Pictorialism

What is Pictorialism?

Pictorialism was an artistic movement in photography that emerged in the late 19th century and flourished into the early 20th century. It was a reaction against the growing technical focus of photography, particularly with the rise of Kodak’s mass-market cameras, which made photography more accessible and mechanical. Pictorialism, in contrast, emphasized the idea that photography could be a fine art, comparable to painting or drawing.

What are the key elements?

Artistic Expression Over Technical Accuracy:

Pictorialists sought to move beyond the purely technical and documentary aspects of photography. They believed that photography should be an expression of artistic vision rather than just an accurate reproduction of reality. They often manipulated the image to create an emotional or aesthetic effect, mimicking the qualities of painting, such as soft focus, rich textures, and tonal effects.

Soft Focus and Painterly Effects:

One of the hallmarks of Pictorialist photography was the use of soft focus. Photographers would often intentionally blur the image or use techniques like gum bichromate printing or photogravure to create a texture that resembled a painting or etching. The result was a dreamlike, ethereal quality that emphasized mood over sharp detail. The soft-focus technique was meant to emphasize mood, atmosphere, and the emotional content of the scene rather than capturing the sharp, clear details associated with documentary photography.

Emphasis on Aesthetics:

Pictorialists were heavily concerned with the aesthetic value of their work, often seeking to create images that had emotional depth and conveyed a personal artistic statement. This approach was in direct opposition to the more straightforward, realistic style of photography promoted by photographers like George Eastman (founder of Kodak) and others who focused on the technical aspects of the medium. Pictorialists often chose to depict subjects in a more idealized or romanticized way, similar to how artists approached painting.

Influence of Impressionism and Symbolism:

The Pictorialist movement was heavily influenced by artistic movements like Impressionism and Symbolism, both of which sought to evoke moods, feelings, and subjective experiences. Pictorialist photographers often sought to express emotion through their work, using techniques that were meant to evoke a sense of mystery, romanticism, or nostalgia. The use of light and shadow in a way that might be seen in Impressionist paintings became a hallmark of Pictorialism.

Conclusion of pictorialism

Pictorialism was an important early photographic movement that elevated photography to the status of fine art. It focused on creating mood, atmosphere, and personal expression through techniques like soft focus and manipulation of the print process. While it eventually gave way to more realistic, documentary styles of photography, Pictorialism helped establish photography as a legitimate art form and influenced generations of photographers to explore the emotional and creative potential of the medium.

Artist Reference

Alfred Stieglitz

Who Is He?

Alfred Stieglitz (1864–1946) was a pioneering American photographer, art dealer, and promoter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of photography. His work helped elevate photography to the status of fine art, and his efforts were key in the development of modern photography in the early 20th century. Stieglitz is often credited with helping to establish photography as a legitimate art form. At the time, photography was often seen merely as a technical or commercial pursuit, not as a form of creative expression comparable to painting or sculpture. Stieglitz worked tirelessly to change that perception and advocate for the artistic potential of photography. Pictorialism: Initially, Stieglitz was a proponent of Pictorialism, a photographic movement that emphasized the emotional, aesthetic, and artistic qualities of images over technical precision. He used soft-focus techniques, grain, and other methods to make photographs resemble paintings or prints, creating mood and texture. This helped elevate the medium as an art form.

What is the 291 gallery?

In 1905, Stieglitz opened Gallery 291 in New York, which became a significant space for exhibiting modern art, including photography, painting, and sculpture. The gallery was a pioneering venue that showcased European modernist painters (like Picasso and Matisse) as well as American artists. Stieglitz also displayed his own photographic work there. The gallery became an influential centre for avant-garde art and played a critical role in the development of modern art in America.

Conclusion of his work

Alfred Stieglitz was a visionary who played a foundational role in elevating photography to the realm of fine art. Through his work as a photographer, his founding of the Photo-Secession movement, and his gallery exhibitions, he changed the way people viewed photography and modern art. His contributions helped shape the artistic landscape of the 20th century, and his legacy continues to influence photographers and artists today.

Image analysis/focus

Stieglitz took a series of cloud photographs, which he referred to as “Equivalents.” These were abstract, poetic images that he viewed as visual representations of emotion, akin to musical compositions. This body of work marked a significant shift in his artistic approach, aligning him more with modernist ideals of photography.

