
title: Ide Collar
date: 1922 photographer: Paul Outerbridge In this composition is a men's shirt collar on a checkered black and white background. the main focal point drawing my attention in this photograph is the white collar, because it is a brighter shade of white compared to the background, which makes it stand out against the black and white tiles. Outerbridge's use of light and dark, his use of simple objects and the contrast of the geometric tiles and curving shape of the collar make the collar the main focal point of the photograph because it creates contrast between the different shapes in the composition. |
title: Boy On Bike Below Brooklyn Bridge
date: 1922 photographer: Ralph Steiner The attention in this photograph has been drawn to one person- the boy on the bike, because he is in the centre of the photograph, and the use of contrasting shades of colour makes the boy stand out as a black silhouette against the light grey ground. The boy is positioned on Brooklyn Bridge which is usually very busy, which gives the photograph an abstract and surreal effect, and the fact that he is in an isolated location gives the photograph a simple structure which draws the viewer's attention to the boy on the bike. |
title: Black and White
date: 1926
photographer: Man Ray
The photographer has manipulated the image by inverting the original image and making it a negative. He has then mirrored the inverted image and put it next to the original to create a sense of contrast. The photograph's title 'black and white' refers to the black and white process of photography as well as skin colour. The oval shape and the expression of the faces of the woman and the african ceremonial mask are almost identical, but the photographer has contrasted the colours of the woman's white face and the black mask. Inverting the colours of the image means that in the inverted image, the woman face is black and the mask is white, which creates and contrast between the two images and a sense of surrealism.
date: 1926
photographer: Man Ray
The photographer has manipulated the image by inverting the original image and making it a negative. He has then mirrored the inverted image and put it next to the original to create a sense of contrast. The photograph's title 'black and white' refers to the black and white process of photography as well as skin colour. The oval shape and the expression of the faces of the woman and the african ceremonial mask are almost identical, but the photographer has contrasted the colours of the woman's white face and the black mask. Inverting the colours of the image means that in the inverted image, the woman face is black and the mask is white, which creates and contrast between the two images and a sense of surrealism.
Room 2- portraits
Modernist portraiture harnessed photography's capacity to render an accurate likened in clear, sharp focus and detail. At the same time, artists and sitters pushed the conventions of portraiture with innovations in pose, composition and cropping.
Spencer Tracy by Irving Penn
The pose that Spencer Tracy is making in this photograph is casual and confident. He is leaning against the wall and smiling. |
Gypsy Rose Lee by Spencer Tracy
In this photograph, Gypsy Rose Lee is wearing a black dress and gloves. She is posing confidently and she is not looking at the camera. |
Noel Coward by Spencer Tracy
The subject of the photograph is not standing up as the people in the previous photographs are. he is kneeling on a chair in an oversized jacket, and his posture is curved, which makes him look scared and timid. |
Room 3- portraits/bodies
Experimental approaches to shooting, cropping and framing could transform the human body into something unfamiliar. Photographers started to focus on individual parts of the body, their unconventional crops drawing attention to shape and form, accentuating curves and angles.
Title: A Forgotten Model
Date: 1937 Photographer: George Platt Lynes The model seems sad and lonely. the composition leads the viewers eye by making the room seem small and claustrophobic, but with a big open space behind. The lines either side of the room lead towards the sea. |
Title: Glass Tears
Date: 1932 Photographer: Man Ray In this image, fake tears are carefully placed on the woman face, unlike real tears. The woman is wearing a lot of makeup which creates drama. The photographer is putting his emotions into the photograph- showing that the woman is not actually upset. |
Room 4: experiments
This was not a period of discovery but of rediscovery. Artists were rewriting the preceding century's rules of photographic technique, harnessing 'mistakes' such as distortions and double exposures, or physically manipulating the printed image, cutting, marking and recombining photographs.
room 5: documents
During the 1930's, photographers refined the formula for what we now know as social documentary. The development of new technology- particularly the potable camera and roll film- allowed photographers to capture spontaneous movements unfolding in the everyday world.
