For the theme of union, I first thought of things such as relationships and friendships, however after doing research I may focus on one of the isms. I may also look at things like collages and the union of different objects creating a new piece. To get a deeper understanding of the word ‘union’, I have created a list of all similar words, this will hopefully also inspire new ideas.
Union:the action of joining together or the fact of being joined together, especially in a political context.
Here are some other words for union which inspire me:
The Aesthetic Movement in Britain (1860 – 1900) aimed to escape the ugliness and materialism of the Industrial Age, by focusing instead on producing art that was beautiful rather than having a deeper meaning – ‘Art for Art’s sake’.
Pictorialism:
For the pictorialist, a photograph, like a painting, drawing or engraving, was a way of projecting an emotional intent into the viewer’s realm of imagination. Pictorialism as a movement thrived from about 1885 to 1915, although it was still being promoted by some as late as the 1940s.
Romanticism:
Romanticism began towards the end of the 18th century and was a reaction to the industrial revolution. It emphasises on emotion and the sublime (great beauty) within nature.
Union in Relationships
Another idea I had for the theme of union is the union of people, the idea of relationships and friendships.
Collages
After doing research and looking for ideas of what to produce for the theme of union I thought of collages, combining images. I thought of this as it is something I have done in a previous project in response to the theme of Anthropocene.
’A Literary or artistic style that seeks to capture a feeling or experience rather than to achieve accurate depiction.’
– Oxford dictionary.
History –
Sunrise, Claude Monet, 1872.
With its origins found in paintings from France in the 1860s, the movement was intended as a visual impression of what was in the moment, altering what was present such as light and colour to the artists own choice or interpretation. Founding artists of the movement included the likes of Claude Monet and others like Pierre Renoir, Alfred Sisley and Frederick Bazille. Being unique in its approach to art, it was initially critiqued as in contrast to other art movements at the time such as Romanticism and Realism which were detailed in depicting reality accurately, Impressionism differed in its fast brushstrokes and unfinished sketch feel.
Impressionism – ‘The Skiff’, Pierre-Augusta Renoir, 1875. + Realism – ‘Self Portrait at an Early Age’, Rembrandt, 1628.
Applied within photography –
With photography’s essential purpose to capture details accurately, Impressionism within photography is difficult to be applied however with the practice of impressionist paintings being performed spontaneously and within a moment I find it can be associated to the ‘snap-shot’ style of photography, were capturing memorable points in time or a ‘decisive moment’ as street-photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson states can be an art form in itself.
‘Tarascon, France’, Henri Cartier-Bresson, 1959.
To replicate the unfinished and hastily constructed aesthetic of Impressionism paintings within photography, slow shutter speeds and a direct centre focus on the scene are the common practice found within Impressionist photography. Using the camera like a paintbrush, an impressionist photograph can create a hazy blurred effect, similar to what we associate with picturing something in like a dream-like state.
Moodboard:
With Impressionism being a modern concept for its time, I find its relevance as a unique art form still is present today in a variety of applicable uses. With most frequent I have seen be in the form of branded fashion advertising, Album covers and contemporary photo projects of young photographers.
Fashion advertising: Carrhart WIP magazine –
Album Covers: Daniel Caesar –
Canadian artist Daniel Caesar makes use of a surrealist style of photography with his 2 albums.
Case Study 01, 2019 –
Never Enough, 2023 –
Contemporary young photographers: Finn Flint –
Instagram: Finnflint –
Within his social media page, Finn flint creates a merge of impressionist and social-realist images that merge in a creative aesthetic.
Impressionism – Artist Study:
Kyohyun Nam –
’Impressionism was formed in the late 19th century, just when photography was starting to find its place in the world. Impressionist paintings can sometimes give the effect of motion. These artworks portray a feeling than a clear or crisp likeness.’
– Lomography website, interview with Kyohyun.
Kyohyun Nam, a South Korean photographer, first tried long-exposure photography from the suggestion of his wife when talking about the Impressionist Artist, Claude Monet. Using his camera he has since been able to capture moments of an atmosphere, in a similar manner through photography.
‘I thought, “Could I create photos that resemble Monet’s paintings? And if so, how?” The idea of using long-exposure photography came to mind. I realized I could use the movement and vibrations of my hand to render light in a way that mimics oil or watercolor paintings. As a result, I was able to create painterly photographs.’
– Kyohyun Nam.
To create his photographs, Kyohyun uses a 50mm lens with an ISO of 100. With the long exposures of light on his images, he makes use of filters to compensate for the large amount. With his images usually taken on the go and of random people, I find his work can conform to other photography elements I’m familiar with, such as Street-photography.
Kyohyun Nam Moodboard:
Image Analysis:
Visual –
The visual elements of this photograph can be seen within the colour of this image. With hints of blue, beige and a small amount of green standing out from the blackish-brown darker colour they seem to blend in a wave-like motion, such as with a painting. Tone within this changes between light and dark areas with the centre and right sections of the image slowly bleeding into the darker tones on the left. With the subjects silhouette faintly outlined and recognisable from the bright colours worn, they are given some separation to paint-like texture of the background. Centred in the middle of the camera, the composition is given a balanced feeling despite the contrast of the light and darker colour and tone.
Technical –
The lighting of Kyohyun Nam’s work often is taken in bright natural light such, with golden area producing a rich and colourful sort of light, it is seen her to be effective in creating a deep tonal range of shadow and light areas of the image. With a Lens size of around 50mm within his images, the aperture of his images are often wide to create the unfocussed and blurred depth of field throughout his long-exposures. To create this effect, he uses a longer shutter speed to create more motion blur. With a moderately high ISO of about 100, this is what creates the light hints yet also the subtle grain textures of the image, which to me creates a vintage image effect which is usually associated to memories which his hazy images are similar to. Lastly, his images have a warm temperature which I find helps add to bring out the colour of the image.
Contextual –
Based of the paintings of Monet, Kyohyun Nam aims to replicate the visual appearance of his work through photography. Travelling around the world, his intention behind his work to create his art on the go such as how impressionist paintings did so when creating their art pieces.
Conceptual –
inspired by the impressionist artist Claude Monet, Kyohyun Nam’s work was based from the thought if photography could replicate the hazy day-dream like qualities that his paintings make people feel. With his work falling into the category of Impressionist photography, I find it also can be a branch of street photography with the Kyoyun’s images being taken whilst exploring towns and cities.
What is Social realism?
‘The realistic depiction in art contemporary life, as a means or political comment.’
– Oxford Dictionary
History:
’Wounded American soldier’, 1918. + ‘Women Workers’, Margaret Bourke-White, 1943.
Social Realism as a movement saw its beginnings between the two World Wars. This came at the response to the build up of social and political turmoil and hardships of the time. Within this time, artists turned to realism as a way for art to be easily accessible and able to be seen by the wider public. Within social realist art, the anonymous everyday person became the subject, being presented in a symbolic sense of persistence and strength in the face of adversity. With subjects often being in the poor conditions and in the working class, the art aimed to challenge the systems of responsibility such as the government and society.
Artists such as Jacob Riis photographed the poverty and poor conditions of those within the American class. His work contributed massively to the cause of urban reform within the United States at the turn of the 20th century. Other artists included Walker Evans, who documented the American life spanning the years of the Great Depression in areas deeply effects such as agricultural lands in Alabama to the busy and crowded streets of New York.
