Summary of "In, Around and Afterthoughts"

This article had multiple points to make, all relating back to criticisms of documentary photography. Basically, the author believes that true documentary photography has yet to be invented. She believes that documentary photography has yet to realize it's true calling: the ability to transcend, alter or change the negative aspects of society - ie, use art as a form of social activism. Instead, documentary photo has fallen into two categories: Liberal (past) and Explorative (present). Liberal seeks to evoke pity in viewers, inviting them to help those depicted. Explorative seeks to understand feelings of alienation within the scope of sexism, racism, urban decay and class conciousness. Neither categories reach documentary photography's real potential. It is only when one seeks to utilize photos as a means of fostering change that one understands the goal of documentary work.

Exhibition review

Nicholas Nixon's Patients is a series of black and white photographs of people who are seriously or terminally ill. They are 20 x 24 gelatin silver prints, mostly head on portraits, there are a few very tight shots of people's faces or heads, and one of a person's hand. It is an individual's work on a theme.

The picture that I'm choosing to formally discuss is one of a woman holding a crying baby:

The photograph shows a dark haired woman with a solemn neutral expression holding a crying child against her chest. The background is out of focus. Like the other images in the series, it is black and white.

I found this picture to be very intriguing for a couple of different reasons. One is that it is the most ambiguous of all the images presented. It's unclear if which one of the subjects is the one that is terminally or seriously ill. Second, their expressions are very different, but they convey and stem from essentially the same thing. The woman (who I assume is the mother of the child) has a very solemn neutral expression, and the child has a very anguished crying expression.

I enter the image through the mother's cheek. From there I move down to the baby's face. There is almost a line, going through the mother's chin horizontally that separates the picture into two equal halves. The top half is mirrored by the bottom half, the mother's neck mirroring the blurry background of the top half and the baby's face mirroring the mother's ear. The image as a whole almost seems to form a yin yang. The pain that both the subjects feel are expressed in different ways, the mother's dark eyes and the babies gaping mouth seem to reflect this with the deep blacks.

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exhibition review

I visited Gallery 14 in Hopewell NJ. While there I decided to do my critique on the work of Rhoda Kassof-Isaac. At the time she was showing an exhibit called “Translations.” The photographs were not entirely cohesive. They were fluid by the pair or small bunch. It was immediately clear the pictures were depicting a far off land. This distinction was not due to any visible landmark; the pictures had an ethereal feel that looked unfamiliar.
All the photos were taken digitally. Each was altered to a different extent but all of the pictures had been manipulated with Photoshop. Luckily the women whom took the pictures was also the person working at the gallery. I was able to discuss with her many of the choices she made when it came to how much to rely on Photoshop. What was particularly intriguing was the variety in texture and effects that she created. Many of the photos were taken while in a moving car. After she used Photoshop many of her pictures felt more like water/pastel or even oil paintings.
There were no people in her pictures only landscapes and architecture. During our discussion she explained to me that her children have a house in Switzerland and many of the pictures seen in the exhibit were taken there. The space she showed in was very cozy and personal. Because there was other artist showing at the time viewers got a good feel for Rhoda Kassof-Isaac’s style. She likes to experiment.
Some of her pictures were unidentifiable. All of her images were in color. She printed about 10 inches by 14 inches. Some of her photos were physically scratched on the surface. From far away I thought the scratched pictures were extremely manipulated by the computer and amidst her other images they blended in. When I moved closer to these particular photographs the scores on the paper were visible. The actual surface was ripped down to the white. Rhoda described these pictures as experiments she thought were going to end up in the garbage. Instead they resulted in being a compelling addition to her show.
The photographs I viewed are part of a fine art photography only gallery. I thought this meant not documentary photography but soon after arriving at the gallery I realized documentary photography and fine art photography could be one in the same. Her work related to specific documentary concepts. All her photos were of a specific place. Switzerland for example is somewhere I have never been. The pictures that she took captured that location and aided my own perception of it.
The picture I am going to formally discuss was taken while in Switzerland. It depicts a couple red houses in an extremely green valley. It is very hazy and when I viewed it up close the pixels were overstated. It looks like she used Photoshop to enhance the saturation. The colors are vivid and contrast each other. As a whole the picture moves from dark to light starting at the bottom of the image. The bushes, which are one the bottom half of the picture and again through the upper half, create a pattern. The repetition of leafs makes the image have a rough textured quality. This roughness contrasts the soft, eerie, feel that the color creates. This was the most ethereal of all her photographs.
I was drawn to this picture because of the colors. It seemed like a dream place. Somewhere you can only imagine. If you really did exist in that place the colors would stay the say and the houses would always be that red. Out of the entire exhibit this picture made me think the most. I wondered, “how much are tickets to Switzerland.”