The primary subject of the “Equivalents” series is clouds—Stieglitz photographed clouds in a way that abstracted them from their typical, literal interpretation. The images are close-up, largely devoid of recognizable details like sky or landscape, and instead focus purely on the clouds’ forms, textures, and tonal qualities. Stieglitz’s goal was to capture the emotional equivalence of a visual experience—hence the title “Equivalents.” The clouds become metaphors, intended to convey emotion, mood, or states of mind rather than depict any physical object or scene. Compositionally, these photographs often have sweeping curves and jagged, cloud-like formations that evoke a sense of movement. The use of space is essential to the abstract nature of the work. The photographs often frame the clouds against an empty background, isolating them and focusing the viewer’s attention on the cloud forms and their tonal variations. Light plays a crucial role in the “Equivalents.” Stieglitz was a master at controlling light exposure, and in these images, light is used to emphasize the texture and mood of the clouds .The photographs exhibit a wide tonal range, from deep blacks to pure whites, creating dramatic contrasts. This play of light and dark adds an emotional depth to the images, enhancing their abstraction and making them feel more like musical compositions or paintings than traditional photographs. Stieglitz described the “Equivalents” series as a way to express emotion through abstraction, much like music expresses emotion through sound without any literal representation. The use of clouds as a subject can be seen as an attempt to achieve something akin to musical equivalence in the visual world. Just as a composer might create emotional resonance through the arrangement of musical notes and rhythms, Stieglitz arranged visual elements of light, form, and tone to create an emotional experience. This parallel between music and photography was an important part of Stieglitz’s thinking. He believed that just as a musician does not depict a literal “sound” but instead creates an emotional tone, so too could photography convey emotion through its forms.

How does this link to pictorialism?

Alfred Stieglitz’s “Equivalents” series represents a departure from his earlier work as a Pictorialist photographer, yet it also carries traces of the Pictorialist influence.In the “Equivalents” series, although Stieglitz had moved toward a more modernist approach, some aspects of Pictorialism are still present. For example, the emotional resonance of the work and the focus on mood or atmosphere over objective realism still echo Pictorialist ideals. Stieglitz’s focus on the clouds’ forms and textures, the soft quality of the light, and the romantic abstraction could be seen as a continuation of Pictorialism’s emphasis on expressive aesthetics rather than strict documentary or technical precision.

How does this link to union?

Stieglitz’s “Equivalents” series, though abstract and focused on natural forms, can be seen as thematically linked to the concept of union in several ways. This connection is not immediately obvious in the literal sense, but it becomes apparent when considering the unification of emotion, nature, and the individual’s experience through the photographs. In the “Equivalents,” Stieglitz sought to capture the emotional essence of clouds, not as literal representations but as symbols of inner emotional states. The union of nature and emotion in this series is a key feature. Stieglitz felt that by photographing natural phenomena like clouds, he could evoke the emotional experiences of the human spirit, thus creating a union between the external world and the inner life.

• How to Incorporate:
  • Symbolic Union: Create dream-like or idealized compositions that represent connections between nature and humanity, or between individuals in moments of tenderness, using soft focus and blurred edges to give a sense of unity.

Surrealism

What is surrealism?

Surrealism is an artistic and literary movement that emerged in the 1920s, focusing on the irrational, dreamlike, and subconscious mind. It sought to break free from logic and realism, creating art that explored fantasy, dreams, and unexpected juxtapositions.

What are the different types of surrealism?

Dreamlike Imagery, inspired by Sigmund Freud’s theories of the unconscious, surrealist works often resemble hallucinations or dreams.

Unexpected Juxtapositions, artists combine unrelated objects or concepts in strange, thought-provoking ways.

Automatism, a method where artists and writers create spontaneously, without conscious thought, to tap into the subconscious.

Irrationality & Absurdity, surrealism challenges logic and reason, embracing the bizarre and nonsensical.

Symbolism & Metaphor, objects often hold hidden meanings, reflecting deep psychological themes.

Conclusion of surrealism

Surrealism aims to revolutionise human experience. It balances a rational vision of life with one that asserts the power of the unconscious and dreams. The movement’s artists find magic and strange beauty in the unexpected and the uncanny, the disregarded and the unconventional.

Artist Reference

Man Ray

Who is he?

Man Ray was an American visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to each were informal. He produced major works in a variety of media but considered himself a painter above all.

What are the Dada and Surrealist movements?

Infamously called the “anti-art” art movement, Dadaism developed out of disgust and resentment from the bloodshed and horror of World War I, which began in 1914 and ended in 1918. Dadaism’s main purpose was to challenge the social norms of society, and purposefully make art that would shock, confuse, or outrage people.

Surrealism is an art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike scenes and ideas.