‘How the other half lives’ NYC, Jacob Riis, 1890. + ‘Woman in Cloche Hat and Pedestrians, Fulton Street, New York City’, Walker Evans, 1929.
Moodboard:
Nowadays social realism remains rigid to its origins of documentation of life, however with the emergence of mobile phones and social media, it has seen a significant increase in people participating in photographing what goes on around us. With social media able to capture and document everything within a persons lifetime, social realism has been adapted into unique sub-genres amongst generations to conform to individual artistic choices.
Examples of this I find can, again, be found in fashion magazines who are representative of a diverse age range, documentary films and again also contemporary artists.
Fashion advertising: Carrhart WIP magazine –
Carhartt WIP gives underground artists such as ‘Jail time records’ a platform within the global community of art appreciation. Being a record label formed within a Cameroon jail cell, challenges the norm of how and where music can be made.
Documentary film-making: Sisters-in-law –
Documentary films such as Kim Longinotto’s ‘Sisters-In-Law’ shows the real societal issues faced by women due to cultural traditions clashing with modern societal values within the underdeveloped Kumba Town, in Cameroon.
Contemporary artists: Barklem Biggs –
Actor Barklem Biggs documents the behind the scenes of his time with his fellow cast mates of SAS Rogue heroes. This to me shows the often undocumented moments of making other form of art such as cinema and television.
Jake Chessum, ‘Normand Anderson aka broadcaster Normski’, 1992.
Sean Ellis, ‘My Beautiful medieval fantasy, The dark knight returns’, 1998.
Social-Realism – Artist Study:
Robert LeBlanc –
’Supported by Fahey/Klein Gallery and the adventurous spirit of Arc’teryx, LeBlanc’s body of work is a harmonious collaboration between artistic vision and wanderlust. In the realms of Tin Lizards, dreams collide with reality, memories are etched in silver halides, and the world becomes a canvas for contemplation and wonder. This body of work invites us to embark on a poignant voyage, one where the soul of the country reveals itself through the gentle embrace of train travel and the monochromatic magic of the photographic lens.’
– Tin Lizards, LeBlanc Website
Based in Los Angeles, Robert LeBlanc is a self-taught documentary photographer who first got into photography with in 2003, by using a 35mm point-and-shoot to share and document skate culture. Since then, LeBlanc has become dedicated in capturing and documenting day-to-day life. His first work to do such was ‘Unlawful Conduct’, a documentary photobook, covering 6 years of “a beautiful dark view of the modern world around us”. This book has since been released in a book worldwide, including some notable places such as MoMa PS1 Bookstore and the Frye MUSUEM store.
LeBlanc’s projects, such as ‘Moon Dust’ embody the idea of social realism through captivating images of the often overlooked moments and people within society. As his website states “His projects capture non-traditional communities, including hotshot firefighters, hurricane survivors, and Holiness snake handlers. Through raw, unguarded images, he offers a glimpse of daily life into otherwise rarely-pictured social spaces”.
With LeBlanc’s project, ’Tin Lizards’ similar in aesthetic to another social realist photographer I have studied, Robert Frank and his project ‘The Americans’. I have found an interest into the modernistic approach Le Blanc has taken on producing his own work, yet still seeming to have the same premise of documenting the unseen segments of America.
’Tin Lizards’, 2023, Robert LeBlanc.
In comparison to:
‘The Americans’, 1958, Robert Frank.
Overall, I find that Robert LeBlancs is an interesting artist to study as through his unique approach to documenting often ignored elements of society, there is a creative and individualistic aesthetic to what he aims to create. As his website quotes, “In a time of great social upheaval and escalating environmental consequences, his work contributes to a broader understanding of the contemporary human experience”.
Image Analysis:
Visual:
With black white images being a common staple of social realist photography, LeBlanc’s images follow in this aesthetic. With a large contrast in tone between the bright store and the dark unseen surroundings, I find this creates a contrastive balance of tones which highlights the persons silhouette in the foreground. The texture of the image features a variety of different surfaces from the rainy streets to the clean and store. Photographed at angle, the store creates a spacious form, with room for details of the environment to be captured, in contrast to this however the blurry figure creates a sense of mystery to the image.
Technical:
Capturing the image through the illumination of the fluorescent store lights, LeBlanc makes use of his environment to create an engaging composition. Featuring a wide angle, another common practice in social realism, Le Blanc’s image has a combined aperture of both motion blur and a sharp focus. This is achieved by a slow shutter speed to collect form details on the static elements such as the street and building VS the moving elements such as the blurred figure. The image also has a low ISO which is shown through its clarity.
Contextual:
In a magazine where LeBlanc’s project ‘Tin Lizards’ is featured. He incapsulates the spirit of his project as being similar to that of travelling hobos and their boundless journeys of free exploration: “This is the dream of hobos and artists hopping on the empty carts and travelling forever on the ‘freedom highway’ of Woody Guthrie, moving through the Heartland that pierced our imagination of wonder, courage and insanity, capitalism at its best and worst shining the clickity-clacks of the carts – ‘Gaps in the rail to allow for thermal expansion’”.
Conceptual:
I find that LeBlanc’s work is applicable to the social realist genre of photography as his image are similar, in concept to that other social-realist photographers such as Robert Frank. In addition to this, this image in particular creates the same aesthetic of the ‘New Topographics’, which aimed to show the extent of Americans rapid industrialisation leaving other areas neglected or abandoned.
Artist Comparisons:
Between both my artists, I find that despite their different styles they both feature similar elements. With one similarity being the use of motion blur. As seen in these artworks, both are used to convey motion, whether it be someone quickly walking or trees passing from the window of a train.
Kyohyun Nam
Robert LeBlanc
One difference however can be seen with the subject focus, with LeBlanc focusing on the subject of travel and America’s unseen locations. This differs to Nam who instead focuses on individuals as his subject, capturing them in a bright and contrasting unfinished look such as with Monet’s impressionist paintings. Despite this however, both can be seen as a form of documentative photography in a way, capturing a person, place or moment in time, either artistically or candidly.
he word “Renaissance” comes from the French term for “rebirth.” It refers to a period of cultural, artistic, intellectual, and economic revival that took place in Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries, following the Middle Ages.
International Gothicism
International Gothic is an artistic style that developed in Europe during the late 14th and early 15th centuries. It was characterized by elegance, detailed ornamentation, and a blend of realism and idealism. The style spread across different regions, including Italy, France, England, Germany, and the Netherlands, through cultural exchanges among courts and artists.
Classicism
Classicism refers to an artistic, literary, and architectural style inspired by the principles of Ancient Greek and Roman art. It emphasizes harmony, proportion, balance, and simplicity, rejecting excessive ornamentation in favor of rational, structured beauty.
Secularism
Secularism is the principle of separating religion from government, politics, and other public affairs. It advocates for independence from religious influence in social, cultural, and legal matters, promoting a society where decisions and policies are based on reason, science, and humanistic values rather than religious doctrines.
Monumentalism
Monumentalism refers to an architectural and artistic style characterized by large-scale, impressive, and monumental structures or artworks that convey a sense of power, permanence, and grandeur. This style often evokes awe, symbolizing significance, authority, or historical importance.