Title: migrant mother
Date: 1936 Photographer: Dorothea Lange 'I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet. I do not remember how I explained my presence or my camera to her, but I do remember she asked me no questions. I made five exposures, working closer and closer from the same direction. I did not ask her name or her history. She told me her age, that she was thirty-two. She said that they had been living on frozen vegetables from the surrounding fields, and birds that the children killed. She had just sold the tires from her car to buy food. There she sat in that lean- to tent with her children huddled around her, and seemed to know that my pictures might help her, and so she helped me. There was a sort of equality about it.' - Dorothea Lange |
Room 6: objects, perspectives, abstractions
the final room shows the still life genre re-imagined by photographers who used the technical capabilities of the camera to reveal the beauty of every day things. objects captured at unconventional angles or extreme close-up become strange and unrecognisable.
title: photographic construction
date: 1923 photographer: Jaromir Funke the photographer has positioned the light in an interesting way- he has manipulated the image by positioning pieces of white paper behind the objects, and using one opaque and one translucent object so that the light hits each object in a different way to make different shadows and shades of black and white. |
title: Wall Street New York
date: 1915 photographer: paul strand the photographer positioned their viewpoint from far away. They have used light, shadow and angles to capture the essence of a modern city because the people are very dark which makes them look like silhouettes because their features are obscured. There are long shadows with light shining through the centre of the buildings. |
Myoung Ho Lee
Photographer Myoung Ho Lee has produced a series of photographs, exploring physical isolation and its visual confirmation. He photographs trees in their natural environment, but with a white background that separates the subject from the image. this changes the structure of the photograph because it breaks up and deconstructs the image which creates a sense of optical illusion. The photographer's use of white canvas to separate the tree from the background is interesting because it gives the image a simple feel, but leaving the background behind the canvas puts the image in context, and makes the photograph link to traditional painting and the history of photography. Although the backgrounds are simple as well as the image, the separation of the tree and the background makes the tree stand out against the background. |
My response to Myoung Ho Lee's photography
In response to Myoung Ho Lee's photographs, I photographed tree branches and plants with a white board behind them. i photographed them with the background hidden in some images and the background showing in others. I found that it was quite difficult to photograph the plants with the background included without getting my hand in the photograph as well because I needed to hold the white board up with my hand, so next time I could try to prop the board up with something in order to get a better photograph. I used photoshop to edit the contrast and light balance because there was not much light outside which made the plants stand out less against the white background. It was also difficult to make the white board straight in the photograph which would also be resolved by propping up the board or i could use a tripod to balance the camera.
I think that my photograph was effective, but I think that myoung ho lee's photographs are more abstract because the background is blank, and she uses trees instead of small plants, so I could think about trying to find some plants which are isolated from other plants with a blank background.
Sanna Kannisto
Sanna Kannisto is known for exposing the methods used in conventional nature photography. In her series 'Field Work', the Finnish photographer documents her process, her relationship with her subjects and their relationship with nature. To create the compositions, she clamps plants and flowers against a white background, often keeping the black curtains in the photograph. She also adds animals such as birds and snakes in her compositions, which she finds when walking in the forest and brings straight to her studio to photograph. Sanna Kannisto's use of animals in her photographs is interesting because of the unpredictability of the animal's movement, which creates variety and links the photograph to nature and challenges the limits of photography because it limits how much the photographer can control in the composition.
My response
In response to Sanna Kanisto's series 'field works', I made compositions using a range of different plants and used a clamp to hold them in place. I like how this creates a contrast between the natural structure of the plant and the metal, man-made structure of the clamp. I put a piece of blank white board behind the composition, and photographed it in 2 different ways- I photographed it with the edges of the paper showing and then photographed it with the edges hidden, which is what Sanna Kannisto does in her images.
If I were to develop this idea I could think about using more colourful plants and flowers because Sanna Kannisto uses bright colours in her compositions, and I could try to integrate animals into the composition as well.
If I were to develop this idea I could think about using more colourful plants and flowers because Sanna Kannisto uses bright colours in her compositions, and I could try to integrate animals into the composition as well.
