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.

For this photoshoot I had the subject positioned facing into to the mirror, where I then captured the from the mirror. This created an interesting effect as you

Final Selection:

Edits Process:

Final:

Inspired by David Hockney and his photo joiners, I experimented with ways that I could use this in my own work, breaking up certain areas then layering them on top of one another, and angling them in the same formation as the subject is positioned, which created this interesting, fragmented composition. Similarly, to Hockney’s joiners I’ve exaggerated areas of the design, to make hidden details become revealed for example around the edges. This then altered the subject inside of the mirror which created looser fragmented parts, and overall disjointed parts of the subject. This created an in-depth composition which has leading lines, that lead into the photograph, in the way that the subject is presented.

Mind Map

Mood Board

Research

Cubism was a revolutionary new approach to representing reality and the first abstract style. Different views of subjects (usually objects or figures) together in the same picture, resulting in paintings that appear fragmented or abstracted (similar to a collage). Subjects are analysed, broken up and resembled in abstract form, presenting all different angles. Cubism is a very important art movement, because it opened up almost infinite new possibilities for the treatment of visual reality in art and was the starting point for many later abstract styles including constructivism and neo-plasticism.

Cubism is presented not only in paintings, but in photographs, literature, architecture and music.

Cubism was also influenced by African curiosities and many artists used African art and African hunting masks for inspiration when creating paintings and photographs influenced by cubism, like Pablo Picasso.

Types of Cubism

Cezanian Cubism – Cezanian cubism was heavily shaped by Cezanne’s geometric simplification. The cubists adopted this method of dissecting objects into geometric forms and reassembling them from multiple view points.

Analytic Cubism (Pre 1911) – Analytic Cubism is a style of painting Pablo Picasso developed with Georges Braque using monochrome brownish and neutral colours. Both artists took apart objects and “analysed” them in terms of their shapes. Picasso and Braque’s paintings at this time share many similarities.

Synthetic Cubism (Post 1912) – Synthetic Cubism saw the reintroduction of colour, while the actual materials often had an industrial reference (e.g., sand or printed wallpaper). Still lifes and occasionally heads were the principal subjects for both artists.

What Influenced Cubism

Cubism began in 1907 with Picasso’s painting Demoiselles D’Avignon which included elements of cubist style. However, the name ‘cubism’ seems to have derived from a comment made by the critic Louis Vauxcelles who, on seeing some of Georges Braque’s paintings exhibited in Paris in 1908, described them as reducing everything to ‘geometric outlines, to cubes.’

Picasso was inspired by Seurat and cezanne. George Seurat was a painter, who painted using dots, which made his paintings appear to have lots of texture and shapes within them, which inspired Picasso’s cubist paintings with different shapes and angles within them.

Paul Cezanne was a French Post-Impressionist painter and was best known for his landscapes of Mont Sainte-Victoire, the mountain near his hometown of Aix-en-Provence, France. His landscape includes a range of features that relate to cubism, such as all the different angles of the mountain, ground, homes etc. as well as the colours used within his landscape.

Pablo Picasso created cubism, so that he could challenge the traditional ideas about art and to create more abstract and expressive paintings. He also wanted to ‘express what was inside of us.’

Artists

Pablo Picasso – Born 25th October 1881 and died 8th April 1973 and was a Spanish painter and sculptor, who felt most of his adult life in France. He is one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, he is known for the co-founding the cubist movement, the invention of constructed sculpture, the co-invention of collage and for the wide variety of styles that he helped develop and explore.

Picasso demonstrated extraordinary artistic talent in his early years, painting in a naturalistic manner through his childhood and adolescence. During the first decade of the 20th century, his style changed as he experimented with different theories, techniques, and ideas. After 1906, the Fauvist work of the older artist Henri Matisse motivated Picasso to explore more radical styles, beginning a fruitful rivalry between the two artists, who subsequently were often paired by critics as the leaders of modern art.