Humanism
Humanism is a philosophical and cultural movement that emphasizes the value, dignity, and agency of human beings. Rooted in the ideas of ancient Greece and Rome, humanism advocates for the importance of reason, ethics, and justice over reliance on divine authority, and celebrates the potential for human progress through knowledge, art, and creativity.
Idealism
Idealism is a philosophical theory that emphasizes the importance of the mind, ideas, or consciousness in shaping the nature of reality. It asserts that the ultimate nature of reality is fundamentally mental, immaterial, or spiritual rather than physical. According to idealism, the world is largely or entirely dependent on the mind for its existence and structure.
Perspectivism
Perspectivism is a philosophical view that suggests truth and knowledge are not absolute but are influenced by individual perspectives. According to perspectivism, what is “true” or “real” depends on the standpoint, experiences, and context of the observer. In other words, all knowledge is relative to the perspective of the person perceiving it.
Illusionism
Illusionism refers to the use of techniques or methods in art, philosophy, or perception that create the appearance of reality or deceive the senses into believing something is true when it is not. In the visual arts, it is often associated with creating images that appear to be real or three-dimensional but are, in fact, representations or tricks of perspective.
Naturalism
Naturalism is a philosophical viewpoint and approach that suggests everything arises from natural causes and laws, and that nature (the physical world) is all that exists. In this perspective, human beings, society, and events are all part of a natural world governed by laws of nature, and phenomena should be understood through empirical observation, scientific investigation, and reason.
Naturalism is often contrasted with supernatural explanations, asserting that there is no need to appeal to divine or mystical forces to explain the world.
Mannerism
Mannerism is an artistic style that emerged in the late Renaissance (approximately 1520-1600) as a reaction against the harmony, proportion, and idealized forms of the earlier High Renaissance, particularly the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael. While it maintained some classical influences, mannerism is characterized by a deliberate artificiality, exaggeration of forms, and an emphasis on elegance and unnatural poses, often leading to compositions that seemed more expressive and stylized than realistic.
Mannerism was a way for artists to explore new forms of artistic expression, emphasizing creativity and emotional depth over the clarity and naturalism of the Renaissance.
Modernism
Modernism is a broad cultural, artistic, and intellectual movement that emerged in the late 19th century and reached its peak in the early to mid-20th century. It was characterized by a deliberate break from traditional forms and an embrace of new ways of thinking, creating, and interpreting the world. Modernism sought to reflect the rapid changes in society, technology, and culture, and it often questioned established norms and conventions. It is marked by experimentation, individualism, and a focus on modern life.
Fauvism
Fauvism was an early 20th-century art movement that emphasized bold color and expressive brushwork over naturalistic representation. The term “Fauvism” comes from the French word “fauves”, meaning “wild beasts,” a nickname given by a critic to the group of artists who were known for their radical use of color and non-traditional approach to painting.
Fauvism was short-lived, lasting roughly from 1904 to 1910, but it had a significant impact on the development of modern art, especially in its break from Impressionism and the early exploration of abstraction.
Primitivism
Primitivism is an art and cultural movement that emerged primarily in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, characterized by a fascination with what was perceived as “primitive” art, culture, and aesthetics. It sought to escape the complexities of modern industrial society by turning to simpler, more “natural” forms of expression, often associated with non-Western or indigenous cultures.
Primitivism was not a single, cohesive movement, but rather a set of ideas and influences that shaped the work of various artists, writers, and musicians, particularly in the wake of modernism and the breakdown of traditional cultural norms.
Expressionism
Expressionism is an artistic movement that originated in the early 20th century, primarily in Germany, and is characterized by an emphasis on emotional experience rather than physical reality. It sought to express the inner feelings, subjectivity, and emotional states of the artist, often through distorted, exaggerated forms and vibrant, intense colors. Expressionism became a major force in various forms of art, including painting, literature, theater, film, and architecture.
Cubism
Cubism is one of the most revolutionary art movements of the early 20th century, pioneered by artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque in Paris around 1907-1914. It radically changed the traditional approach to perspective, form, and representation in art by breaking objects and subjects down into geometric shapes and abstracted forms. Cubism rejects the conventional way of depicting the world through a single viewpoint and instead explores multiple viewpoints and perspectives simultaneously.
Futurism
Futurism was an avant-garde art movement that emerged in Italy in the early 20th century (around 1909), emphasizing themes of modernity, technological advancement, movement, and the energy of the industrial world. It sought to break away from the past and embrace the future, celebrating dynamism, speed, machine culture, and the transformation of society in the wake of industrialization.
Dadaism
Dadaism, or Dada, was an avant-garde art movement that emerged during World War I around 1916 in Zurich, Switzerland. It was born out of a reaction to the brutality and senselessness of the war, as well as the widespread disillusionment with traditional values in art, culture, and society. Dadaism was characterized by its rejection of logic, rationality, and aesthetic convention, and it sought to challenge established norms by embracing absurdity, nonsense, and irrationality.
The movement was not just about creating art but also about questioning the very idea of what art should be. It included a wide range of creative expressions, such as visual art, poetry, performance, theater, and even manifestos.
Suprematism
Suprematism is an abstract art movement that was founded by Kazimir Malevich in Russia in 1915. It focuses on basic geometric forms, particularly squares, circles, lines, and rectangles, and aims to convey pure artistic feeling through these forms. The movement is characterized by its emphasis on non-representational art, meaning it does not seek to depict real-world objects or figures but instead focuses purely on form and color. Malevich coined the term “Suprematism” to express the supremacy of pure feeling in art, free from the constraints of the external world.
Constructivism
Constructivism was an art movement that emerged in Russia in the early 20th century, primarily after the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was a highly influential avant-garde movement that emphasized abstraction, geometric forms, and the integration of art and life. Constructivism rejected traditional forms of artistic expression, such as painting for its own sake, in favor of creating functional works of art that could serve a social or political purpose. Artists involved in Constructivism sought to use art to shape the new society emerging after the revolution, creating works that were industrial, functional, and accessible to the masses.
Neo-Plasticism
Neo-Plasticism, also known as the De Stijl movement, was an abstract artistic style founded in 1917 by Dutch artists Piet Mondrian and Theo van Doesburg. It is characterized by the use of geometric shapes, particularly rectangles and squares, and a limited color palette of primary colors (red, blue, yellow), black, white, and gray. The goal of Neo-Plasticism was to express universal harmony and order through the reduction of art to its most basic elements—lines, shapes, and colors—in order to transcend individual subjectivity and convey universal truth.
Surrealism
Surrealism was an influential avant-garde movement in the arts and literature that emerged in the early 1920s. It is best known for its exploration of the unconscious mind, dreams, and irrational or fantastical imagery. Surrealism sought to challenge the conventional boundaries of reality and art, breaking away from logical or rational thought to tap into the subconscious, drawing on the dream world and psychological states. The movement had a profound impact on visual arts, literature, theater, film, and even politics.
Spatialism
Spatialism is an artistic movement that emerged in the late 1950s, closely related to the development of modern abstract art, particularly focusing on the perception of space in visual art. It was largely influenced by the broader movements of Abstract Expressionism and Kinetic Art, but with a unique emphasis on how space and dimensions interact within the artwork itself.