Conclusion of his work

Man Ray’s career is distinctive above all for the success he achieved in both the United States and Europe. First maturing in the center of American modernism in the 1910s, he made Paris his home in the 1920s and 1930s, and in the 1940s he crossed the Atlantic once again, spending periods in New York and Hollywood. His art spanned painting, sculpture, film, prints and poetry, and in his long career he worked in styles influenced by Cubism, Futurism, Dada and Surrealism. He also successfully navigated the worlds of commercial and fine art, and came to be a sought-after fashion photographer. He is perhaps most remembered for his photographs of the inter-war years, in particular the camera-less pictures he called ‘Rayographs’, but he always regarded himself first and foremost as a painter.

Image analysis/focus

The subject and composition can be analysed as a nude woman with the suggestive silhouette and a violin in the shade of her back. The woman’s form is sculptural, where her human body is merely reduced to a form of a canvas which depicted woman as idealized forms. The violins shape is drawn in chalk like lines, which echoes his own studies of the human body. Integrating the elements of classical art with a dream like surrealist twist. The violin is an impotent symbol in his work, it alludes to the idea of an artists secondary passion or hobby. Ingres was known to be am accomplished violinist in addition to his work as a painter/photographer. Man Ray cleverly uses the violin as both a literally and symbolic device within the photo, offering a playful suggestion that the female body itself could be used as a musical instrument as well as an artwork. Some key surrealist elements are portrayed, as surrealist were fascinated by the juxtaposition of seemingly unrelatable objects. By placing the violin the image disrupts but also draws attention to the sexualised nature of the female form. The use of the violin is a playful distortion of familiar artists motifs, adding an element of absurdity. The lighting is also key to enhancing the from of the by rendering the violin as something almost unattainable , as if it is a abstraction. This brings attention to the objectification of the female form, using the instrument as a metaphor for desire. The models pose is reminiscent of the classical depictions of the female nude, whilst the violin makes it odd, almost unsettling. This ties into the early 20th century critiques of traditional arts treatment of woman as objects for male pleasure. The high contrast lighting emphasised the figure of the model, creating sharper shadow’s that accentuate the body’s form while drawing the viewers eye to the very exaggerated shape of the violin. The use of light here is reminiscent of Man Ray’s ,artery of experimental photography. Notably his famous use of rayographs and other methods that have explored shadow, texture and form. When this image was created in 1924 the surrealist movement was at its peak, pushing boundaries in both visual art and photography. Man Ray who was a prominent figure in the movement, experimented with both fine art and fashion photography, creating works that blurred the lines between the real and the imagined much like the surrealists approach to art and physiology.

In summary, Le Violon d’Ingres is a masterful blend of playful surrealism, art historical reference, and subversive critique of femininity, objectification, and classical art. It invites the viewer to reflect on the tension between the human form and the arbitrary imposition of artistic and sexual symbols. Through its light, composition, and humour, the photograph remains one of the most significant works in the history of 20th-century photography.

How does this connect to surrealism?

Ingres, whose name appears in the title of Man Ray’s photograph, was a leading figure of Neoclassicism, an art movement that can be seen as a continuation of the humanist tradition, where the human body was viewed as an ideal form to be studied and revered. In Le Violon d’Ingres, the model’s body is positioned in a similar way to Ingres’ classical nudes, suggesting a connection to this idealized human form.

The photograph emphasizes the human body, particularly through its curves, light, and shadows. This focus on the body itself evokes a humanistic tradition that places the human figure at the centre of artistic contemplation. However, the surreal manipulation of the figure with the violin inserted onto the model’s back introduces a surrealist twist to this tradition, creating both a nod to humanism and a challenge to its conventions. This tension between the classical ideal and the distortion of that ideal reflects a key theme of the early 20th century, when humanism was being re-examined, especially in light of modernity, industrialization, and the upheavals of war.

Hoe does this connect to union?

The most direct way the photograph connects to the idea of union is through the fusion of the human body with artistic representation. The model’s nude body, traditionally the subject of visual art, is combined with the violin, which is an instrument often used to create music, an entirely different form of art. This union of two distinct forms of art—visual and musical—creates a deeper connection between the body and the creative expression. The body itself becomes a medium through which both visual art (the photographic representation) and music (symbolized by the violin) are explored.

Man Ray’s photograph brings together two distinct artistic worlds: classical and surrealist. Ingres, the painter referenced by the title, was a master of classical art and Neoclassicism, which emphasizes idealized, often sensual depictions of the human body. Man Ray’s photograph invokes this classical aesthetic with the smooth, curvaceous form of the nude woman. However, by replacing her back with a violin, he injects a surreal, playful element that distorts this classical vision, bringing a modern, irrational twist to an otherwise conventional subject. This union of the classical with the surrealist approach reflects the way modern artists of the 20th century were blending historical traditions with experimental, avant-garde methods.