George Braque – Born 13th May 1882- Died 31st August 1963 and he was a major 20th century French painter and sculptor. During his early years he trained to be a house painter and decorator like his father and grandfather and he also studied artistic paintings. His most notable contributions were his alliance with fauvism from 1905 and the role he played in the development of cubism. Braque’s work between 1908 – 1912 is closely associated with his colleague Pablo Picasso. Their respective Cubists works were indistinguishable for many years, yet the quiet nature of Braque was partially eclipsed by the fame of Picasso.

Braque’s paintings of 1908–1912 reflected his new interest in geometry and simultaneous perspective. He conducted an intense study of the effects of light and perspective and the technical means that painters use to represent these effects, seeming to question the most standard of artistic conventions. In his village scenes, for example, Braque frequently reduced an architectural structure to a geometric form approximating a cube, yet rendered its shading so that it looked both flat and three-dimensional by fragmenting the image. 

In 1909, he began to work closely with Pablo Picasso, who had been developing a similar proto-Cubist style of painting. At the time, Picasso was influenced by Cezanne and African masks, whereas Braque was more interested in developing Cezanne’s ideas of multiple perspectives, resulting in a joint effort between them both of cubism. Braque and Picasso, in particular, began working on the development of Cubism in 1908. Both artists produced paintings of monochromatic colour and complex patterns of faceted form, now termed Analytic Cubism.

A decisive time of its development occurred during the summer of 1911, when Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso painted side by side in Céret in the French Pyrenees, each artist producing paintings that are difficult—sometimes virtually impossible—to distinguish from those of the other. In 1912, they began to experiment with collage and Braque invented the papier collé technique (type of collaging technique, where paper is adhered to a flat mount).

Analysis of 2 Images

This painting by Pablo Picasso uses different light and dark shades/ paints to create elements of light and shade within the painting, so that Picasso could present different angles throughout his painting. He uses warm shades, like the orange and browns, as well as using cooler shades, such as the blues and greens to also create this element of different angles and perspectives.

In this image he uses orange, brown, blue, green, black and white paints in all different shades. He also adds texture to his painting by using different brush strokes to leave patterns in the paint that creates texture. He also uses a range of 2D shapes to create a flat image that has 3D elements due to the different shapes, shades, colours and textures he has used. He also uses repetition in this image, as he uses multiple shapes multiple times (2 African masks).

The layout of this painting includes 2 African masks, which are arranged next to each other with the mask in the background resting his arm on the shoulder of the mask in the foreground. Only their upper body (shoulders up) is inside the frame. The masks are the main viewpoint of this painting, specifically the mask in the foreground. There is also lots of contrast in this image, due to all the different lighter and darker shades and the different textures and shapes used.

Pablo Picasso was very inspired by African masks, which is what he has painted in his image. African masks play an important role in the Cubism Art movement. This painting is a cubist painting, due to the different angles and perspectives used in this painting and it following the Cubism manifesto.

This painting displays African masks, but I think they are to represent humans, due to the human characteristics used in the paintings (the resting of an arm on the others shoulder). The painting also uses human features, such as the masks representing human faces and the shoulders, arm, hand and fingers.

This painting by George Braque uses different light and dark shades/ paints to create elements of light and shade within the painting, so that Braque could present different angles throughout his painting. He uses mainly neutral shades, like brown, black and white rather than a range of warmer and cooler tones. However, he uses texture in his painting to create different angles and perspectives in his painting, by using different brush strokes and painting techniques to create different patterns in the paint. He also uses a range of 2D shapes to create a painting that looks 3D, even though the painting is on a flat surface.

The layout of this image includes a range of different shapes, with the main viewpoint being the centre of the image. Braque also creates a depth of surface illusion in his paintings, by having the shapes in the centre of the image smaller and the shapes on the outside of the image slightly larger. This is to create depth in the centre of the image, which leads the eye to the centre of the image (the viewpoint).

This painting plays an important role in the Cubism Art movement, as it follows the cubism manifesto and displays an abstract painting with lots of different angles and perspectives.