The term “Spatialism” was coined by Lucio Fontana, an Argentine-Italian artist, who is widely regarded as the movement’s founder and key figure. Fontana was fascinated by the idea of breaking through the limitations of the two-dimensional canvas and creating a sense of depth, movement, and spatial awareness within his works.
Abstract Expressionism
Abstract Expressionism was a major art movement that emerged in the United States in the 1940s and dominated the art world during the 1950s. It is characterized by spontaneous, emotional, and non-representational art, focusing on the act of painting itself, rather than traditional subject matter. The movement is often seen as a way for artists to explore personal emotions, freedom, and individual expression through bold, abstract forms and gestures.
Social Realism
Social Realism is an artistic movement that emerged in the early 20th century, particularly during the Great Depression in the United States, but also spread globally. It is characterized by the representation of everyday life, often focusing on the lives of working-class people, the oppressed, and the marginalized. The movement’s goal was to shed light on social issues, economic inequality, and political struggles, while encouraging social change through the power of art.
After googling photography within unionism, many of the results tend to be around weddings or family photos, after reviewing further I have come across different types of unions. For example a page where there is a union of aviation photographers, where they all pile there images together.
The History Of Union
When googling the history of union I am shown historic moments of political unions. For example the sustained trade union, organized among American workers, which began in 1794 with the establishment of the first trade union.
The word “union“ comes from the Latin ūniō, meaning “oneness” or “a single whole.” It is derived from ūnus, meaning “one.”
Therefor the history of the word union would be things joining together as a whole, but in more modern terms is seen within politics and economics, such as a labour union or getting married.
Some Photographers Who Specialise In Labour Union Photography
Lewis Hine (1874–1940): An investigative photographer for the National Child Labor Committee, Hine captured compelling images of child labor in the United States between 1908 and 1924, significantly contributing to social reform efforts.
“Lewis Wickes Hine (September 26, 1874 – November 3, 1940) was an American sociologist and muckraker photographer. His photographs that were taken during times such as the Progressive Era and the Great Depression, which captured the result of young children working in harsh conditions, played a role in bringing about the passage of the first child labor laws in the United States.”
John Kouns (1929–2019): Kouns documented the United Farm Workers movement and the Civil Rights Movement, capturing significant events such as the Delano grape strike and the farm workers’ march from Delano to Sacramento in 1966.
“John Kouns (September 21, 1929 – January 5, 2019) was a photographer and social justice activist who played an important role in documenting the United Farm Workers movement and the Civil Rights Movement.”
Some Photographers Who Specialise In Wedding/Relationship Union Photography
Britta Marie Photography.
“Hey there! I’m Britta. I’m a wedding, elopement, family and brand photographer based in Jersey, Channel Islands and frequenting my hometown of Portland, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Capturing connection between people is what makes my heart beat hardest. I document the moments that make timeless memories and beautifully tell a story. I don’t just show up with a camera and shoot, because I want to be more than that for you – I want your photos to be more than just photos to you. Let’s create something meaningful together.”
Sophie Darwin Photography.
“I’m Sophie. Photographer, mum and one half of The Darwins. We all live on Jersey and share our house with Bella, our rather grumpy, but oh so lovable, cat.
I take pictures of people having the very best times. Dancing your heart out on your wedding day, splashing through the waves with your family, exploring in the woods or getting muddy in the garden. Wherever you and your favourites are all together – and being completely and utterly your wonderful selves – then I’ll be there, camera in hand, ready to capture the magic… your magic.”
Some Photographers Who Specialise In Political or National Union Photography
Christina Broom (1862–1939).
Recognized as the UK’s first female press photographer, Broom extensively documented the suffrage movement in the early 20th century. Her work includes images of suffragettes preparing banners for rallies and capturing significant events organized by the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU).
Workers Film and Photo League (1930s).
An organization of filmmakers, photographers, writers, and projectionists in the 1930s United States, dedicated to using visual media for social change. They documented labor strikes, hunger marches, and other worker-related events, producing newsreels and photographs that highlighted the struggles of the working class.
Union can mean multiple different things, for example the European union, or job unions where people join together for better rights. The main union I will be looking at is the act of joining or bringing things together to make a whole. For example, marriage is considered to be the union of two souls.
Words associated?
Merger, Combination, Alliance, Unification, Integritasion, Fusion, Connection and Joining.
Google search ‘Union examples within photography’:
Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement begun in Paris that revolutionized painting and the visual arts, and influenced artistic innovations in music, ballet, literature, and architecture.
Why was it so important?
It revolutionized traditional perspectives in art by breaking objects down into geometric shapes and reassembling them in abstract, fragmented compositions. Cubist paintings often depict multiple viewpoints of the same subject simultaneously, rejecting realistic depth and perspective.
What are the two types of cubism?
Analytical Cubism (1907–1912) – More monochromatic, focusing on deconstructing objects into geometric forms and analyzing them from multiple angles.
Georges Braque (1882–1963) was a French painter, sculptor, and collagist, best known as the co-founder of Cubism alongside Pablo Picasso. His work played a crucial role in the development of modern art, particularly in how we perceive form and perspective.
Early Career: Started as a Fauvist, influenced by artists like Henri Matisse, using bright, bold colors.
Cubism (1907–1914): After seeing Paul Cézanne’s work, he shifted towards geometric abstraction, working closely with Picasso to develop Analytical Cubism (monochromatic, fragmented forms) and later Synthetic Cubism (brighter colors, collage elements).
Innovations: Introduced collage techniques, incorporating newspaper clippings and textured materials into paintings.
Later Career: After World War I, he moved towards a more personal, expressive style, focusing on still lifes and landscapes.
Legacy: His work greatly influenced modern art, paving the way for abstraction.
Houses at L’Estaque (1908) – One of the first true Cubist paintings.
Violin and Candlestick (1910) – A prime example of Analytical Cubism.
Man with a Guitar (1911) – Shows Cubism’s fragmented perspective.
The Portuguese (1911) – Features stenciled letters, a Cubist innovation.
Who was Pablo Picasso?
Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, and co-founder of Cubism. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, constantly reinventing artistic styles throughout his long career.
Early Years: Showed exceptional talent from a young age, attending art schools in Spain before moving to Paris in 1904.
Blue & Rose Periods (1901–1906): Early works focused on melancholic themes (The Old Guitarist) before transitioning to warmer, circus-inspired paintings (Garçon à la pipe).
Cubism (1907–1914): Alongside Georges Braque, he pioneered Cubism, breaking objects into geometric forms and multiple perspectives (Les Demoiselles d’Avignon).
Surrealism & Political Art (1920s–1930s): Explored more abstract and symbolic themes, creating the famous anti-war painting Guernica (1937).
Later Years (1940s–1973): Continued experimenting with different styles, from ceramics to neoclassical and expressionist paintings.
Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907) – A groundbreaking proto-Cubist painting.
Guernica (1937) – A powerful anti-war mural depicting the bombing of a Spanish town.
The Weeping Woman (1937) – A tragic image of suffering, inspired by Guernica.
How did they create cubism?
Cubism was created by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque between 1907 and 1914 as a radical new way of representing reality. Instead of depicting objects from a single perspective, they broke them down into geometric shapes and showed multiple viewpoints at once. This revolutionized art by rejecting traditional depth, shading, and perspective.