• How to Incorporate:
  • Union Between Real and Imagined: Explore surreal or abstract depictions of unity. This could mean photographing individuals or objects that merge together in strange ways (e.g., using double exposure, juxtaposing dreamscapes with real scenes, or creating imaginary unions between people or elements in unexpected settings).

Humanism (Humanist Photography)

What is humanism?

Humanism is a philosophical and ethical stance which emphasizes the value, dignity and agency of human beings. It is based around connectivity. It prioritizes reason, critical thinking and overall evidence over simple superstition which overall promotes the idea that humans can solve problems and improve the world through rational thought and cooperation.

What are the different types of humanism?

Renaissance humanism is a movement from the 14th-17th centuries that focused on reviving classical learning and literature.

Secular humanism is a modern perspective that rejects religious beliefs and emphasizes science, ethics and human rights.

Religious humanism is a worldview that intergrades humanist principles with religious traditions, such as unitarian universalism, which is a liberal religious movement characterized by a “free and responsible search for truth and meaning”.

Union Link

Humanism in photography is about focusing on human connection,empathy and shared human experience. My project will explore emotional bonds through union. For example the unity of people through family,work or community.

Conclusion of humanism

At its core, humanism seeks to promote human welfare, progress, and fulfillment without relying on supernatural beliefs.

Artists to reference

Henri Cartier- Bresson

Who was he?

Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French artist and humanist photographer considered a master of candid photography, and an early user of 35mm film. He pioneered the genre of street photography, and viewed photography as capturing a decisive moment. Cartier-Bresson was one of the founding members of Magnum Photos in 1947.

The decisive moment

It refers to the precise instant when all the visual and emotional elements in a scene come together perfectly, creating a powerful and meaningful image. Cartier-Bresson described it as “the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organization of forms.” This means that a photographer must anticipate action, composition, and emotion to capture a fleeting, yet impactful, moment.

How does he refer to Humanism?

Henri Cartier-Bresson’s imagery is deeply connected to humanism, particularly humanist photography, which focuses on capturing the dignity, emotions, and everyday lives of people. His emphasis on the human condition, his photography often depicts ordinary people in moments of joy, struggle, contemplation or connection. His work highlights the universal aspects of human life, emphasizing these shared experiences of emotions throughout different cultures and societies.

His uses spontaneity and authenticity to reflect the humanist approach. The ideas of the decisive movement reflects his aim to capture life as it unfolds naturally, rather than staging or manipulating a scene, he tends to be very candid. This respects truth and individuality.

He shows a clear understanding of social awareness through his documentary work. Many of his images document history events and cultural movement, which offers insight into human struggles and triumphs. His work in war zones for example and daily life which reflects his humanist concern for social justice and awareness.

He proves to be non intrusive within his respectful approach. Unlike some photographers who might exploit their subjects his work shows a deep respect for human dignity. He personally believed in being an observer rather than an intruder, belding into the environment around him which enabled him to capture these authentic moments.

Henri travelled extensively whether it be across India and China or even the U.S, Europe and beyond, he managed to capture many diverse human experiences. His global outlook aligns with secular humanist ideals, which value cultural exchange, empathy and mainly a clear understanding across borders rather than post colonialism.

In conclusion his work is clearly a visual form of humans, it celebrated life, respects human dignity and captures the many universal emotions that connect people across cultures. His images can help remind us of the beauty,complexity and resilience of humanity.

Image analysis/focus

This is up there with some of his most famous decisive moments shots. This image capturers a an mid-air as he leaps over a puddle, being perfectly suspended in time. The photograph follows the rule of thirds, with the leaping man positioned slightly off-center, creating a clear dynamic tensions. This use of framing is subtle yet effective. The eye is naturally drawn to the man’s silhouette and the reflection in the water which mirrors his movement. The frozen movement allows for a sense of suspension and grace, showing beauty in what would normally be seen as an ordinary action. His reflection in the puddle adds symmetry and balance, which gives emphasis on the fleeting nature of the moment. This image is in black and white which enhanced the contrast between light and dark, the use of soft lighting and diffused shadows creates a surrealist atmosphere, feeling almost dreamlike. The fence and the urban elements in the background establish context and environment, creating a clear setting through the scene. With the use of the blurry industrial backdrop contrasting with the sharp silhouette it creates a very clear subject. The man’s leap may symbolize change, transition or even uncertainty as he is frozen in air before meeting the solid ground, Reality vs illusion, movement vs stillness.

