How do we read a photograph?
Denotative analysis and connotative analysis are contrasted as denotative is the literal translation of what something is, the way a dictionary would define something as. For example, if an image had a strange composition, the denotative from that could simply be "unusual composition". Stating exactly what is shown. Connotative analysis reads in between the lines and takes away information from a small detail. In the same image with unusual composition, the connotative might say that the different composition creates an unsettling feeling when looking at the photo and suggests that the thing shown in the picture is not as it seems.
This photo is called 'Identical Twins' by Diane Arbus. There clearly shows two identical twins standing next to each other wearing the same clothes and have the same hairstyle. This denotation doesn't give us much information other than what we see but if we read into this using connotation we would understand that possibly these children are dressed up like this because their parents and other people like to think they are similar, however, from the fact that one girl is smiling and the other is not, this suggests that their personality is actually very different. They are individual. We can also donate that the photograph is taken from a slight angle and that the girls are not quite straight on fro the wall. This suggests that Arbus was trying to tell us that this image is not quite as it seems. She's saying that despite the fact that the twins appear the same, they are not at all and shouldn't be framed in a symmetrical way.
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This photo is called 'A family on their lawn one Sunday in Westchester' by Diane Arbus. At first glance you might denote that there is a couple sun bathing on their lawn with their son playing in the background but once you go into further detail you could find that neither of them seem as happy as when you first look because they are not interacting with each other. The child is facing away and not bothered with his parents' issues. They are sunbathing on the grass, however the picture doesn't look like there is much sun or nice weather. The whole photo is quite dark and gloomy. Their lawn is huge, which could show that they are wealthy and happy but really they are only taking up a small portion of the lawn. They don't look comfortable even with wealth.
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Some thoughtful comments however, avoid over complicating concepts. I feel your definition of denotative and connotative could be simpler. Please complete the second Arbus image.
The Early Years
The camera obsura and camera lucida
The camera obscura and camera lucida are two different optical devices used to project an image in order to trace it. They were both invented before the camera was, with the camera obscura in 1685 and the lucid in 1806. The camera obscura is a large black box room which has a small hole in the wall on one side. Johann Zahn identified that this would project the image from outside the box onto the other side of the wall but upside down. This meant that an artist could trace this image with paint and create an accurate painting of a landscape. The camera lucida is different because it is not a large room, but is a small device as shown in the picture on the left. It uses glass and mirrors to perform an optical superimposition of the subject onto the paper as you look through it. You are able to see the paper as well as the object that is being used which makes it easy for someone to trace the image.
Daguerreotype and Calotype
The Daguerreotype and the Calotype are both processes of photography. The daguerreotype was the first publicly available photographic process, widely used in the 1840s and 1850s because it was much cheaper than having yourself painted and took much less time, however it was completely superseded by 1860s because of newer and cheaper processes. To make the image, you would polish a sheet of silver plated copper to a mirror finish, make it light sensitive with chemicals , expose it in a camera for as long as was judged to be necessary, making the resulting image on it visible by fuming it with mercury vapour. Remove its sensitivity to light by liquid chemical treatment, rinse and dry it, then seal the image behind glass in a protective enclosure. The photo will look either negative or positive depending on the angle at which you look at it from. The Calotype was also invented in the 1930s but was less popular than the Daguerreotype. It is made by placing a piece of paper coated with silver chloride, making it light sensitive, inside a smaller camera obscura. The areas hit by the light turn dark and it results in a negative photo. You would use a method similar to the sandwich print we used in class to turn the negative into a positive.
A good start. You have managed to balance facts and a personal style of writing. Please also add the Industrial Revolution and Early themes in photography
Industrial Revolution & Early themes in photography
The Industrial Revolution, now also known as the First Industrial Revolution, was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Europe and the United States, in the period from about 1760 to sometime between 1820 and 1840. Photography was one of the areas which developed during the Industrial Revolution as people were able to travel around the world much more, which meant that travellers took photos and were able to document other lands. It also changed our perception of the world.
During the early years, most photographers focused on a fine art style of photography, taking portraits and landscapes.They kept their photography to a style which was similar to painters. However, this changed as photographers began to focus on their own style, creating abstract and surreal images like Adolphe Braun did.