1. Inspiration from Cézanne & African Art (1906–1907)
Paul Cézanne’s paintings, which simplified objects into geometric shapes, influenced Picasso and Braque.
Picasso was also inspired by African tribal masks, which had simplified, abstracted human forms.
This led to Picasso painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907), a proto-Cubist work that shattered traditional perspective.
2. Analytical Cubism (1908–1912) – Breaking Reality into Fragments
Objects were broken down into small, overlapping planes and depicted from multiple angles.
Colors were muted (browns, grays, greens) to focus on form rather than realism.
Example:The Portuguese (Braque, 1911) – A fragmented figure playing a guitar.
3. Synthetic Cubism (1912–1919) – Adding Collage & Color
Introduced brighter colors, simpler shapes, and collage elements (e.g., newspaper, wallpaper).
First use of papier collé (pasted paper), a technique that led to modern collage art.
Example:Still Life with Chair Caning (Picasso, 1912) – Uses real oilcloth to mimic a chair’s texture.
How Did They Create Cubist Paintings?
Simplify objects into geometric forms (cylinders, cubes, spheres).
Depict multiple angles at once—instead of a single viewpoint.
Flatten depth & perspective, making backgrounds and foregrounds blend.
Use fragmented lines & shapes to create an abstract composition.
Add texture and collage elements (in Synthetic Cubism).
Why is cubism important within photography?
Cubism is important within photography because it redefined perspective and composition, influencing modern photography styles like multiple exposure, abstraction, and collage. It challenged the traditional idea that art must represent reality in a straightforward way, inspiring photographers to experiment with form, perspective, and fragmentation.
1. Multiple Perspectives & Fractured Reality
Cubism’s signature technique of showing multiple viewpoints at once inspired photographers to experiment with double exposure, reflections, and composite images.
Example: David Hockney’s “Joiners” (1980s) – Photomontages that reconstruct a scene from multiple angles, similar to a Cubist painting.
2. Collage & Montage Techniques
Synthetic Cubism (1912–1919) used pasted paper and mixed media—this influenced photomontage, where multiple photos are cut and rearranged into a new composition.
Example: Hannah Höch & John Heartfield (Dada artists) – Used Cubist-inspired collage in political and artistic photography.
3. Abstract & Deconstructed Forms
Cubist paintings broke objects into geometric shapes; photographers applied similar deconstruction through lighting, angles, and cropping.
Example: Man Ray (Surrealist photographer) – Used Cubist-inspired distortions and fragmented forms in his work.
4. Breaking Traditional Depth & Perspective
Instead of a single focal point, Cubism flattened the picture plane—this led to experiments with depth in photography, such as extreme close-ups and distorted perspectives.
Example: Alexander Rodchenko (Constructivist photographer) – Used radical angles and compositions, inspired by Cubist ideas.
Here is an Exam Planner that will provide you with framework for you to follow. However, it is paramount that you are proactive and make sure that work is produced on a weekly basis.
Further resources can be found here in our shared folder on the M:drive M:\Radio\Departments\Photography\Students\Yr 13 EXAM 2025
Assessment Objectives
You should provide evidence that fulfils the four Assessment Objectives: AO1 Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding AO2 Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops AO3 Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress AO4 Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements.
Definition in dictionary:
UNION noun: union; plural noun: unions; noun: the Union
the action of joining together or the fact of being joined together, especially in a political context.“he was opposed to closer political or economic union with Europe” Similar: unification uniting joining merging merger fusion fusing
HISTORICAL the uniting of the English and Scottish crowns in 1603, of the English and Scottish parliaments in 1707, or of the parliaments of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801. singular proper noun: Union
a state of harmony or agreement. “they live in perfect union” Similar:unity accord unison unanimity harmony concord agreement concurrence undividedness
a marriage. “their union had not been blessed with children” Similar: marriage wedding partnership pairing alliance match
2. a society or association formed by people with a common interest or purpose. “members of the Students’ Union” Similar: association alliance league guild coalition consortiumcombine syndicate confederation federation confederacy partnership fraternity brotherhood sorority society club group organization trade union
BRITISH an association of independent Churches, especially Congregational or Baptist, for purposes of cooperation. 3. a political unit consisting of a number of states or provinces with the same central government.
the United States, especially from its founding by the original thirteen states in 1787–90 to the secession of the Confederate states in 1860–1.
“California is the fastest growing state in the Union when it comes to urban encroachment” The northern states of the United States which opposed the seceding Confederate states in the American Civil War. singular proper noun: Federal Union; singular proper noun: the Federal Union
South Africa, especially before it became a republic in 1961.
BINARY OPPOSITION
Binary opposition – a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning.
Binary opposition originated in Saussurean structuralist theory in Linquistics (scientific study of language) According to Ferdinand de Saussure, binary opposition is the system by which, in language and thought, two theoretical opposites are strictly defined and set off against one another. Using binary opposites can often be very helpful in generating ideas for a photographic project as it provides a framework – a set of boundaries to work within.
How to start
Read the Exam Paper and Exam Planner thoroughly, especially pages pages 4-5 and page 24-27 which details specific starting points and approaches to the exam theme – make notes! Look up the word in the dictionary, synonyms and etymology (the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history.)
Brainstorm your idea and research artists listed – look also at starting points in other disciplines e.g. Fine Art and Graphic Communication etc.
Begin to gather information, collect images, make a mood-board and mind-map,
Make plans for photoshoots and write a specification.
Produce at least ONE PHOTO-SHOOT over H-Term as a response to tasks listed below and initial research and ideas.
You must show evidence of the above on your blog– complete at least 4-5 blog posts.
Each week you are required to make a photographic response (still-images and/or moving image) that relates to the research and work that you explored in that week. Sustained investigations means taking a lot of time and effort to produce the best you can possibly do – reviewing, modifying and refining your idea and taking more pictures to build up a strong body of work with a clear sense of purpose and direction
Prior to the timed examination you must produce and submit preparatory supporting studies which show why and how the supervised and timed work takes the form it does. You must produce a number of blog posts 15-30 that charts the development of your final piece from conception to completion and must show evidence of:
Development of your thoughts, decisions, research and ideas based on the theme
Record your experiences and observations
Analysis and interpretation of things seen, imagined or remembered
Investigations showing engagement with appropriate primary and secondary sources
Experimentation with materials, processes and techniques
Select, evaluate and develop images/ media further through sustained investigation
Show connections between your work and that of other artists/ photographers
Critical review and reflection
Controlled Exam 15 hrs over three days: (Final Outcome)
This time is for you to fine tune and adjust your final images for print using creative tools in Lightroom/Photoshop and/or complete a final edit of your photobook, film or video in Premiere. Your final outcome(s) must be presented in a thoughtful, careful and professional manner demonstrating skills in presenting work in either window mounts, picture frames, foam-board, and/ or submit pdf of photobook, or embed (from Youtube upload) moving image and video based production to the blog.
IDEAS > INTERPRETATIONS > ARTIST EXAMPLES from pages 4 & 5 in exam booklet
Art movements and isms. Start by exploring some of the avant-garde art movements in the early 20th century, such as CUBISM, FAUVISM, DADAISM, DE STIJL, RUSSIAN CONSTRUCTIVISM, SUPREMATISM, FUTURISM, SURREALISM, EXPRESSIONISM.