How does this connect to humanism?

It represents the spontaneity and rhythm of life, showing an everyday person in an ordinary moment that becomes extraordinary through Cartier-Bresson’s lens. The wooden ladder in the water has been likely placed as a sort of makeshift bridge, which suggest improvisation and resilience, which are key themes central to humanism.

How does this connect to union?

It connects in many ways both visually and metaphorically. The image captures a perfect harmony between movement and stillness, therefore uniting the two realities into one frame. It can also be seen as a union of man and environment, where the man appears to be a part of the urban landscape blending in seamlessly reinforcing a humanistic connection to surroundings’. The action of leaping over water is universally relatable, creating an emotional connection with the viewer, speaking to shared human challenges. The elements of the image are arranged in a way that feels harmonious and interconnected, this acts as a visual bridge unitin

I wish to explore food and wine and how it brings people together, How people come together over a meal and how they can work together to create something special. I also wanted to explore food being paired with wine to bringing out certain flavours, and accentuate the enjoyment of the meal. I aim to take not only still life photos and group photos, but some showing the process which leads to a meal whether that be the walk to a picnic and the set up, or the meal preparation and cooking process.

Pop Art

Pop Art, which surfaced in the UK and US throughout the time of the mid 1900s, is a vivid art movement that mixed traditional art styles with pop culture. Pop art was strongly influenced by things such as advertisements, comic books and mass media, like television, newspapers, social media and radio. Pop art’s main target / idea was to challenge traditional fine art by using images from popular culture. There were many artists who had a huge impact on enlarging and creating the movement. Artists like Andy Warhol, Richard Hamilton and Roy Lichtenstein had this impact on the movement. This movement still exists to the present day, Artists like Jeff Koons and Takashi Murakami as well as many more continue the legacy of pop art through graphic design, fashion and many other ways.

Present Day Pop Art

Richard Hamilton`s list of the ‘characteristics of pop art’

Pop Art is: Popular (designed for a mass audience), Transient (short-term solution), Expendable (easily forgotten), Low cost, Mass produced, Young (aimed at youth), Witty, Sexy, Gimmicky, Glamorous, Big business

How Pop Art Links To Union

Claude Monet

Claude Monet was an artist, essential to the impressionist movement. He has a unique style, repeating paintings of the same area, focusing on different things or different lights changes, these were called stacks and helped shape his style.

Monet was the oldest child of a grocer, spending much of his childhood on the Normandy coastline. His father took over the ship chandlering business, allowing Monet to gain access and knowledge to every part of the Normandy coastline, learning each detail and how nature responded. He became known for his art at 15, drawing caricatures and pencil sketches of sailing ships, both deep in details and technical understanding. As he grew up, his aunt (an amateur painter) began to train Monet. However, his final style did not begin until he met Eugène Boudin who taught Monet about the idea of painting outside of a studio. This shaped Monet’s work for the next 60 years to come, looking at how to ‘transform perception into pigment’.

Monet and Impressionism

He was essential to the impressionist movement as he created a new world of painting, instead of the traditional reconstruction of memories and sketches in a studio Monet painted in the scene itself. He inspired others to create outdoors, and movement inspired by light and colour. Monet was never one for formal training and took to working alongside or attending informal art schools to further his skill. However, even when completing military service in Africa his art was never left behind, instead a whole new skill was learnt based on new light conditions and colours in comparison to France. Large chunks of his work are thought to be based on the romanticism paintings but a more colourful, abstract alternative. Others followed his lead, creating a movement of outdoor artists capturing light in their paintings with little attention to other elements creating the slightly abstract, bright paintings we know now as the impressionist movement.

How does photography link to impressionism?

While Impressionism is an art movement, I want to replicate it to some degree within my photography project. This could be through colours and light. I like the idea of using a sunny day and slow shutter speed to create the abstract blur of colour. Composition is not the first thought in Impressionism, which is unusual for photography however I think it will be a good prompt to get me to look at photos through a further artistic lens deepening my story rather than just getting a solely good photo.