The Four Photography Movements
Photo secessionism and Pictorialism
In the late 19th century, people began to question whether photography was an art as, unlike painting or sculpting, it was done mechanically. Anyone was able to take a photo of something. This meant that, in 1902, Alfred Steiglitz started the photo successionist movement which, meaning breaking away from 'commercial trash' and 'artless amateur photography'. Photographers soon became recognised as artists when they began to use different processes to intervene with the development process, such as putting vaseline on their camera lenses or brushing on the chemicals to recreate brush strokes e.t.c. The aim of this was to make their photography into a more hand made process, and demonstrate that photography was more than just a machine and that it needs human interaction like the other arts. Pictorialists hoped to express and engage feelings and senses and felt that their images should be concerned with beauty rather than fact. This seems to be a very closed-minded idea about photography because photography is of course an art which is made by humans and not a machine. They almost neglected the reason why photography was invented possibly due to the time and the other artists around them.
Straight Photography
Paul Strand was a photographer who realised that the camera had a unique ability to capture shape and form . He pioneered the modernist movement called straight photography and, unlike the pictorialism movement before it, it was about facing reality and not changing it. Instead of distorting the images like pictorialism, Paul Strand placed emphasis on the selection and framing of the picture. In most of his photos, he focused on geometric shapes and shadows. I really like how he took his photos as they are from different angles like a birds eye view or zoomed in, sometimes even confusing you, and they are all still untouched and show the reality of what he saw. He also liked to take portraits of strangers he found in the street, which was very different to the photography at the time because they were usually set up like a painting while the model was well dressed. Though this was at a similar time period to pictorialism, he managed to make his photography very modern looking because he showed the reality of the times and didn't dwell on the past. I prefer this type of photography to pictorialism because Paul Strand knew it was an art and didn't need his work to be similar to earlier artists.
F64
F64 is the maximum depth of field that you can use on a camera, requiring lots of light to expose the photo, because of its small aperture on the lens, and making the image extremely well detailed. In the 1920s, there was a group of photographers called the 'F64 group' who used this technique to place emphasis on pure photography and sharp images. They often took photos of interesting, curving shaped objects like a pepper or flower to study the forms of these things. For example, Imogen Cunningham was interested in the form of the flower, so from 1923 to 1925, she carried out an in-depth study of the magnolia flower. Also, photographers like Ansel Adams used the F64 method to capture landscapes in immaculate detail.
Modernism
Futurism
- Futurism started in 1909 because of an Italian poet called Fillipo Tommaso Marinetti, when he published 'Manifesto of futurism' on the front page of a newspaper.
- Futurism was a particularly strong movement in trying to denunciate the past, mostly because Italy had an oppressive history. Instead of glorifying the past,
- Futurists wanted to make art that would celebrate the modern world and new technology. This means that it would capture the liveliness and energy of our new world.
- Futurist painters and sculptors would use neo-impressionism and cubism to express the energetic modern world, like in the painting on the left. Photographers used movement and double exposure to express dynamism in their photos.
- They also used technology to photograph how certain things move, like the photo on the right where they photographed a woman walking down stairs multiple times.
- Futurism was a particularly strong movement in trying to denunciate the past, mostly because Italy had an oppressive history. Instead of glorifying the past,
- Futurists wanted to make art that would celebrate the modern world and new technology. This means that it would capture the liveliness and energy of our new world.
- Futurist painters and sculptors would use neo-impressionism and cubism to express the energetic modern world, like in the painting on the left. Photographers used movement and double exposure to express dynamism in their photos.
- They also used technology to photograph how certain things move, like the photo on the right where they photographed a woman walking down stairs multiple times.
Vorticism
- Vorticism was a modernist art movement formed in 1914 by Wyndham Lewis in London
- It was an avant-garde group with the aim of creating art that expressed the dynamism of the modern world, much like futurism.
- It combined cubist fragmentation of reality with hard edged imagery
- Vorticism was very similar to futurism, but because of a few differences, Lewis was deeply hostile to the futurists
- World war 1 quickly brought vorticism to an end, though Lewis did try to bring it back in 1920.
- It was an avant-garde group with the aim of creating art that expressed the dynamism of the modern world, much like futurism.
- It combined cubist fragmentation of reality with hard edged imagery
- Vorticism was very similar to futurism, but because of a few differences, Lewis was deeply hostile to the futurists
- World war 1 quickly brought vorticism to an end, though Lewis did try to bring it back in 1920.
