As I finally decided what I wanted to do, in order to generate ideas and concepts, I grabbed two pieces of paper and started to write down ideas and things that I had caught inspiration. As seen above, I wrote many ideas, and even made a rough sketch of how I would present certain images and edits. This really helped because it allowed me to have a much more clear idea of what exactly I wanted to do, and how I wanted to do it. It also helped me think about what I was going to photoshoot, where and how. Also, as seen above, this is where I started to gather different artist and concepts into my idea, which allowed me to slowly build my idea and ensure that I knew what I was doing. This planning really helped me understand the concept I was going for and allowed me to have a good start on my project.
The term that I think about when I am considering what I want to do, is UNION. The term union denotates the uniting or joining two or more things together. This term will really help me gather my ideas and inspire me. This will help me understand what I am doing and what I plan to do.
Although my final decision was extremely hard, I am positive that I want to produce a project solely focused on the interconnectedness us humans have with nature. The union of humans and nature. This idea is an idea that I have never thought about. I never thought that us humans were somewhat connected to nature until I researched about it and was majorly surprised. Researching about this fascination really opened my mind to creativity and really caused a reaction within me. It made me start looking at nature in a different way. This new discovery caused me to search for similarities between us and nature and still continues to do so. With this new obsession, I plan to explore this with the term union in mind and plan to show this extraordinary concept in my work and search intently for different ways we are connected to nature.
I want to show the union between humans and nature.
I want my work to impact people; I want to start a reaction. I want people to be shocked and surprised when they find out just how similar we are to nature. I want to create images that show this concept perfectly. I want to actively show all types of examples, examples that are not as common, examples where you must think a little bit to truly understand. I want to also show a mixture of human and nature. Create a piece where nature is part of a human. To show our inner nature.
I plan to produce three types of photoshoots and ideas. These photoshoots and ideas will start to be developed on the beginning of march. The first idea will consist of different photoshoots of different people in a studio with artificial lighting. I will produce portraits of all the different people and take pictures of them at different angles. This will allow me to have flexibility when I edit the images in photoshop. After these images are taken, they are edited and adjusted. I plan to produce multiple photoshoots outside, like the park and a forest, to capture nature, for this idea. I will take images of mostly leaves branches and trees. I plan to merge the portrait of the people whom I will photograph; with the images I will take of nature. I may show this by incorporating nature into the portrait, to make it look like the person is part nature. This will create blurred lines between humans and nature. I can also show a merge by cutting pieces from the photographed face and replacing it with nature. I plan to act on all of these ideas.
My second idea is comparing body parts and features with nature and juxtaposing them. This idea was inspired by Alicja Brodowicz work. Her project ‘visual exercises’ shows a series of body parts complying with nature. An example being the image she produced where she compares a potato with roots coming out of it with a human foot that is crooked. Her work explores the human impact on nature and her concern for the topic. Her aim, by combining nature and humans, is to show that we are interconnected and that our separate existence is impossible. This is something that I also believe in and want to act on, so I plan to produce images with the same structure and ideas as her.
I will produce images in the studio, where I will take pictures of body parts, like skin, stretch mark, hair and scars. I will produce these images in the studio because, with the artificial lighting and set up, it’s much easier to capture textures and patterns of the human body. Now for the images of nature, I will capture the images outside, like the beach, forest, parks and gardens. As they are taken outside, they will be taken in natural lighting which will enhance the beauty of the nature I will capture. After these images are produced, using photoshop, I will create the same format as Alicja Brodowicz did, edit my images in black and white, like she did. This format will most definitely help audiences understand my concept and inspirations.
The idea behind taking images of nature and romanticising it, comes from Edward weston. He often photographed nature and romanticized it by trying to find a deeper form of it which is exactly what I plan to do. Taking images of nature and comparing it to humans, is me trying to show this deeper form of nature.
Moving on, my last idea was something that I thought of myself. Eyes are something that we look at when speaking to someone, without even realizing. We often ignore the beauty of them and forget how important they are; by comparing the eyes to nature and romanticizing human eyes by connecting them to nature will help understand just how linked we are to nature. I plan to do close ups of different coloured eyes. I will get friends who have different coloured eyes and closely photograph their eyes. This will be done in a studio, with artificial lighting so that it ensures that the intrinsic details in the eyes are captured as much as possible so that details aren’t lost. After taking images of the eyes, I will begin to look at different types of nature resources and explore which one is more suitable to each differently coloured eye. These images will be taken outside, like parks, forests, gardens and so much more, so that it captures the natural features of nature. After all the editing and cropping is done, I plan to compare the two. I want the structure to be exactly like the structure of the images I will make where I will compare human body parts with nature.