SuprematismCubismDadaismSurrealismFuturismFauvism
Expressionism
De Stijl Cubism
Russian Constructivism
Choose one movements and produce a comprehensive blog post where you consider the following:
1. RESEARCH > artists associated with the art movement and produce a moodboard of examples of different art works
2. ANALYSIS > Write a couple of paragraphs where you describe what ‘united’ them? – IDEOLOGY / MEANING > artistic, political, cultural, conceptual – CONTEXT / LEGACY > what inspired the art movement and who in turn have they inspired? – AESTHETICS / STYLE > how something looks > visual language > artistic techniques > pictorial surface
3. ARTISTS CASE STUDIES > select at least one artist associated with movement and produce an in-depth review of their work. Choose one key image and analyse using Photography Vocabulary Support: TECHNICAL > VISUAL > CONTEXTUAL > CONCEPTUAL
4. RESPONSE: Plan and produce a new photoshoot in response to chosen art movement / artists case study.
5. MANIFESTO: Most of the art movements above developed a MANIFESTO which set out the aims and objectives of the movement. You could respond to the ‘rules’ of a manifesto by producing photographic images / artistic responses and work towards writing your own manifesto from which new work is developed. In the spirit of the theme of UNION – a small group of students could collaborate and develop an artistic collective and produce a manifesto See previous A-level photography TASK 1: BREAKING THE RULES and TASK 2: MAKE A MANIFESTO
EXAMPLE:Cubism, a groundbreaking art movement birthed in the early 20th century, fundamentally altered the artistic landscape, introducing a novel perspective on representation and perception. Pioneered by luminaries Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, Cubism sought to challenge the singularity of perspective, advocating for a multifaceted view of subjects. Through the deconstruction of objects into basic geometric forms and their subsequent reassembly, Cubism unveiled a new visual lexicon that emphasised the subject’s essence from diverse viewpoints, thereby questioning the traditional, fixed perspective paradigm.
Influential cubist artists:
Pablo Picasso
George Braques
Juan Gris
Jean Metzinger
Paul Cézanne
Pablo PicassoJuan GrisGeorge Braque
Paul Cézanne, Bibemus Quarry, c.1895
CUBISM’S INFLUENCE ON DAVID HOCKNEY’S ‘JOINERS’
In his joiners, Hockney’s engagement with Cubism is clearly evident, reflecting a deliberate integration of fragmentation and multiple perspectives into a cohesive visual experience. This technique allowed him to weave together distinct snapshots into a unified image that challenges and expands the viewer’s perception. By adopting Cubist principles, Hockney’s joiners break the constraints of space, offering a dynamic and enriched representation of scenes that revisit Cubism’s holistic approach to its subjects.
Learn more about Cubism here and other movements such as Dadaism, Futurism and Surrealism and other avant-garde art movements in the early 20th century.
Experimental filmmaking often overlaps with several of the avant-garde art movements described above. Though typically far less controversial than the most extreme avant-garde efforts, experimental films often confound audiences with their bizarre and boundary-pushing presentation and ideation. Experimental films and the avant-garde movement also sometimes share a penchant for the surreal.
Marina Abramović and Ulay (Frank Uwe Laysiepen) were a collaborative performance duo known for their groundbreaking work in the 1970s and 1980s. After meeting in 1976, the two artists embarked on a twelve-year partnership that produced provocative performances exploring physical endurance, trust, and the artist-audience relationship. Their work together included notable pieces like Rest Energy and Imponderabilia, often testing the limits of their bodies and emotions. In 1988, they ended their relationship with a performance piece titled The Lovers, in which they each walked from opposite ends of the Great Wall of China until they met in the middle to say goodbye. While they pursued separate careers after their separation, their collaborative work continues to be celebrated as seminal in the field of performance art.
THE ARTIST IS PRESENT
The morning that Ulay visited the MoMA, he popped in for a visit with Abramović after 22 years apart. And later on in the day, he surprised her by participating in The Artist is Present. When Abramović opened her eyes to view her next participant and realized it was Ulay, she smiled bashfully. The two former lovers gazed into each others eyes, emotions presumably racing, with Abramović finally reaching across the table to hold his hands. The crowd around them burst into applause and cheers for the reunion of this iconic pair. As Ulay got up and walked away from the table, Abramović wiped tears from her face. The genuinity and emotion of the moment moved audiences around the world and will live on in the hearts of many following his recent passing. To watch their interaction, check out the video below.
RELATION IN SPACE
RELATION IN TIME (1977)
For this performance, Abramović and Ulay had their ponytails tied together, sitting back to back for hours on end. They first sat in that position in the museum without anyone else present (except for a photographer who took the odd photo of the status of their joint ponytail,) and once they got to the point where they could take it no longer, they invited museum visitors to view them. They wanted to see if having an audience could push them to stay longer, and succeeded with one extra hour back to back.
REST ENERGY (1980)
Read more here about the story of Marina Abramovic and Ulay
Martin Toft: INTERVENTIONS – A walk across Europe to Kosovo
INTERVENTIONS was conceived under the influence of war in Europe when NATO decided to intervene in the conflict in the Balkan in 1999. I was watching news bulletins on TV most nights and witnessed both the ethnic cleansing by Milosevic’ troops and the bombing by air by NATO forces. In the guise of a landscape painter (plein air) I began walking through Europe putting myself in the picture as a frontman; my own subjective broadcaster, interpreter and adventurer. I wanted to challenge the artist’s social function and explore people’s perception of art and its possibilities of creating a dialogue for peace. My idiosyncratic performance during 78 days across the European landscape is an inquiry into distance – the journey itself. It is the existence of the journey, and not the essence of the destination. Kosovo is not the subject of my work but a mere stop to my journey. My position is akin to that of a passer-by constantly trying to situate himself in a moving environment. Each intervention is another fragment of the story that is being invented and a challenge to the narrative and economic structure of Western representation.
‘We’re here because we’re here’ was a modern memorial to mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, in which around 1500 voluntary participants dressed in First World War uniform appeared unexpectedly in locations across the UK. Commissioned by 14-18 NOW (the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary) and created by Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller in collaboration with Rufus Norris (Director of the National Theatre), each participant represented an individual soldier who was killed on 1 July 1916. The work was partly inspired by tales of sightings during and after the First World War by people who believed they had seen a dead loved one.
Audrey Flack, Wheel of Fortune. 1977, printed 1984
Still life has captured the imagination of photographers from the early 19th century to the present day. It is a tradition full of lavish, exotic and sometimes dark arrangements, rich with symbolic depth and meaning.
However, before we begin making images of our objects collected over the summer period we need to learn about how still-life emerged as an independent genre, in particularly during the early 1600s Dutch and Northern European paintings. Many of the objects depicted in these early works are symbolic of religion and morality reflecting on the increasing urbanization of Dutch and Flemish society, which brought with it an emphasis on the home and personal possessions, commerce and trade. Paintings depicting burnt candles, human skulls, dying flowers, fruits and vegetables, broken chalices, jewelry, crowns, watches, mirrors, bottles, glasses, vases etc are symbolic of the transience and brevity of human life, power, beauty and wealth, as well as of the insignificance of all material things and achievements.