Photo analysis 

A defining painting in the impressionist art movement, the vibrant greens distracting from the blurred lines, mixing colours and textures. It is striking to look at, a mixture of bright colours and slightly abstract lines. The scene is a pond Monet filled with water lilies himself, never planning on painting them. Once he felt he had completed the bridge and pond ‘build’ he was captivated by its colour and immersive capabilities of the landscape. The painting itself is a small, cropped view of the bridge and the water with the lilies, unlike other landscapes there is no sky. While it uses bright colours to capture the viewers’ attention and provide them with an immersive experience the colours are cool toned with pops of pinks and yellows. The frame is predominantly filled with the bridge in the upper third and the lilies in the foreground. With the bushes and taller plants framing the photo around the edge and background. It reminds me of a summer’s day, bright and cheerful using the slight abstract appearance, caused by blotted brush strokes, to force the viewer to look at the colour, the light. The impressionist movement was based around light and how it changes reflecting the natural world, Monet mastered this. 

Mandy Barker is a British contemporary artist whose work is primarily focused on environmental issues, particularly marine pollution and the impact of human activity on the oceans. She uses photography to capture and transform the visual qualities of marine debris, creating powerful, thought-provoking works that bring attention to the crisis of ocean pollution. Her work often consists of large-scale, meticulously arranged photographs of items like plastic waste, fishing gear, and other waste which she collects herself from various beaches and oceans across the world.

Barker’s artistic practice blends a deep concern for the environment with an aesthetic sensibility that has a strong connection to abstract art. One of the key features of her work is her ability to take the debris, which might otherwise be overlooked or discarded, and reframe it into something visually striking, sometimes resembling intricate patterns or geometric forms. Barkers method shares similarities with Cubism, particularly in how the subject matter is deconstructed and then reassembled to create a new meaning. Cubism, as pioneered by artists like Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, revolutionized the art world by breaking down objects into fragmented, abstracted forms and representing them from multiple viewpoints. This technique emphasized structure and geometry, highlighting the relationship between space, form, and perception.

In a similar way, Mandy Barker’s compositions take seemingly chaotic, discarded objects and arrange them in a way that presents a new kind of order, transforming them into complex, almost geometric patterns. In some of her series, such as “Seas of Shame” or “Beyond Drifting”, the discarded plastic and debris are intentionally arranged in flat, circular or grid-like forms. The juxtaposition of these debris items creates a kind of visual abstraction, where the viewer is encouraged to see the everyday, the discarded, and the neglected in a new, more intentional light.

Barker’s ability to arrange the debris in such a way that it appears abstract and geometric also links to Cubism as it shows the deconstruction and reassembly of form to create a new unique form. The objects, though once part of the natural world, are now transformed into art that comments on both human impact and the debris of modern life, just as Cubism redefined how we view the world and objects within it.

Soup (2013)

Mandy Barker’s “Soup” (2013) is a powerful photographic series that tackles the issue of marine pollution, specifically focusing on plastic waste in the ocean. The title “Soup” is a reference to the growing, pervasive “plastic soup” floating in the world’s oceans, a term used to describe the accumulation of plastic debris that floats and breaks down into smaller pieces in the water. This series emphasizes the shocking scale and complexity of ocean pollution, where plastic items such as bottle caps, create a visual representation of waste that is not only disturbing but also beautiful in its abstract composition, a way to catch the viewers attention.

Analysis

This piece by Mandy Barker is made up of many balls which she found discarded on beaches across the world. All of which are different colours which captures the viewers attention. The way Barker has intentionally arranged each of her images beautifully to create the look of a galaxy also captures the viewers attention and causes them to look closer and see the meaning of the image which is not so beautiful. This unique composition makes the image stand out from normal photography it almost makes the image look like it is moving. Barker has created both depth and movement with her clever placement of the images. Placing her photos against a black background also makes it stand out more and adds to the look of a galaxy. This piece could also resemble a school of fish swimming, as this also links to her whole theme of the ocean. It could show that if we carry on littering and having little care for what we put in the ocean instead of it being home for fish it will be the home for plastic.

How will I respond?

I like Mandy Barkers work as it is eye-pleasing and I also like her meaning and reason behind it all. I am going to use Barkers unique method and technique to photograph plastic wastage which I will ask my family to keep hold of for me. This will show just how much plastic people go through in short amounts of time. I will then use these images to create collages like Barker’s soup series.

“an act or instance of uniting or joining two or more things into one. especially : the formation of a single political unit from two or more separate and individual units.”

Words similar to it:

• Connecting
• Collaborating
• Merger
• Blend
• Combining
• Uniting
• Joining
• Partnership
• Relationship
• Marriage
• Sacrament
• Formation
• Relate
• Meeting
• Integrated
• Hooked
• Cooperation
• Organisation
• Corperation

 

David Hockney

David Hockney was born 9th July 1937 and is an English painter and photographer. He is an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960’s and he is considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th and 21st century. David Hockney was born in Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, the fourth of five children of Kenneth Hockney and Laura nee Thompson. He was educated at Wellington Primary School, Bradford Grammar School and Bradford College of Art.