Manifesto

The cubist manifesto is a seminal text that outlines the principles and objectives of Cubism, emphasising the importance of abstraction and the representation of multiple perspectives within a single work of art.

The cubism manifesto was primarily written by Guillaume Apollinaire in 1911.

https://monoskop.org/images/7/73/Gleizes_Metzinger_1912_1965_Cubism.pdf

My final project is one I am passionate about but I also think it important for others to learn and understand. Having the term ‘union’ as the exam brief caused me to think about how I define the word, at first I thought politics. However quickly moved onto the idea of the union of man and land. A union we all rely on, under documented and misunderstood. Farming. As humans we could not live without the resources farmers provide, working endlessly with very little true understanding and appreciation for their work. Following this I liked the idea of focusing on one farmer, one who still uses the traditional methods and very little technology, in a way he is closer to the land listening to its cues rather than taking a modern approach. This is tricky in a modern world, reliant on technology and uncertainty but still, he remains a constant understanding working with the land not just taking from it. To start the project I want to look at art movements like romanticism and Impressionism both look to create beautiful scenes causing big emotional moments for the viewer. I like the idea of showing the vast landscapes and creating beautiful photos, I also want to include a documentary photography style. Linking the land to the farmer, the farmer to the land. To humanise the farmer I will include snippets of his life, his work, his thoughts and stories. I find many photographers who have looked at farming before don’t focus on the farmer so much as the industry. I want to capture the union between a farmer and his lifestyle, it’s tricky to separate the two instead capturing the skills, passion and raw depth of this lifestyle on an individual. One who has chosen to not progress to current technology instead utilising a lifetime of knowledge and experience. Within the impressionist movement the artists use bright colours as a constant throughout their work, capturing a scene through small details. Similarly in my work I will pull colours together throughout the shoots, from the red of the particular tractor brand the farmer uses, to smaller less noticeable elements. Highlighting the small parts of a bigger story. Using the contrast of the colours will highlight the harshness of the lifestyle it is brutal but equally one of the most fulfilling life’s you could live. 

Mood board

Statement of Intent

Union means joining together for a common interest. For my project I would like to take the ideas that unified artists in the movement of futurism (technology, growth and glorified modernity) and combine them with modern architecture, something that requires the culmination of many different people, talents and recourses. Compared to Jerseys high-rise cap, cities build massive sky-scrapers that sit above the skyline invading public space with logos and reminders. I was interested in this topic because in contrast to the island these cities feel dystopian and dangerous. I would like to photograph a variety of both offices and skyscrapers as well as smaller homes so I can edit them in ways reminiscent of Futurism/Vorticism. Messages I aim to portray are the dangers of the overpopulated cityscapes on the environment and privacy as well as the seeming sanitary white future seen in modern architecture.

In terms of artist references I am going to look into László Moholy-Nagy who was inspired by the integration of technology into the arts and Idris Khan who creates the appearance of dynamic via multi exposure, Lewis Bush and potentially even Michael Wolf. When experimenting with outcomes I would also like to create collages of buildings similar to a geometric futurism painting. I think collages are important for the outcomes because cityscapes are mashes of various buildings without much consideration for how they look next to one another, they’re all extremely loud in appearance. The final outcome will be final prints because I intend to experiment with edits as opposed to constructing a narrative. I might experiment with creating a small zine or a leaflet to show structures photographed like products which will line up with the photographs focusing on high-rise banks and offices as a product of capitalism.

I will start with some photographs of buildings (both houses and offices) and begin collaging them into 2 types of images:

This one will be made up of multiple buildings arranged together. this one will use a mixture of houses and offices set in black and white.

I also want to make an image that looks like this by use of collage also. I will make a megastructure out of multiple high-rise offices to create a tall structure like this one with a coloured background.

Write a Statement of Intent that clearly contextualise;

• What you want to explore?