Throughout its long history, still life has taken many forms, from the decorative frescoes of antiquity to the high art of the Renaissance. Traditionally, a still life is a collection of inanimate objects arranged as the subject of a composition. Nowadays, a still life can be anything from your latest Instagram latte art to a vase of tulips styled like a Dutch Golden Age painting. Read here for more details about the different categories within still-life paintings such as Fruits, Flowers, Breakfast pieces, Trompe L’Oeil and Vanitas.
Vanitas
Abraham van Beyeren (Dutch, The Hague 1620/21–1690 Overschie) Brilliant surfaces of metalwork and glass reflect lush fruits and a lobster in this still life. Heavily laden tables like this one, boasting both foodstuffs and imported luxuries such as the blue-and-white porcelain bowl from China, typify Dutch still life in the second half of the seventeenth century. Such paintings represent a shift away from the reminders of immortality and vanity in earlier still lifes and toward a wholehearted embrace of earthly pleasures.
Watch video: What does it mean? Symbolism in still life photography
READ the following two short essay linked with the exhibition above for more understanding of still life in art and photography—with its roots in the vanitas tradition.
1. HISTORICAL CONTEXT: Produce a blog post and describe origin and definition of still life as a genre in history of pictorial practice. Read texts above and below to gain an overview of how still-life emerged.
2. ANALYSIS: Select a key painting and comment on the religious, political and allegorical symbolism of food and objects in terms of wealth, status and power, or the lack of.
Cookmaid with Still Life of Vegetables and Fruit c.1620-5 Sir Nathaniel Bacon 1585-1627 Purchased with assistance from the Art Fund 1995 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/T06995
Listen to curator Tim Batchelor discussing the painting
For further insights into the symbolic meaning of food and objects in still-life paintings, read this text Secret Symbols in Still-Life
ARTISTS REFERENCES > STILL-LIFE / OBJECTS
Emile F. Guiton: Autochromes:The founding father of the Societe Jersiaise Photographic Archive was also a very accomplished photographer who experimented with early colour photography in the beginning of the 20th century. Read this essay by Archivist Patrick Cahill on Guiton’s still-life images of flowers in a vase and other domestic scenes using Autochrome – the first commercially available colour process. Produce a blog post that demonstrates your understanding autochrome and its colour process using Guiton’s images as illustrations.
Emile F. Guiton: Autochromes:The founding father of the Societe Jersiaise Photographic Archive was also a very accomplished photographer who experimented with early colour photography in the beginning of the 20th century. Read this essay by Archivist Patrick Cahill on Guiton’s still-life images of flowers in a vase and other domestic scenes using Autochrome – the first commercially available colour process. Produce a blog post that demonstrates your understanding autochrome and its colour process using Guiton’s images as illustrations.
Klaus Pichler: One Third According to a UN study, one third of the world’s food goes to waste – the largest part thereof in the industrialized nations of the global north. Equally, 925 million people around the world are threatened by starvation. The series ‚One Third‘ describes the connection between individual wastage of food and globalized food production. Rotting food, arranged into elaborate still lives, portrays an abstract picture of the wastage of food whilst the accompanying texts take a more in depth look at the roots of this issue. ‚One Third‘ goes past the sell by date in order to document the full dimensions of the global food waste.
PHOTOGRAPHY-ASSIGNMENT > OBJECTS
What you must do…
Collect a group of objects that you think combine well. Consider shape and size, colour, texture etc.
For ideas, look carefully at how Mary Ellen Bartley groups, lights and photographs her objects. Aim to create a set of images by altering the layout, lighting, focus, composition etc.
Stack objects
Also photograph individual objects as specimen applying a typology approach, ie. deadpan and uniformly framed and lit in a way that is the same in all images.
Matt Brown, Yr 13 photography student 2021
Darren Harvey Regan: The Erratics 2015
Walker Evans: Beauties of the Common Tool, 1955
EXPERIMENTING > DEVELOPING
PHOTO-SCULPTURE: Print a selection of your images and mount them onto foamboard/ mountboard cut-outs and begin to work analogue with knives/ scissors and glue constructing a 3D photo-sculpture.
Jack Dale
Ideas for constructing a photographic sculpture
Joseph Parra
Jody Powell
Noemie Goudal
Lethe Wilson
ARTISTS REFERENCES. As inspiration for your photo-sculpture select at least two artists references as a case study. Explore, discuss, describe and explain key examples of their work relevant to your project and intentions. Follow these steps:
1. Produce a mood board with a selection of images and write an overview of their work, its visual style, meaning and methods. Describe why you have selected to study their work and how it relates to your project.
2. Select at least one key image and analyse in depth using methodology of TECHNICAL>VISUAL>CONTEXTUAL>CONCEPTUAL
3. Incorporate quotes and comments from artist themselves or others (art/ media /film critics, art/ media/ film historians, curators, writers, journalists etc) using a variety of sources such as Youtube, online articles, reviews, text, books etc. Make sure you reference sources and embed links in your blog post.
4. Compare and contrast your chosen artists in terms of similarities and contrasts in their approaches, techniques and outcomes of their work.
3DDESIGN PROCESS: Make sure you produce a blog post that show stages of your experimentation using camera/ phone to document your 3D photo-sculpture as it develops. Make sure you annotate the various processes and techniques that you are using and also describe creative decisions and choices that you make.
FURTHER EXPERIMENTATION: You can produce more than one photo-sculpture and create an installation of several pieces. Be creative and not afraid to make mistakes, Try out the following:
Print off a selection of carefully chosen images that you can then paste to either foamboard or mountboard. Then cut and arrange these choices so that you can create a free-standing photo-sculpture (see Lethe Wilson above)
Print same set of images (or chose a different set) — and then rip, tear, cut-n-paste to create a photo-montage. Re-photograph this and develop the composition into a final outcome using same method as above.
Layering various sizes of foam board with images and re-create a shape of a rock, or details of granite from geological sites of special interests.
Construct a organic or geometric shape first out of cardboard/ mountboard and wall paper your 3D sculpture with your own images
Manipulate images first in Photoshop using various tools and techniques to distort, blur, pixelate, liquify, render, stylise etc before printing and gluing onto your 3D model.
Consider incorporating other elements such as text, typography, figures, found material.
For example, add Jerriais words into your photo sculpture – see Other Resources below for ideas
Consider Jersey myth and storytelling as part of the meaning behind your photo-sculpture
INSTALLATION 3D Photosculpture > 2D image Upon completion of your 3D sculpture photograph your sculpture as an object experimenting with creative lighting techniques in the studio playing between light and shadows, creating a false sense of scale and size. Produce a blog post with a set of your most successful edited images and annotate.
Communist posters
The Definitive History of the Soviet Propaganda Poster. Read more here
The Russian avant-garde reached its creative and popular height in the period between the Russian Revolution of 1917 and 1932, at which point the ideas of the avant-garde clashed with the newly emerged state-sponsored direction of Socialist Realism.
Exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) Covering the period of artistic innovation between 1912 and 1935, A Revolutionary Impulse: The Rise of the Russian Avant-Garde traces the arc of the pioneering avant-garde forms after Socialist Realism was decreed the sole sanctioned style of art. The exhibition examines key developments and new modes of abstraction, including Suprematism and Constructivism, as well as avant-garde poetry, film, and photomontage.