At the Royal College of Art, Hockney featured, alongside Peter Blake in the exhibition New Contemporaries, which announced the arrival of British Pop art. He was associated with the movement, but his early works display expressionist elements as well.

When the RCA said it would not let him graduate if he did not complete an assignment of a life drawing of a live model in 1962, Hockney painted Life Painting for a Diploma in protest. He had refused to write an essay required for the final examination and said that he should be assessed solely on his artworks. His talent was recognised and he began growing his reputation. The RCA then changed its regulations and awarded him a diploma. After leaving the RCA, he taught at Maidstone College of Art, University of Iowa in 1964, University of Colorado, Boulder in 1965, University of California, Los Angeles from 1966 to 1967 and then at the University of California, Berkeley in 1967.

In 1946 he moved to LA where he was inspired to make a series of paintings of swimming pools in an acrylic medium using vibrant colours. He also captured the local surroundings of his hometown Yorkshire by painting the countryside in both oils and watercolours. Hockney has experimented with painting, drawing, printmaking, watercolours, photography, and many other media including a fax machine, paper pulp, computer applications and iPad drawing programs. The subject matter of interest ranges from still lifes to landscapes, portraits of friends, his dogs, and stage designs for the Royal Court Theatre, Glyndebourne, and the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.

From 1999 to 2001 Hockney used a camera lucida for his research into art history as well as his own work in the studio. He created over 200 drawings of friends, family, and himself using this antique lens-based device.

Hockney explored printmaking and in 1976–77 Hockney created The Blue Guitar, a suite of 20 etchings, each utilising Crommelynck’s techniques and filled with references to Picasso. The frontispiece to the suite mentions Hockney’s dual inspiration; “The Blue Guitar: Etchings By David Hockney Who Was Inspired By Wallace Stevens Who Was Inspired By Pablo Picasso”. The etchings refer to themes in a poem by Wallace Stevens, The Man with the Blue Guitar. 

Joiners

Hockney began to produce photo collages in the early 1980’s, which in his early explorations within his personal photo albums, he referred to as ‘joiners.’ He first used Polaroid prints and subsequently 35mm, commercially processed colour prints. Using Polaroid snaps or photolab-prints of a single subject, Hockney arranged a patchwork to make a composite image, which presented different perspectives and angles, similarly to cubism, because the photographs were taken at slightly different perspectives and at different times. One of Hockney’s major aims was discussing the way human vision works, which he explored through cubism. Some pieces are landscapes, such as Pearblossom Highway #2, others portraits including Kasmin 1982; and My Mother, Bolton Abbey, 1982.

The creation of the ‘joiners’ occurred accidentally, when he noticed in the late 1960’s that photographers were using cameras with wide-angle lenses. He did not like these photographs because they looked somewhat distorted. While working on a painting of a living room and terrace in Los Angeles, he took Polaroid shots of the living room and glued them together, not intending for them to be a composition on their own. On looking at the final composition, he realised it created a narrative, as if the viewer moved through the room. He began to work more with photography after this discovery, stopping painting for a while to pursue this new technique exclusively.

However over time, he discovered what he could not capture with a lens, saying: “Photography seems to be rather good at portraiture, or can be. But, it can’t tell you about space, which is the essence of landscape. For me anyway. Even Ansel Adams can’t quite prepare you for what Yosemite looks like when you go through that tunnel and you come out the other side.” Frustrated with the limitations of photography and its ‘one-eyed’ approach, he returned to painting.

His Work

Joiners-

Paintings-

Analysis of 1 Photograph and 1 Painting

This collage consists of multiple Polaroid images all taken at slightly different angles and at slightly different times and they are then pieced together in an abstract way, similar to cubism (joiners). The Polaroids in this image use natural lighting coming in from the outdoors through the door in the background. There are also high levels of control in these photographs, as Hockney has manipulated the angle and timing of which he has taken the photos. He also has high levels of control when piecing together the Polaroids, so he could create a unique arrangement each time. Each Polaroid presents contrast between the one arranged next to it, as they display a slightly different setting/object at a slightly different angle/ perspective.

There are a range of different colours in this ‘joiner,’ including the blue background, the green and brown in the background of the outdoors Polaroid, white, red, yellow, blue and pink, in all different shades and tones. There are also lots of light and dark tones throughout this image due to the natural sunlight shining through the backdoor, compared to the more shaded indoor Polaroids. Some different textures can also be seen through the images, due to the texture of the outdoors and the objects, such as the blanket indoors.