Exhibition Review: The International Center of Photography

This two-story collection of works by various artists, though relatively small, provided great insight into the many practices and purposes of photography. With exhibitions displaying styles including portraiture, archival photographs, and short film, the International Center of Photography did well to give the visitor a good sense of the importance and value of the photograph, be that importance historic or intrinsic.
The first collection I encountered upon entering the museum was that of Barbara Bloom. I felt her work dealt primarily with the concept of materialism, having various photographs being presented with accompanying objects of furniture. This, for me, provided an interesting perspective on her imagery, for seldom does a viewer have a tangible reference with which to view and analyze a photographers’ work. I found the method by which she chose to display her underlying theme both interesting and innovative.
Heading down the stairs past the Bloom showing led me to the “Archive Fever” exhibition, which explored the uses of the document in contemporary art. Portions of this exhibition weighed heavily on history, particularly war and its effect on the individual. Parts of this exhibition were simply difficult to look at, as some photographs did very well in their presentation of the individual consequence of what would normally be perceived as national tragedy. In this respect, I found the work of Fazal Sheikh to be incredibly captivating. His series of images presenting outstretched hands holding images of loved ones really epitomized the terrible feelings of loss and isolation that are experienced by those who suffer from the horrible outcomes of war.
My visit to the International Center of Photography left me with somewhat of a greater appreciation for the medium of photography and its ability to capture and convey both emotion and time in such a profound manner that other mediums fail to deliver.

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ICP Review - Allie Axel

Exhibition Review

The International Center of Photography Museum may have been small but it was able to represent all of the media photography applies to. The gallery presented images ranging from large format photographs to an engraving on a grain of rice which, consequently, required a magnifying glass to view. Most were in black and white while others used color purposefully.

Barbara Bloom’s exhibit combined photography and fragments of her own life and experiences to present to the viewer an ever changing perspective on the world. Her messages were applied with subtlety, exploring illusions and evoking moments of what is real and what is not. There were images of subjects about to fall while holding fragile objects with an added irony of the broken frame and glass the images were encased in. Using filters such as curtains and the placement of her photographs, Barbara Bloom purposely distanced the viewer from the image, inducing and encouraging the feeling that the viewer is merely a spectator with no real involvement. At the same time, the works presented in the exhibit were so intimate, like footprints on a carpet or a worn down rocking chair, the viewer fell easily into the illusion of intimacy with the owner of the objects.

Downstairs delved into the investigation of documentary photography. This exhibit presented documentary in the form of film, print and photograph, as well as some other slightly more abstract forms like the room filled with the September 12, 2001 cover pages of newspapers from all over the world. What struck me most about this room is that all of the newspapers had a different picture of the World Trade Center towers. I believe it stresses our dependence on photography in this modern world. These photographs came from people in the surrounding area who consciously stopped running or helping others to take a picture and capture the image forever. Maybe some knew they could make an obscene amount of money from this image while others might have understood the momentous importance of this event and knew it was imperative to document. Either way, it just made me wonder about where all of the headlining photographs came from and the thought behind the action.