My interpretation of Union is how two things are joined or connected together in a type of way, or in other words are united together which form a type of relationship. I am going to explore the theme union through relationships of two things such as a person within their environment or scenario that evokes a type of memory. I want to capture the connection created from this, as it creates something personal and meaningful expressing how it is united together. I want to capture this in a documenting way, showing moments that unfiltered and real.

Cubism relates to this closely, this idea of showing you things for what they truly are, not for what they look like – for example showing you moments through fragmented, disconnected pieces that are pieced back together, expresses how new connections are brought together through multiple perspectives and view points, forming a type of union as subjects are brought together and united. From emphasising the flatness of the picture surface by breaking down the pictures into geometric shapes, results in this fragmented look, which leads you to look deeper as the subject isn’t evidently clear. I want to explore the multi dimensional forms which alters your perspectives, showing you things from different angles revealing the inner life of a subject as its different from what we are used to seeing. This ultimately forms a new reality as you are shown thing in a new way/ perspective. My aim is to explore this through different realistic scenarios that are personal and carry a lot of meaning, for example for each photo shoot I am going to focus on one subject, which is a person (that has some type of relationship to myself eg. a family member or a friend). My focus is femininity and looking at how girls in particular are connected to what they do within their natural environment. For example looking at how they personally fit into society around them through their personal traits. I want to capture unique moments that personally connects to them but also connects and unites them to society – such as applying makeup, doing hair, reading, music…

I want to capture the photographs as clear as possible, showing the viewer a clear insight to someones personal life and how this unites people together. Linking back to Cubism, I want to show things for what they truly are expressing this through different perspectives. This is so that it connects with you in different ways, showing you things differently. I like this idea of taking a perfectly, composed image and distorting it – showing how it can be disconnected and broken up, then fitted back together and it being different yet the same. David Hockney perfectly presents this idea, and I am greatly inspired by his work. Hockney’s method involves piecing together a mosaic of photographs to form a cohesive image that challenges and transcends traditional perspectives. I like this idea of disconnecting / breaking images apart, then reconnecting them which forms a new perspective that challenges your feelings and thoughts towards the photograph.

slightly edting,

adjusting image,

realistic scenes ,

staged

At first when capturing the photographs, to then editing using different techniques such as merging, overlapping, blending, and joining.

Expressionism is ways that the inner world of emotion is expressed rather than external reality, which creates a subjective perspective.

• Why it matters to you?

From looking at connections between a person and their environment evokes this new type of reality, which is what i want to explore. This could be different compared to our life or perhaps relate to ours, forming this connection between the viewer and the subject. A person within their natural environment such as their bedroom displays union, as we are shown a personal and private connection. I want to compare this personal connection, to a more public place such as town, or the streets. Capturing people on benches, door arches, windows, to building walls. This creates this new reality as the subject is out of their personal environment which could evoke new emotions and poses which relate to how the person is feeling. Otherwise this displays union in a new way, that is different compared to a personal way.This matters to me because I want to explore the personal connections between people within their environment, as it creates this relatable concept showing you new realities.

• When and where you intend to begin your study?

My intentions are to photograph portraits of people displaying different emotion and poses, some which could be disturbing for the viewer while others are more softer and pleasing. I am going to capture people within their bedroom during specific moments as well as portraits , something which is personal to them. I then want to show how the subject is further connected by editing influenced by David Hockney.

Born in 1880, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner studied architecture and painting. Kirchner produced art that drew in the subject matter from studio life with artists, friends and models to the streets and nightclub life of the city to the summer trips and beaches.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner is a German painter and printmaker who was part of expressionist group of artists called ‘Die Brucke’ (‘The Bridge’). June 1905 Die Brucke group was established, also was recognised as the birth of expressionism. Four architecture students came together in Dresden to form the group; Ernist Ludwig Kirchner, Erich Heckel, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and Fritz Bleyl. Without an prior artistic training they came together as a group and quickly became a huge art movement. Within this the artists produced a much more simplified or distorted form which complemented the unusually strong, unnatural colours that provoked an emotional response.