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Simon Phipps- Post War British Architecture.
Simon Phipps is a British Photographer who has spent the past 15 years photographing and documenting brutalist architecture around the UK, creating a series of controversial images that make raw concrete buildings that are seen as ugly into beautiful structural photographs. his images of brutalist architecture are unique because the photographer feels that it is important to show that the buildings were functional, government buildings that served a specific purpose and their design was meant to reflect that.
I like simon Phipps' series of post war brutalist architecture beacause the images are simple and repetitive with no colour, but the big shapes of the buildings create contrast of shade and shape, which makes the images dramatic and mysterious. I also find it interesting how there are no people in any of the images, because the purpose of these buildings is to house people, which gives the photographs a sense of surrealism.
I like simon Phipps' series of post war brutalist architecture beacause the images are simple and repetitive with no colour, but the big shapes of the buildings create contrast of shade and shape, which makes the images dramatic and mysterious. I also find it interesting how there are no people in any of the images, because the purpose of these buildings is to house people, which gives the photographs a sense of surrealism.
My response
In response to Simon Phipps, I have photographed various different brutalist buildings around London using my digital camera. I tried not to include any people in my images because I like the way it creates empty space within the photograph and makes the viewer wonder about what kind of people live in and around these post war brutalist buildings.
I chose my favourite photos and made them black and white with dark tone for more contrast
German street artist EVOL- Cardboard art
German artist EVOL transforms cardboard boxes into miniature lifelike buildings- he is known for creating a city within the city. i find his art interesting because they look very realistic, so at first glance the viewer might think that they are looking at a photograph of a life size building. To create his cardboard structures, EVOL uses complicated stencils to quickly assemble these miniature apartment buildings or other structures. I like how some of the photographs show the background which shows that the buildings are miniature cardboard structures, but when photographed close up without the edges of the cardboard or background in the image, it is difficult to see how big the structure is.
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My response
In response to EVOL's cardboard buildings, I photographed windows and doors of buildings and stuck them between sheets of cardboard to create the same effect that Evol achieves in his series. I first photographed the cardboard building in the studio with a grey background, and then placed it in different locations and photographed it in each different place. I tried to angle the camera so that it was facing directly on the same level as the cardboard building, so that it gave the impression that the building was normal sized. I found that it was more effective to photograph the cardboard structure quite close-up, as EVOL does in his photographs, because it adds to the surrealism and the illusion that the building is life-sized. If I were to develop this idea, I could make the cardboard building 3D instead of just having one side of the building so that it looks more real. I could also experiment with making balconies, windowsills etc that stick out of the structure of the cardboard building to make it appear more 3-dimensional. I also found that the pieces of cardboard with rips and stickers and other imperfections on them, because this is what EVOL uses in his cardboard buildings, and it makes the structure more diverse and textured.
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Thomas Danthony - brutalism
In collaboration with Black Dragon Press, Thomas Anthony produced a series of brutalist images using photoshop to edit photographs of brutalist architecture in London such as the Trellick tower and the Royal College of Physicians and then creates screen prints of the images. I like how he simplifies the images, and I think that using brutalist architecture is effective because their structure is already simple, so there is a limited amount of different shapes and shades used in the images. The photographer uses a black background and makes the buildings lighter shades than the background, which is effective because it makes the buildings stand out and creates a sense of drama within the image. I find it interesting how he sometimes uses a full moon and sometimes uses a half- moon in the different images, and how in one of the images there is a tree in front of the building, which creates a contrast between the harsh, man made structure of the brutalist building and the curved, natural structure of the tree.
My response to Thomas Danthony
In response to Thomas Danthony's screen prints, I used photoshop to simplify some images that I took of brutalist architecture in the Barbican centre in central London to create a screen print similar to the screen prints made by Thomas Danthony. I like the overall effect because the use of simple colours and shapes makes the
After simplifying the image, I decided to make the background black and add a moon shape as Thomas Danthony does in his images. I like this effect more than keeping the background white, because it makes buildings stand out and creates contrast between buildings and background, and the moon creates drama and breaks up the background.