Constructivism
- Constructivism is a type of abstract art founded by Vladimir Tatlin and Alexander Rodchenko around 1915
- They believed that art should directly reflect the modern industrial world.
- By 1921, Tatlin had artists following his ideas and calling themselves constructivists.
- Alexander Rodchenko used it in his photography. It would often be photographs with high or low vantage points and diagonal compositions.
- It was suppressed in Russia in the 1920s, but was brought to the West by Naum Gabo and Antoine Pevsner, and has become an important influence on modern art
- They believed that art should directly reflect the modern industrial world.
- By 1921, Tatlin had artists following his ideas and calling themselves constructivists.
- Alexander Rodchenko used it in his photography. It would often be photographs with high or low vantage points and diagonal compositions.
- It was suppressed in Russia in the 1920s, but was brought to the West by Naum Gabo and Antoine Pevsner, and has become an important influence on modern art
Bauhaus
- Bauhaus is a school of artists, architects and designers who all worked together to learn from each other. It gained a particular geometrical style and produced lots of new ideas around art.
- Photography at the bauhaus started as just a way of documenting art they had made at the Bauhaus, but in 1923 Lazlo Moholy-Nagi caused the Bauhaus to engage in photography.
- Nagi's photographs of the Bauhaus building used daring perspectives to define a new relationship between people and architecture. This idea was quickly taken up by other Bauhaus artists.
- He also used photograms, collages and multi-exposure shots to demonstrate other mediums to bauhaus members
- Photography at the bauhaus started as just a way of documenting art they had made at the Bauhaus, but in 1923 Lazlo Moholy-Nagi caused the Bauhaus to engage in photography.
- Nagi's photographs of the Bauhaus building used daring perspectives to define a new relationship between people and architecture. This idea was quickly taken up by other Bauhaus artists.
- He also used photograms, collages and multi-exposure shots to demonstrate other mediums to bauhaus members
Dada
- The Dada movement started in Germany after World War 1, and aimed to create a new kind of art that was valued for its conceptual properties rather than focusing on aesthetics.
- It spread to France and The US, but mostly remained in Germany.
- The artists weren't trying to make aesthetically pleasing objects, but were trying to create art that brought questions about society, the role of artists and purpose of art.
- One type of art form they made were collages and photomontages. They did this by sticking together photographs from different sources, and placing them with contrast and juxtaposition to attack traditional artists.
- It spread to France and The US, but mostly remained in Germany.
- The artists weren't trying to make aesthetically pleasing objects, but were trying to create art that brought questions about society, the role of artists and purpose of art.
- One type of art form they made were collages and photomontages. They did this by sticking together photographs from different sources, and placing them with contrast and juxtaposition to attack traditional artists.
Surrealism?
A sensible approach to presenting so much information. You have been selective and chosen the appropriate information. Please include the title and dates of images- you must also say who the images are by.
A sensible approach to presenting so much information. You have been selective and chosen the appropriate information. Please include the title and dates of images- you must also say who the images are by.
Herbert Bayer
Herbert Bayer was an Austrian painter, sculptor and graphic designer who lived in Germany in his early life and studied at the Weimar Bauhaus. He went on to teach at the Bauhaus and become the manager of Vogue. He then emigrated from Germany to New York around 1938 because of the Nazi party. Herbert Bayer died on september 30, 1985. The photo on the left is Lonely Metropolitan, 1932. In this piece of work, Bayer is responding to the situation tht Germany were facing at the time. The people of Germany might have felt claustrophobic and intimidated at the time so Herbert Bayer has created that feeling in this photo. He did this by showing no negative space of the building, it covers the whole image and creates the feeling that it is close up and surrounding you. He also does this by giving the hands a large shadow that falls on the face of the building. This is also intimidating. Another issue that Bayer could have been responding to was the undercover groups watching and spying on the general public. The feeling that the public had of being watched could be represented through the eyes on the hands since they are unsettling and are looking right at us. Bayer used a collaging technique to create Lonely Metropolitan. This meat that he could place two things together easily and create disturbing imagery like the eyes on the hands, and show a different reality.