All of the editing, cropping and enhancements will be done in photoshop and Lightroom. I plan to use photoshop to experiment with my images and create final products. I will also use Lightroom to crop and edit my images to produce final outcomes.
I believe that the image’s that I have produced in response to my 2 Case Studies, Edwards Weston and Alicja Brodowicz, are very accurate to their work. For an example, Edwards work is in black and white which consists the humanization of things like fruits and vegetables. He manipulated his photographs in a way that he gave the things he was photographing, human like features. In this aspect, I think that I powerfully portrayed this in my images. For an example, I photographed trees that have human like feature and manipulated human hands to look like a world. The use of black and white in my images also shows an inspiration. Things I could’ve improved in my response is using fruits and vegetables like Weston does. This would allow me to portray the full inspiration I had through his work.
Now when it comes to my response to Alicja Brodowicz work, I can strongly say that there is clear inspiration. The use of comparison of two images, shows that inspiration I got from Brodowicz. The use of black and white also shows this. Alicja Brodowicz creates images where she compares nature to humans and shows how similar the human species are to nature. Her whole project show a diverse set of human features and compares it to the beauty of nature. It shows that we are imperfectly perfect, like nature. However, I could improve my response by showing a more diverse set of human features to ensure inclusivity and variation just like Brodowicz work.
Alicja Brodowicz, born in Krakow, Poland, is a growing photographer, who is renowned for her fine art and subjective documentary photography. She studied at Universiteit Utrecht in the Netherlands where he pursued studies in English literature and then she would later graduate from the institute of creative photography at the Silesian university in Opava, Czech Republic. She was extremely talented and continues to be. This is proven because we can look throughout her career and notice that she has been finalist and laureate in several photography competitions, including the photo annual awards in the Czech Republic, The IRIS award in Australia and the international photography awards in USA. In the Portrait category of the black and white child photo competition, she secured first place.
Her incredible photographic work has a repetition of exploring the connection between the human body and nature. One of her most fascinating projects, was her project called ‘Visual elements’ where she hunts for the similarities between humans and nature. In this project she combines images of human features or body parts with nature which illustrates the linkage of humanity and environment. It is said that she believes that the imperfections of natural elements and human forms add to their unique beauty. Her work highlights the evident juxtaposition in form and textures, which emphasize the interconnectedness of nature and humans. She states, ‘I photograph the human body’ the microcosm’, she says ‘its fragments, hair, scars, textures of skin, wrinkles. I am interested in individual particularities; I look for distinguishing features and irregularities. Imperfections are my favourites’.
Although her work might not look like it brings awareness to the human impact on nature, it most certainly does. She comments ‘The older I grow, the more intense this desire is. It is also the expression of my growing concern for the environment and the human impact on it. By combining images of the human body and elements of nature I am trying to show that we are interconnected, and our separate existence is impossible’. This clearly show how her work isn’t showing the fascination between the connection of humans and nature, It’s so much more.
Another project which she is famously known for is her project called ‘self-portrait Diary’. In this project she captures everyday objects which hold personal significance which creates a visual diary where she reflects her personal life experiences.
Although it does not look like it, her work relates to romanticism through its emotional depth and intimate connection to nature. The pairing of human and nature reflects the romantic idea of humans and nature being deeply connected. Her images, highlight vulnerability, texture and the quiet beauty which foreshadows the romantic search for the sublime in the ordinary.
Edward Weston, born on March 24, 1886, and died on January 1, 1958, was a famous American photographer who was called “one of the most innovative and influential American photographers”. Over his 40-year career, he photographed a diverse set of subjects, including subjects like, still life, landscapes, nudes, genre scenes, portraits and so much more. He received a Guggenheim fellowship (he was the first ever photographer given a fellowship like that). With the fellowship, he used it to travel around the American west, photographing its beautiful landscapes and it also allowed him explore his fascination with still life and over the next two years; after receiving his fellowship, he created nearly 1,400 negatives, which he did so with his 8 x 10 view camera.
Weston was born in Chicago and moved to California when he was the age of 21. At an early age, Weston knew he wanted to be a photographer, and his work started off as a soft focus on pictorialism, which was popular at that time. After a few years, he ditched that style and progressed to be one of the biggest champions of detailed photographic images. He progressed to produce images that focused on the clean lines, sharp details and natural beauty seen in everyday forms.
Weston helped define modern photography in the 20th century and he was known for his zoomed in approach to organic forms like bell peppers, nudes and shells. These images that he produced were heavily rich in detail, textures and shapes. It was said that he believed that photography should show things as they are but have this clarity of something deeper within.
He stated, “The camera should be used for a recording of life, for rendering the very substance and quintessence of the thing itself.”