If I were to develop this idea, I could add natural structures e.g. trees to create a contrast between man made and natural structure within the photograph, and I could photograph buildings with more shadows to have more dark shapes in the structure of the building. I could also experiment with breaking up the different sections of the buildings or include more than one building in the photographs.
If I were to develop this idea, I could add natural structures e.g. trees to create a contrast between man made and natural structure within the photograph, and I could photograph buildings with more shadows to have more dark shapes in the structure of the building. I could also experiment with breaking up the different sections of the buildings or include more than one building in the photographs.
Gunther von Hagens- 'Body Worlds'
Gunther von Hagens is a German scientist who uses plastination to preserve dead bodies and display them in different poses in a series called 'body worlds'. Plastination is a technique he developed himself, and it involves impregnating the dead bodies of humans and animals with plastic that allows them to be dissected and disassembled so that all of the different parts of the body can be displayed. To plastinate a body takes a year and costs around £50,000 which is a very expensive process, but the scientist is focused not on making money, but on developing works of art while learning about human anatomy at the same time. Gunther von Hagans makes each of his bodies different- sometimes exposing the bones or nervous system alone, and sometimes keeping the muscles and organs attached to the body. I find his work interesting because it involves disassembling human structure and exposing the parts of the body that are normally hidden underneath the skin- normally people are not exposed to dead bodies- the mortuary is a restricted area in hospitals, so his artwork gives an opportunity for people to see what people look like after they have died in the form of art work. I like that he is preserving life after death- people donate their bodies so that they will be useful after they are no longer alive.
My response to Gunther von Hagens
In response to Gunther von Hagans' series 'body worlds', I have taken photographs of my friend and a model of a human skeleton in the same positions. I then used photoshop to layer an image of my friend over the top of the image of the skeleton. I then experimented with changing the opacity of the images to expose the photograph of the skeleton underneath.
I also used the eraser tool to erase parts of the top photo to expose the white of the bones underneath.
This technique creates an interesting effect and links to Gunther von Hagens' work because it shows the different layers of the human body that are usually hidden underneath the skin, and creates a more interesting structure to the image.
I changed the size, hardness and opacity of the eraser tool to see which brush exposed the bones underneath in the best way.
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I used the eraser to slowly erase the top image to expose some of the image of the skeleton underneath. I did not expose all of the bones because I liked how they looked when some of them were partially covered by the photograph on top which created layers within the image.
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I experimented with making the image black and white, but I found that it looked better in colour because it created more contrast between the skin and the bones underneath.
Human body model
I photographed a model of a human body which included muscle, skin, organs and bones. I then photographed my friend in the same positions and used photoshop to
I liked this model compared to the model of the skeleton because it included more colour and variety of layers within the body instead of just bones.
I liked this model compared to the model of the skeleton because it included more colour and variety of layers within the body instead of just bones.
In response to Gunther Von Hagens, I used photoshop to merge the photographs of my friend with the photographs of the human body model. I changed the opacity of the photographs of my friend so that I could use the eraser tool to erase part of the photo to expose the image of the human body model behind. I like this technique because it seems like the skin of the human is peeled away to reveal the bones and muscles underneath.
3 strands
Strand 1
May Xiong- Geometric series
In her 'geometric' series, May Xiong experiments with adding simple geometric structure to the natural structure of human faces. She uses simple white lines in geometric patterns layered over the top of the face to create a sense of structure in the photograph. The photographer uses paint to change the appearance of the subject of the photo, and in some photos she mirrors the person and merges the two images together to change the natural structure of the human body. The use of geometric shapes is effective because it creates contrast between the sharp lines and patterns in the geometric shapes and the smooth surface of human structure. I also think that the use of black and white paint in the photographs is interesting because it conceals part of the subject's face and creates a sense of concealed identity.