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Documentary Photography
The documentary photographer i have chosen is Dorothea Lange. She is a famous and influential photographer who worked in the 1930s, and has made well-known images like 'Migrant Mother'. This was a piece of work was made in 1936, a few years after the Wall Street crash. Dororthea had quit her job as a portrait photographer to document people's lives in the Great Depression, and this photo is the most famous photo from her time doing so. She was aiming to create photography that would make people sympathise with poor families and eventually gain government aid. This is why her images are so unsettling and sad. I chose Dorothea Lange because of her ability to photograph The Great Depression detail. For example, when she made 'Migrant Mother' she took photographs before the final image which were not quite as good. She then changed the composition multiple times until it was a perfect photo and had the perfect effect. Lange also has photos outside of the depression which i admire because they look like photos i would want to take. One of my favourite photos i have seen from Dorothea Lange is 'White Angel Breadline' (1932) because it captures the tiredness and worn out felling people must have felt at that time. The man facing towards the camera almost looks like he has given up, leaning on the wood and facing in the opposite direction to everyone else. The framing of the photo makes the croud look bigger and more cramped and she included the wooden barrier to show how they are trapped in. I prefer this photo, however 'Migrant Mother' is her most famous photograph and people like Roy Striker agree that it is her best piece.
When you shorten a photographers name ALWAYS use their surname NOT their first name. Perhaps you could have had more context but this is an honest account and demonstrates a genuine interest in her work.
Subjective to Objective
Landscape- Le Gray and Talmor
Gustave Le Gray was a landscape photographer who worked in the 1850s, and had a unique and creative style at that time. This included taking two negative photos and piecing them together to create an improved landscape photograph. In this photo, 'The Great Wave', he uses this technique (what was the techniques called?) to join the sky and sea at the horizon, and achieve tonal balance between the two halves of the image. Also, by using two photos, it allows him to choose different aspects and practically make his own scenes. I think this is why 'The Great Wave' is such a dramatic and eerie scene including crashing waves and an unbalanced sky. Though this style is not quite abstract, i think that the photos are still very interesting and expressive.
Dafna Talmor is a current (contemporary) landscape photographer who uses a similar technique to Le Gray but with a more abstract take on it. She takes multiple pieces of negatives in random shapes and exposes them together to create a collage of different landscapes. The way each shape is arranged is very loose and random, and i really like how between the negatives there is black as well as the glow around the negative, though on the negative there are calming images of water.
Though these photographers use a similar technique, i think the photos show very different things. For example, Le Gray's 'The Great Wave' shows how landscapes can be manipulated through photography to create a more dramatic and aesthetic scene. However, Dafna Talmor's work shows what a landscape can possibly mean and how the idea of landscapes can be changed. I prefer Talmor's work because i like the less precise and more expressive style, but they are both things i would like to try doing.
Well done Blake. However, I feel you could have gone into greater depth about Tlamor's intentions.
Dafna Talmor is a current (contemporary) landscape photographer who uses a similar technique to Le Gray but with a more abstract take on it. She takes multiple pieces of negatives in random shapes and exposes them together to create a collage of different landscapes. The way each shape is arranged is very loose and random, and i really like how between the negatives there is black as well as the glow around the negative, though on the negative there are calming images of water.
Though these photographers use a similar technique, i think the photos show very different things. For example, Le Gray's 'The Great Wave' shows how landscapes can be manipulated through photography to create a more dramatic and aesthetic scene. However, Dafna Talmor's work shows what a landscape can possibly mean and how the idea of landscapes can be changed. I prefer Talmor's work because i like the less precise and more expressive style, but they are both things i would like to try doing.
Well done Blake. However, I feel you could have gone into greater depth about Tlamor's intentions.
Nadav Kander
Nadav Kander is a South African/israeli photographer who has many different series' and projects. One of these is called 'Dust' and focuses on ruined cities and structures that were effected by nuclear bombs. These ruined cities were kept secret to the world, and only found because of the use of google earth. Kander was fascinated by the idea of secrecy around these places and how they would have never been discovered if these advancements weren't made. He believes in the theory of RUIN VALUE suggested by Albert Speer, as it talks about how ruined structures can look aesthetic themselves and don't require maintenance. This idea may be part of the reason he was drawn to these locations and stories. The photos themselves have a very barren feeling which is to emphasise how the places were once living and had community, but are now empty and deserted. The compositions are important to him, and I like how he has fit all of the structure into the frame and kept so much detail.