He spent time in Mexico in the 1920s, where he photographed and worked with Tina Modotti. This was a major turning point. This time spent in Mexico allowed him to gain more confidence and inspiration, especially in people and landscape. In 1932, he helped found the Group f/64 with other photographers like the famous Ansel Adams. This Change promoted photography, which was sharp, pure and honest. It was free from any illusion and manipulation.
Many of his works, followed certain movements like modernism and romanticism. A lot of his work had inspiration and traces of romanticism especially when he photographed nature and where he researched for a deeper form within. His close-up photographs of bell peppers, nudes and landscaped, provoked awe, a sense of sublime and intimacy which was what made his work so influential. Even though, Weston did not idealize nature and saw it in a romantic way, he simply made ordinary into extraordinary which often revealed hidden and overlooked beauty.
Sadly, Weston was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease in 1947 and stopped taking images but his influence never stopped and neither did his success. He spent the remaining 10 years of his life overseeing the printing of more than 1,000 of his popular images. Many of his works still inspire many, one of them being ‘the daybooks of Edward Weston’. His prints also inspire photographers and artists which itself proves how Edward was an influential man
Romanticism: A perspective characterised by works like literature painting, criticism, architecture, music, and historiography from the late 18th to the mid-19th century.
With the tendency of it being portrayed as a landscape with a “moody” atmosphere. Romanticism is more subjective especially the subjectivity of the artist feelings rather than an objective like concept which remains as a record for the observable world.
Examples: (referring to romanticism in other art forms)
Definition of sublime and picturesque
Sublime: the understanding of the quality of greatness that brings out wonder and awe. From the 17th century, the idea and the feelings it inspired have helped been a type of source of creativity for writers and artists especially in terms of natural landscape.
Picturesque: an aware influence of Nature which creates foregrounds, middle grounds, and backgrounds which can help highlight a number of provocative formal elements.
Who was involved in the movement:
1. Ivan Aivazovsky (1817–1900)
Contribution to Romanticism: He was a Russian Romantic artist, who was famous for his extraordinary and dramatic seascapes which captured the power that sublime holds and emotion that the ocean brings. His work, like The Ninth Wave, connected with the incredible force of nature, which is a key theme in Romanticism. His innovative use of colour, light, and movement in depicting storms, tranquil seas and shipwrecks, brought out nature’s uncertain power, provoking intense and emotional responses from viewers.
2. Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902)
Contribution to Romanticism: This artist was known for his unreal and expansive illustrations of the American West. His work mostly consisted of landscapes and one of his most famous works was, The Rocky Mountains, Lander’s Peak, influenced by the wilderness and spiritual power of the natural world, which is also a key feature of Romanticism.
3. William Blake (1757–1827)
Contribution to Romanticism: Blake, who was an incredible poet and artist, was a fundamental figure in the Romantic movement. His art and poetry was often personal, visionary and mystical. His pieces like Songs of Innocence and Experience allowed this combination of striking imagery alongside deep spiritual and philosophical themes.
4. Arnold Böcklin (1827–1901)
Contribution to Romanticism: This artist was known for his symbolist and mystical approach to art. His works regularly showed dreamlike and haunting like scenes, such as Isle of the Dead, where there was themes of death, supernatural and isolation explored. Böcklin’s work embodied the Romantic attraction with the mysterious and sublime.
5. Rosa Bonheur (1822–1899)
Contribution to Romanticism: Bonheur was French animal painter who seized the raw power and beauty of animals, especially horses. She was famous for her work The Horse Fair which portrayed an emotional and energetic scene which highlighted both the vitality of animals and the human connection to nature.
6. Antonio Canova (1757–1822)
Contribution to Romanticism: Although Canova’s work was classed as Neoclassicism, his highlight in emotion and the romanticised human form shaped the Romantic movement. His sculptures, like Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss, trigger deep emotions using sensual forms and narrative drama, which would in the future be absorbed by Romanticisms attention on emotion, beauty and individualism.
7. Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900)
Contribution to Romanticism: Church was a member of the Hudson River School, and he produced landscapes, like The Heart of the Andes, which stressed the inspiring beauty of the natural world. He often captured large and sweeping views of untouched landscapes, promoting the sublime in nature and portraying the romantic fascination towards nature’s power.
8. Thomas Cole (1801–1848)
Contribution to Romanticism: Cole, founder of the Hudson River School, is considered to be one of the most meaningful, figures in American Romanticism. His paintings, like The Oxbow, regularly juxtapose the wild beauty of the American wilderness with the invading idea of civilization. Using his landscapes, Cole investigated themes like nature’s purity vs human development. His work celebrated the romantic celebration of nature’s beauty and power, but he also reflected the dangers of industrialization and urbanization. He was way ahead of his time.