Strand 2
Patrick Hickley- complex structures
Patrick Hickley uses hand printed cyanotypes (photographic blueprints), watercolour paper and hand stitched thread thread to create his series 'complex structures'. To print a cyanotype, you place a negative (to reproduce a photograph) or object (to create a photogram) onto coated paper or fabric. You then sandwich it with a piece of glass and expose it to UV light (you can use natural light from the sun or a UV lamp). Patrick Hickley uses red thread to sew onto cyanotypes made from photographs of people. This series links to the theme of structure because he is creating a reverse structure of the human body by sewing the inside structure onto the outside of the body, and he is using negatives of photographs of people to create cyanotypes. I find it interesting how Patrick Hickley chooses only one part of the inside of the body to sew onto each image- he sews either the bones or veins or muscle which keeps simple and allows the viewer to focus on the background image as well as the thread sewn on top. He only uses one colour of thread, and contrast of warm and cold colours (red thread and blue background) makes the red stand out and exaggerate that it is on the outside of the image. I like these prints because it looks like you are looking into the inside of the body but the thin thread allows you to also see the outside of the body in the photograph as well.
My response to Patrick Hickley
To develop my ideas about Patrick Hickley, I took photographs of my friend and used coloured thread to sew over the top of the photographs to represent what was inside her body in that area. I kept the photos black and white and I limited the colours of the thread to red, blue and grey because I found that using simpler, bright colours over a black and white background draws the focus to the thread and creates contrast between the body and the thread. I kept the thread as an outline because I like how Patrick Hickley keeps his thread as a simple line in his work. It was quite difficult to sew the more intricate areas, so if I develop this idea further i can think about doing it on a bigger scale instead of A4, and making cyanotypes to sew over. Before I make cyanotypes, I could put a slightly blue effect on photoshop to see what it would look like if I made cyanotypes of the same photographs.
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Maurizio Anzeri
Maurizio Anzeri created his series by collecting vintage photographs and sewing directly into them. The embroidered patterns look like costumes, but also suggest a psychological aura which seems to reveal the person's thoughts or feelings. I find this interesting because the photographer does not know the people in the photographs, but by sewing onto them, it gives the people within the photo a personality. The majority of the photos he uses are black and white, and he uses brightly coloured thread which creates contrast between the people and the thread and makes the patterns of the thread stand out against the image behind. I find Maurizio Anzeri's work interesting because he adds the structure of things that aren't usually visible, as Patrick Hickley does in his work (sewing the structure of the insides of human bodies onto the top of cyanotypes), but Maurizio Anzeri is showing something something that is not physical- he is portraying psychological structure by sewing over photographs of people using brightly coloured thread.
I like this image because each person has a different structure over their face and different coloured thread with a different sewing technique, which shows how each person has a different personality and psychological aura.
My response to Maurizio Anzeri
In response to Maurizio Anzeri, I used a similar technique to my response to Patrick Hickley, but I used old family photographs to sew over. I experimented with keeping the photographs in colour, but I found that it is more effective to sew over black and white photographs because it makes the coloured thread stand out more. I sewed over the faces of my family in the photographs (my grandma on the left and my great aunt and uncle on the right) and used the colour and pattern of the thread to suggest their personalities. I used photographs of my own family instead of using people I don't know (as Maurizio Anzeri does) because I wanted to portray their actual personalities through colour and pattern - I used blue and turquoise thread for my grandma because she has a calm personality, and blue is a calming colour.
To develop my ideas about Patrick Hickley and Maurizio Anzeri, I could think about combining both artists ideas- I could make cyanotypes of people that I don't know and sew over them to show the organs outside their body, or sew over their faces to show their psychological aura.
Strand 3: brutalism
I took photographs of the Brunwick shopping centre in London using a film camera. I used black and white film, which made the images black and white, which was effective because I
it creates an effect similar to the effect that Simon Phipps achieves in his photographs, and I like how Simon Phipps' use of black and white creates contrast between the dark and light tones in the buildings within the photographs, and also compliments the harsh concrete structure of the brutalist architecture. I made a contact sheet from the negatives so that i could choose my favourite photographs to print. |
Britt Bass and Morgan Blake
Britt Bass and Morgan Blake are an artist and photographer who collaborated together to create prints of buildings with coloured lines and shapes. The most interesting part of their work is that Morgan's photographs are actually printed on transparent paper, and then laid over Britt's painted canvas, which creates a 'reverse' effect to the print and the artists have less control over what the print will look like because the paint is not painted directly onto the photograph.