Alexander RodchenkoVarvara Stepanova, The Results of the First Five-Year Plan, 1932 (State Museum of Contemporary Russian History, Moscow)
Ai Weiwei
Ai Weiwei’s colored vases: Clever artwork or vandalism? read article here
51 ancient Chinese vases covered with brightly colored paint
Exhibition visitors have expressed feelings of uneasiness or even pain and nostalgia when seeing Colored Vases by Ai Weiwei1. The 51 vases that make up the artwork are originally treasures from the Neolithic Age (5000–3000 BCE) and the artist has dunked them in common industrial paint.
Why did Ai Weiwei do it?
By doing this, he commented on the devastation caused by the Chinese Cultural Revolution2 and the disregard for centuries-old craftsmanship3. By covering the surfaces, the history of the vases is no longer visible but still there, beneath the dried layer of industrial color. Some viewers have felt provoked by this audacious act, in their eyes destroying something rare and precious instead of safeguarding and worshipping it.
Conclusion
Like many other works by Ai Weiwei, he uses irony to challenge viewers’ assumptions and perspectives. As China’s most notorious artist, he finds himself in constant confrontation with the Chinese authorities, and Colored Vases is an essential piece in his rebellious oeuvre.
Ai Weiwei, Study of Perspective
Study of Perspective is a photographic series produced by Ai Weiwei between 1995 and 2017. Throughout the series, viewers see Ai’s left arm extended forward with the middle finger raised to significant institutions, landmarks and monuments from around the world. These pictures mimic tourists’ photos and encourage people to question their adherence and acceptance towards governments, institutions and establishments. This series speaks out about Ai’s beliefs regarding freedom of speech, empowerment of the people, and democratic values and showcases his activist side in true colors.
Sunflower Seeds 2010 consists of millions of individually handcrafted porcelain sunflower seeds. The work has a volume of nearly ten cubic metres, weighing approximately ten tonnes. The artist has stipulated two different configurations for the work. In the first, the seeds are arranged in a continuous rectangular or square field to a depth of ten centimetres. This ‘bed’ of seeds conforms to the dimensions of the display space, with walls confining the work on three sides. Alternatively, the work is presented as a conical sculptural form, approximately five metres in diameter. In this second configuration, there is no containing structure or support for the conical form, which is installed by carefully pouring the seeds from above to form the shape. Any uneven edges can be adjusted by hand at the time of installation.
This work is derived from the Eleventh Unilever Series commission for Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall for which Ai created 1-125,000,000 2010, a bed of ceramic sunflower seeds installed across the floor of the space. The Unilever Series commission was the first time Ai Weiwei presented this multitude of sunflower seeds as a continuous rectangular field to create a ‘unique surface’, and the first time he proposed an interactive element, in which the public was invited to walk on the seeds. In the event, after the initial days of the exhibition, it was not possible for viewers to interact with the work by walking on it due to the health risks posed by the resulting dust.
The fabrication of the seeds was carried out in the city of Jingdezhen in northern Jiangxi, a region of China south of Beijing. Historically famous for its kilns and for the production of imperial porcelain, this region is still known for its high quality porcelain production. The sunflower seeds were made by individual craftspeople in a ‘cottage-industry’ setting, rather than in a large-scale factory, using a special kind of stone from a particular mountain in Jingdezhen.
The symbol of the sunflower was ubiquitous during the Cultural Revolution in China in the 1960s and 1970s, and was often used as a visual metaphor for the country’s Communist leader Chairman Mao (1893–1976) and, more importantly perhaps, the whole population. In Sunflower Seeds Ai examines the complex exchanges between the one and the many, the individual and the masses, self and society. Far from being industrially produced, the sunflower seeds are intricately and individually handcrafted, prompting a closer look at the ‘Made in China’ phenomenon commonly associated with cheap mass-produced goods. The myriad sunflower seeds – each unique yet apparently the same – can be seen toevoke the quest for individuality in a rapidly transforming society.
In his proposal for the Unilever Series Commission, Ai commented on the significance of the sunflower seeds:
[In] the times I grew up, it was a common place symbol for The People, the sunflower faces the trajectory of the red sun, so must the masses feel towards their leadership. Handfuls were carried in pockets, to be consumed on all occasions both casual and formal. So much more than a snack, it was the minimal ingredient that constituted the most essential needs and desires. Their empty shells were the ephemeral traces of social activity. The least common denominator for human satisfaction. I wonder what would have happened without them? (Ai Weiwei, unpublished proposal for Tate Modern Unilever Series, March 2010.)
Ai’s practice is increasingly driven by issues facing contemporary China, such as the exercise of autocratic power, the disappearance of Chinese cultural and material history, and concerns about human rights, hard labour and poverty. Sunflower Seeds explores the complexity of the Chinese individual’s relationship with society, the authorities and tradition.
Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei holds some seeds from his Unilever Installation ‘Sunflower Seeds’ at The Tate Modern on October 11, 2010 in London, England. The sculptural installation comprises 100 million handmade porcelain replica sunflower seeds.
Some well known international and locally based artistic and photographic collectives> Magnum Photos
In Jersey: The Moving Arts Collective > get them to come and talk??? The Photographic … (Max le Feuvre Jersey Photography Club
Pictorialism was a photography movement during the late 19th to 20th century, the movement aimed to make photographs looks like paintings. Photographs following this movement tend to lack a sharp focus in order to dreamy, painterly images, the majority of photographs taken were of landscapes, portraits and dramatic lighting, this was inspired by painting styles such as Romanticism and Baroque.
Pictorialist photographers used techniques such as:
Soft Focus – A technique that is used to capture images with reduced contrast of fine detail.
Manipulated Prints – Photographs that have been altered from their original state from either traditional or digital processes. Most of these photographs are altered dramatically.
Gum Bichromate Printing – It is an old photographic process that lets you create painterly and textured images. The process involves gum arabic, a dichromate and pigment.
Platinum & Palladium Printing – A process that produces deep, rich tonal ranges and a soft look to images.
Vignetting – The technique of darkening the edges of images to draw more attention into the center of the photograph.
Combination Printing – A technique that combines two or more images together to create a single image.
Chiaroscuro Lighting – A lighting technique that uses dramatic lighting with strong contrasts to add depth and emotion.
The Baroque Art Movement
The Baroque… endlessly produces folds. It does not invent things: there are all kinds of folds coming from the East, Greek, Roman, Romanesque, Gothic, Classical folds…..Yet the Baroque trait twists and turns its folds, pushing them to infinity, fold over fold, one upon the other. – The Fold: Leibniz and the Baroque, Gilles Deleuze
The Baroque art movement is known for it’s emphasis on drama, exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail and intense emotion. The term Baroque comes from the Portuguese word ‘Barocco’ meaning ‘irregular pearl or stone’.
It often reflected the hierarchal and patriarchal society of the time, it was used to persuade as well as impress to be both rich and meaningful. Unlike the Renaissance style, Baroque was known for it’s movement and drama.
To achieve the Baroque style photographers, such as Nazif Topçuoğlu, use techniques such as:
Chiaroscuro lighting – A lighting technique that uses dramatic lighting with strong contrasts to add depth and emotion.
Tenebrism – A more extreme form of Chiaroscuro where shadows dominate most of the image.
Soft Focus – A technique that is used to capture images with reduced contrast of fine detail.