Expressionism meaning:

‘The artist or writer seeks to express the inner world of emotion rather than external reality.’

Die Brucke was German based – in Berlin, 1905-1913. The name indicates the influences on their work, with their art viewed as ‘the bridge’ between the past, present and future. The theme centered around social life – bourgeois lifestyle which means belonging to or characteristic of middle class which is perceived as having materialistic attitudes. We typically associate this with portraits and self portraits.

Above is the Groups first manifesto Tilted Program, Kirchner wrote ‘We call all young people together, and as young people, who carry the future in us, we want to wrest freedom for our actions and our lives from the older, comfortably established forces’. This explains how they were particularly drawn to the marginalised or lonely individuals on the fringes of urban society, with an aim of capturing tortured pain and anguish brought about by modern life. This idea of zoning into someone’s life, that surrounds them creates this type of new reality as we are shown an insight into someone’s life. Or otherwise expresses union as we are presented with a connection between two people.

The artists produced paintings, printmaking and sculpture, expressed through free brushwork of simple, heightened colour and jagged, elongated forms. Firstly influenced by post-impressionist painters such as Vincent Van Gogh to the vivid, colours and expressive techniques of  French fauvists. However Die Brucke’s style was far more aggressive, meaningless (shown through life), and uncontrolling – this was expressed by the inharmonious colours, harsh, jagged outlines or deliberate crude or ugly forms. The movement began when European cities underwent periods of rapid development and urbanisation, resulting in the people feeling alienated and lost. Many of these artists were looking for an art that could express intense emotional responses which fitted into impressionist art collections. This is expressed through the distinct brushstrokes of colour which formulate the overall painting, creating this dramatic, expressive image.

Ultimately, Die Brucke artists intentions was to reveal the inner truth – which means revealing the inner soul of humans even if it was shocking, uncomfortable or confronting for the viewer. This particular theme was carried on throughout Kirchner’s work as we are presented with very emotional, figurative art work. The subjects are presented in ways that reveals a type of expressive emotion which is noticeable straight away as the upfront portraits of the subject reveals this dramatic emotion. Specifically the first three painting below, they give this sense of loneliness as each one gives us a new emotion. From a girl lying on a bed that looks tured and worn out, to a girl sat leaning away from her cat with empty and half drank bottles, to then a girl perched on a seat with someone standing in front. The frozen scene we are presented with, expresses a very realistic, unfiltered snapshot of someone’s life, as raw emotions are revealed which aren’t hidden away which perhaps creates this connection as we could relate. Bold pigmented, block colours are used which I think enhances the painting even further as it the scene is easily described to us, we don’t have to look for it. Otherwise shapes, patterns and lines are brought out through this which helps to clearly define each hidden shadow and feature in a simple form. I think this is a really interesting effect as not much is added to express detail and emotion, as we are presented this through very simple formations and compositions.

What is Street Photography? – Learning the Sensibility and Techniques, from Beginner to Advanced

Artiste Marcella By Ernst Kirchner, made 1910

The photograph displays an upward diagonal line from the lower left to the upper right. From this angle we are brought to unusual perspectives that brings the observer to a position which is superior to the model. The high angle shot alters your perspective of the photo, as we are looking down onto the subject. This makes the subject appear smaller with the surroundings appearing more vast – meaning that what surrounds the subject is evidently more clear, shifting our view and attention onto the smaller objects that surrounds the subject, which communicates a relationship to the subject. The details within this widens our perspective as we wouldn’t typically notice this straight away as our attention is automatically drawn to the main subject of the person. However the composition is more softer to the eye, as there is a harmony of colour, marked by soft predominantly green colour fields, brought together by contrasting lines and patterns which give a contoured /broken up shadow effect.