I like the idea of painting over the top of the film photographs because it adds texture and depth to the image and blocks out the structure behind the architecture (sky, trees etc) which makes the buildings stand out and makes the viewer focus on the brutalist architecture rather than the background. I also like the idea of using a bold colour to outline the shape of the building because it makes the structure of the building stand out against the background.
I think it would be interesting to experiment with painting over the top of my black and white film photographs that I took of the brutalist architecture in the Brunwick centre.
I like the idea of painting over the top of the film photographs because it adds texture and depth to the image and blocks out the structure behind the architecture (sky, trees etc) which makes the buildings stand out and makes the viewer focus on the brutalist architecture rather than the background. I also like the idea of using a bold colour to outline the shape of the building because it makes the structure of the building stand out against the background.
I think it would be interesting to experiment with painting over the top of my black and white film photographs that I took of the brutalist architecture in the Brunwick centre.
To develop my idea about Brutalist architecture and respond to Britt Bass and Morgan Blake, I painted bright colours on top of the film photographs that I took of the Brunwick centre with gauche water based oil paint. I used gauche paint because it has a thick consistency and paints easily over the photographic paper to make bold shapes. Adding colour to my film photographs links to the theme of structure because it is deconstructing the natural structure of the photograph and adding different kind of structure- adding bold colour to the harsh concrete structure of the brutalist architecture creates contrast between the black and white photograph and the coloured paint which creates layers within the image and changes the structure of the photograph. I think that to develop this idea further I could try using masking tape to make the lines of the paint straighter and more accurate, because doing it by hand was difficult to make the lines completely straight. I could also try using the technique that Britt Bass and Morgan Blake used in their compositions - I could paint onto acetate and then lay it on top of the photograph.
DEVELOPMENT
The National Theatre
I used my film and digital camera to photograph the brutalist architecture in the national theatre. I kept my digital photographs in colour because I like how some of the photographs have a coloured focal point, and I find it interesting how the blue sky contrasts with the grey concrete structures.
visual brainstorm
To do: I can now start to experiment with different techniques and styles to represent brutalist structure. I will develop and print the film photographs from the national theatre and experiment with different ways that I can represent structure. I like how the paint adds colour to the black and white film photographs, so I can look at how I can incorporate colours into the man made concrete structure of the buildings. I can also use the film photographs that I took at the Brunswick centre. |
Stephen Gill
In his series 'Hackney Flowers', photographer Stephen Gill collects berries, objects and flowers (which he presses) found around Hackney, East London, and arranges them over his photographs of the same area. The objective of his photographs is to combine man-made and natural structure by combining different aspects of an area using different techniques. The photographer manipulates his photographs in different ways before combining them with natural structures. He includes part-processing negatives in energy drinks and applying pond water during various stages. He also buries some of the photographs in Hackney Wick to allow the earth to decompose the photographs, again combining the photographs of buildings with nature by allowing nature to decay the photos. I find it interesting how he uses natural substances to manipulate and change his photographs, because it adds the the contrast between man-made and natural structure- the changes made to the photographs is beyond his control so the photographs are different every time. The way that the photographer layers the flowers and other natural objects over the photographs creates a collage effect, which accentuates the contrast between beautiful vs ugly and natural vs man-made structures. Stephen Gill chooses Hackney because of the contrast- you can be in a beautiful place with fields and meadows and right next to you is dirt and chaos.
My response 1: Flowers collage
In response to Stephen Gill's 'hackney flowers', I have used my film photographs from the national theatre to make prints. I collected flowers and arranged them over the prints and re-photographed them. I used brightly coloured flowers because I like how the colours contrast with the black and white of the photographs and I like how the structures of the flowers and buildings contrast with each other- the curve of leaves and flowers against the harsh concrete lines of the buildings. To develop this idea, I could press flowers and lay them over the photographs as Stephen Gill does, and I could experiment with using different techniques to respond to Stephen Gill's work such as photograms.