There are lots of different Polaroids, which are all square shape, which are pieced together to create a new unique form each time they are arranged and rearranged, which presents a range of different perspectives and angles in doing so. The main viewpoint in the image is the old lady sat on the chair in the centre and foreground of the frame. The overlapping of images also creates a slight depth of surface illusion.

This ‘joiner’ relates the the Art Movement Cubism, as it presents a range of different angles and perspectives in an abstract way. Hockney also used a range of bright colours, which is also common in Synthetic Cubism.

The idea behind this image is also a lot deeper, as the process of taking multiple different images all at different times and different angles and printing them out and then having to arrange them in an aesthetic and unique way takes a lot of time, which I think is symbolised through the old women in the picture, as he often takes images of older people when creating his joiners.

This image contains a range of bright vibrant colours, such as blues, greens, yellows, reds, blacks, whites, oranges, purples and greys in all different shades. This painting is also very abstract, as it displays a range of different angles and perspectives, similarly to cubism, and because of all the bright colours used in this painting it relates to Synthetic Cubism the most. There is also a range of light and dark shades, as well as different warm and cool tones. Hockney has done this to create a depth of surface illusion in the painting, so different angles and perspectives can be viewed.

Hockney also presented a range of different shapes throughout these paintings in order to create a unique form with a range of angles and perspectives, as well as using different textures to do so. To create these different textures he used a range of different brush strokes and artistic techniques. The layout of these shapes and textures creates a depth of surface illusion that leads the viewpoint from the bottom of the canvas to the top of the canvas.

My Inspiration

For my photoshoots I am going to experiment with the ‘joiners,’ by taking multiple photographs at slightly different angles at slightly different times and I am going to print them up, so I can assemble them in a unique form, just how Hockney did.

I am also going to experiment with the notion of time, just how he has in his work, but I am going to do it in a slightly different way, as instead of using elderly people I am going to show the process time has on my family members. For example, I am going to use archive images of my family members and create ‘joiners’ with photographs I take of them now. However, Hockney also took pictures of people he loves, as he wanted to capture his relationships with the people he loved, including men he loved and spent time with and his parents, so I am also going to do the same as I am going to take pictures of my family members (the people I love).

My interpretation of Union is bringing people together, meaning ways that people are brough together, perhaps this could be through the people around them, family, friends or just the small interactions or particular moments that happen – even with people we associate as ‘strangers.’ I feel this is a key aspect that unite us as people, and is what brings one another close together, no matter how well you know the person or scenario. David Hockney explores this this theme throughout his work, uniting people within their environment which could be their home, office, train ride commuting, or hobbies.

I am going to explore Union on a night out. Primarily focusing on my friends and their social interactions they have with one another, ‘strangers,’ as well as myself, – exploring the ways that amuse and entertain us. I am going to follow the process of getting ready, traveling, to the actual night out . I am to capture this like document, showing you the true reality whether good or bad to different perspectives on moments. Capturing this will give this unfiltered, candid photograph expressing the true meaning of how I define Union, through my reality and how I see moments compared to others for example older generations.

Also looking at the environment that surrounds us and how we see interact within it. for examples

• Graffiti
• posters
• how people are dressed
• street wear and style
• emotions
• what stands out
• unusual moments/ out of the ordinary
• Beauty

This all forms and unites different people together as moments are expressed to us through their actions and social interactions to people but also the environment they belong to. Following peoples emotions of people expressed through the way they put on their makeup to getting ready

Editing:

Capturing photos in the dark – on the streets – using street lights, car lights, or a torches will give this unfiltered effect lighting up certain areas, enhancing shadows, whilst also hiding parts that are unlit. This will create unique focal points which expresses that particular moment, showing you moments from various ways.

• Warm lighting, candid style
• Capturing shadows

I am going to edit my photos following David Hockney photo joiners technique. I am greatly inspired by this technique of distorting images which creates fragmented, uneven, imperfect pieces that are rejoined or united together again which is completely different to the original image. This distorts not only the image itself but your response to it as the subject is not obvious, you have to look for it. This visual technique hides but also reveals narratives forming a new kind of reality, as you have to look in-depth to where you see the actual subject.

Experimenting with different ways of collaging photographs, for example sections with missing pieces, edited and slight effect. Overlapping the pieces creates the disjointed and fragmented look, that shows imperfections and dynamic leading lines.

Jean Metzinger: Loose strokes of colour fitted together creating a fragmented effect. Edit my own photos from a similar approach, each one being slightly different in colour, tone, shadows.