The photograph is of a girl, lying on a sofa, with a cat to her lower right and open/ empty glass bottles to her upper left – where she is facing. She is displaying a worries or anxious emotion. This communicates something quite personal, as it is obvious she is going through something and the viewer is almost ‘invading’ her personal environment. I find this concept really interesting as we are presented with a view that is up close and personal, which reveals a slight insight to her life as we are shown a lot in her personal life. This style of environmental portraits is what I am going to further experiment with, as the the emotional concept formed by the person who is in their natural environment such as their bedroom creates unique and personal relationships and connections, otherwise uniting two things together forming a close relationship which could be one that we can relate with or one that we can’t.

Sources used:

https://www.posterlounge.ie/artists/ernst-ludwig-kirchner

Ernst Kirchner artwork – Artistin Marcella (1910)

https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/glossary-terms/die-brucke-bridge#:~:text=Die%20Br%C3%BCcke%20(The%20Bridge)%20was,revival%20of%20the%20woodcut%20print.

https://www.theartstory.org/movement/die-brucke

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ernst-Ludwig-Kirchner

“Impressionism is only direct sensation. All great painters were more or less Impressionists. It is mainly a question of instinct.”

What is Impressionism?

Impressionism is a 19th century art movement produced in France, notable by its visible brush strokes and emphasises light. A main characteristic of the work is the bright, colourful paintings normally of nature, like meadows in summer and wildflowers. The movement was considered revolutionary, new to the time period as it captured light, in a completely new way, focusing on its changing element and the colours it created. It began in the late 1860s when artists like Renoir and Monet began to paint landscapes and waterways, adjusting their colour pallet to light, sunny bright colours unlike the previous type of landscape pairing that used muted browns, greens and greys. Completely changing the style, for example in the shadows instead of using blacks and greys they used complementary colours to the rest of the painting, greens and yellows. Perfectly outlined scenes became blurred lines, creating a more abstract look to the style. Compositions became warped into bright, sunny blurs of beautiful landscapes (and further into the movement streets and railroads) completely changing the dark, gloomy landscape style that had been used for years before hand. The movement is also associated with philosophy, specifically the Avanade Garde movement. In simple terms, impressionism looks at the union of human perspective and light, how it changes what it really is.

Impressionism artists

Many of the artists were in their early 20s exploring new techniques, new ideas. Art studios were common practise at the time but as the movement progressed more artists took to painting outside looking at the scene they were capturing. In fact, multiple artists like, Gleyre closed their studios and took to moving to wherever their subject was. Théodore Rousseau was another artist who took inspiration from the Fontainebleau Forest, devoting himself to capturing the reality of the forest in real time, capturing even the mundane details. They were young and tried to capture the ‘impression’ a landscape or person left on them rather than an accurate depiction.

Technique

When it comes to actual technique, the impressionists used bigger brush strokes, less focused on precision and more on the colours. They also used much lighter colours than the previous art, bringing new bright yellows, pinks and greens as their main colours. In leu of having abandoned traditional art techniques they also refused the 3D style much loved by other artists instead wanting to focus on colour and light. Painting an ‘impression’ not a tangible thing. This did lead to many criticisms from other artists, ones with a more traditional manor of painting, saying the slightly abstract appearance was ‘seemingly amateurish quality’ and ‘unfinished in appearance’. Impressionism records the mid century shift in styles in Paris, deciding the new public enjoyment and scenes of the cafes.

Painting outdoors is not specific to Impressionism, but they were the main pioneers for the idea. Claude Monet, the most well known impressionist artist with soft colours, painting multiple times a day to catch different lights and damp paint layers upon damp paint layers to create a deeper abstract look. ‘Plein air’ became common within the impressionist movement, showing the new change in painting, encouraging emotional depth rather than technical prowess within painting.

Impressionism in use outside of painting

Impressionism isn’t just in the art world, it is used as a term through out the world. Music was another big industry with an impressionist movement, influenced by the change in visual arts. Writers like Émile Zola started to try and replicate the emotive, human perception rather than true to life realities of his scenes, similar to the painters. However, while influenced by impressionism the writing style became known as ‘Naturalism’ seeking to convey the emotions and appearance of the world to a certain individual.