My response 2: Photograms
In response to Stephen Gill's photographs, I experimented with using the contrast between man made and natural structure to create photograms. In the dark room, I lay flowers over the top of the photo paper and then made prints of the silhouettes of the flowers over the top of the national theatre film photographs. I find this technique interesting because it is incorporating the natural structure of the flowers into the man made structure of the brutalist architecture. However, I think that the contrast would be more effective if the structure of the flowers was included instead of just the white silhouette. To improve on this idea, I am going to experiment with using a different technique such as double exposure to incorporate the details of the flowers into the print.
Gozo Yoshimasu
Gozo Yoshimasu is considered on of the most significant figures in Japanese art and literature. Born and raised in Tokyo, he started his career as an author with his book, Departure. Throughout the 1980s, he became more interested in poetry and photography. His exhibition 'as though tattooing on my mind', includes double exposure photography made from images of woodland, flowers and urban scenes, which creates juxtaposition within the final image, and a sense of depth in the image because the photographs are layered over each other. He uses a film camera to first take photographs of urban scenes, and then takes photographs of nature over the top of the previous photographs. I find Gozo Yoshimasu's photography interesting because it almost looks like the flowers are part of the same photograph at the same time as creating depth and layers.
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My response to Stephen Gill: double exposure of flowers and brutalist architecture.
(Final Piece)
I chose to photograph roses and sunflowers because they have interesting structures and the leaves are different shapes. I took these photographs on my digital camera to make sure that I was happy with the arrangements of my flowers before I took photographs on my film camera. I found that it was more effective to photograph the flowers so that the flowers are not taking up the whole frame, because this will allow the brutalist architecture to come through from behind the photographs of the flowers. Now that I have photographed the flowers, I can now develop the negatives and lay the,m over the negatives of the brutalist architecture to create compositions that create contrast between man made ad natural structure. |
To create the double exposure prints, I layered the negatives of the flowers over the negatives of the buildings. I chose each composition very carefully so that some of the flowers overlapped the buildings, but they did not completely overlap because I wanted it to be distinguishable between the man made and natural structures, and when the two images completely overlapped, the structures were darker and less detailed. I used the negatives of the film photographs that I took of the national theatre and the Brunwick shopping centre. Something that I found difficult while making the prints was that the negatives were from tw different places and the photographs were taken in different places, so when I exposed the photographs, the flowers came out much darker than the buildings, so I had to use my hand to cover each different section of the photographs to expose some parts more than others so that they came out the same colour. This was difficult because it was hard to figure out how long to expose each section of the composition, so I had to make each one more than once. It was also difficult to make sure everything was in focus within each composition, so I chose which negatives to lay over each other carefully.
I scanned my 4 favourite prints and printed them onto A3 paper. I then arranged flowers over the top of the prints. I experimented with laying the flowers in colour groups and I decided that colour coding each of the four prints into pink, red, orange and purple flowers was more effective because it brings out the black and white colour in the background so that the focal point is not completely brought to the flowers on top of the print, which brings the composition together.
I then laid a plastic sheet and wooden board over the four compositions, and weighed it down with books so that the flowers will be pressed over the photograph, which relates to Stephen Gill's work because he pressed flowers over the top of his film photographs. Pressing the flowers will be more effective than just laying them over the top of the prints incorporates the flowers into the composition more. |
FINAL PIECE
For my final piece, I lay brightly coloured flowers over the prints I made from the brutalism architecture and flowers negatives. I then put heavy books on top to press the flowers flat onto the prints. I colour coded each of the four compositions with red, pink, purple and orange flowers because it brings the image together. The compositions consist of natural and man-made structures - the film photographs of the flowers and brutalist architecture from the national theatre and brunwick shopping centre create contrast between the curving, delicate structure of the flowers and the harsh concrete structure of the buildings. I incorporated colour into the compositions by pressing coloured flowers onto the prints and re-photographing them. I think that it was important to have colour in the final compositions because it creates more contrast between the different structures and incorporates more depth and layers within the composition.