Science was progressing in the start of the impressionist era, it was starting to understand that what the eye sees and what the brain understood it as, is different. Leading to the impressionists trying to capture what the eye sees, shapes, colours and more importantly light. This included changes in weather, (Claude Monet painted the same scene multiple times a day to capture the changes) light and colour. The art was not based on what the brain saw but what the eye saw.

• What you want to explore?
• Why it matters to you?
• How you wish to develop your project?
• Which form you wish to present your study (photobook, film, prints etc)
• When and where you intend to begin your study?

For my project on the theme of Union I have decided to focus the relationships and interactions between people, in particular within family. Union can be defined as the action or state of being joined together, and for this project, I’m interpreting it as the connections between individuals that unite them. I thought using relationships for this theme works well as a connection between people whether its a couple, siblings or parent and child can be seen as powerful examples of unions, where the bond between individuals creates something deeply meaningful and unique.

In my photos, I aim to capture both candid, natural moments between people and a few staged shots in the studio. The central focus of my work will be the relationship between my friend and her younger brother, and I intend to highlight the strength of the sibling bond and the importance of this particular family connection. By focusing on family, I can show how these connections help shape an individual into who they are. I believe that the ties between family members (siblings in particular) are significant, as they represent lifelong friendships and deep, meaningful connections.

The artist I am wanting to focus on for this project is Emma Hardy who’s photography is known for taking a contemporary approach. she tends to try and create stories within her images using her children as the main subjects. She aims to bring across strong emotions in her images by getting her subject to express a certain emotion in the image of by the use of lighting (eg darker weather or time of day would create a different feel to a sunny day with bright light. Her photos consist of a mix of staged photographs and naturally occurring ones which I am also aiming to do. Hardy takes images of her children and showing the relationships between them she captures happy moments in their lives liking playing together in fields or on family road trips. she also explores the union between the subject and their relation with the environment around them.

I decided to focus my photoshoots on my friend and her brother as I think creating images representing an older sister and younger brother would create warming images especially when in the correct setting such as parks or good lit natural environments. I think this relationship is special as the image will be able to represent how much care the older sibling has for the younger and how much the younger one loves and looks up to their older sister. I also want to try and get images in their natural environments such as their family home so that there is even more connection within the image as the environment around them, toys in the background or household items that that hold personal connections which would enhance the unity of the image will represent a stringer connection such as possibly images on the walls. I would do a variation of different shoots where id involve close up shots o the two to make the main point of the image their expressions and moods in the moments (eg laughing together) and also further away shoots to capture certain activities they may be engaging in and showing how their union represents its self in a larger environment. (eg pushing a swing at a park). I would alter the lighting of the images so that it resonates with the mood of the two. for example if their is a conflict between them like usual siblings them I could change the warm lighting and aim for it to be more cold. As well as this using warmer lighting like the natural light of a sunset while they are playing in a park or field I would be able to capture the happy moments and the viewer of the image will be able to see that much clearer when the lighting of the image.

When editing/ presenting my images, I am planning on taking inspiration from David Hockney. The artist’s style ranges from collaged photography and opera posters to Cubist-inspired abstractions and paintings of the English countryside. He is renowned for his own takes on perspective and use of colour which make his work noticeable and very obviously belonging to him. David Hockney uses the artist movement of Cubism in his artwork and photography. Cubism is a movement that was originated by artists such as Pablo Picasso. It presents photos in unique and abstract ways by breaking objects down into geometric shapes. Cubism is able to show multiple perspectives where it is able to give many viewpoints to the photo giving the viewer an opportunity to interpret the images in the way they think is correct for them. I wanted to use cubism in my work to make my photographs more interesting and abstract. I’m planning on doing both edits on photoshop and also to make the cubism effect with the camera by taking many different photos of the same scene and then putting them all together. when doing a shoot like that I will have to do more portraited images as it would be difficult to conduct if the subjects were moving around a lot. For this shoot I want to conduct it in a indoor and person space (like their home).