Notes in the Margin of the Black Book was my favorite installation. Glenn Ligon “reinterpreted” Robert Mapplethorpe’s Black Book by taking a series of photographs exposing “the black man.” The images were highly controversial to some but I believe that is where the beauty of the exhibit stems from. They forced the viewer to accept and/or critique the stereotypes of black, gay culture. It is hard to choose one image to assess because I feel each image in the installation complements the next. The lighting of each image purposely exposes the unique texture of dark skin as well as providing illusions of shadows. There is one image I loved because of its simplicity. It was a man encompassed in a circular shadow holding a lily. It was so elegant. The surface of the skin and the petals blended while the dark skin and white flower contrasted brilliantly. A built man holding a flower would normally undermine his masculinity but this photograph presented a strong man in tune with the softness of nature.

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These are my 10, wish they could've been better. Some were taken on Wolfe 4 on a random night, and the others were taken on the way back to TCNJ. My final project consists of the three horizontal photos.

Lee Miller Exhibit

My first trip into Philly was certainly an exciting one; after climbing the god-awful steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, I reaped the benefits of seeing the exhibition of Lee Miller’s work. This exhibit really encompassed everything we have discussed in class, because it displayed her works from all facets of ‘documentary’- self-portraits, portraits of famous friends such as Picasso, photos of her taken by others, and her startling war photography including her at Hitler’s house. Starting as a model and becoming a photojournalist and working for Vogue, the exhibit itself was a sort of documentation of her journey.
All of Miller’s work was done in black and white, and of course in analog, and probably around 10x16 in size. Many of the images were even smaller, and it made me feel more intimate with her work and her life, because they documented herself and those close to her, and you yourself had to get physically closer to imbibe and truly appreciate every aspect of each photo.
One of the photos that I loved was not taken of Miller herself, but by Edward Steichen in 1928. It is a beautiful, romantic black and white of Miller sitting outdoors in a sun hat, gazing off into the distance. Her arm is bent with her hand at her throat, forming an upside down triangle across her body. Though she herself only takes up the bottom half of this vertical shot, she is clearly the main focus, and the first place your attention is drawm to. The top half of a wicker chair is visible in the bottom of the image, and tall, thin greenery sets the background for her, all of which provides a nice variety of textures. However, the main focus is her ethereal face, peaking out from under her sun hat but not overshadowed.
I’m really glad that I was able to make it to Philly for this exhibit. Lee Miller was the most iconic model of the 1920’s, and the work that she went on to do as a result was stunning and masterful.

10 Best Pics

Lee Miller Exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Lee Miller’s exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art seemed to be a documentary in and of itself. It documented her life and growth as a photographer. Her photographs range from self-portrait to portraits of the famous, war shots for British Vogue, landscapes, still life and nudes. There seemed to be several themes running throughout the exhibit, accompanied by a plaque on the wall in each section that gave a little background on the genre and places of the different sets. This was a thematic display of an individual artist’s show.
Lee Miller was a model turned photographer and war correspondent. The diversity of her work is exquisite and inspiring. Her ability to capture and construct a frame is remarkable. The exhibit displayed her works from New York to Paris to Egypt and London and beyond. The work relates directly to our discussions in class about documentary photography, because each section seemed to document a specific theme and era.
I believe most of the photos were 8x10, black and white and definitely not digital in that time. A photograph entitled “David E. Scherman, dressed for war, London, 1942,” captured me aesthetically. It is the one at the top of my post. I think it's the stark contrast that caught my eye, at first. Then the signifigance captivated me, as well. Obviously, this is a photograph of a photographer during war time. He is dressed in protective gear and armed with his most powerful weapon...the camera. He is ready to wage war with it and capture his subjects, so that they can't be forgotten. As far as composition, the lines from the umbrella seem to encompass the photographer and his camera, like it's cradling them. The black and white of the umbrella make it a very dramatic and surreal, as well as the gas mask. Without the mask, this photograph would tell a completely different story.

Lee Miller was a very distinguished photographer. Her images are captivating and rich with meaning. I am glad I got a chance to visit her exhibit. She definitely left her mark on the world.

The Philadelphia Art Museum

Lee Miller

At the Philadelphia Art Museum the exhibit of Lee Miller's work was incredible. Lee Miller has produced some of the most powerful photographs seen this century, from portraits of her friends such as Pablo Picasso, to her work as a journalist with the US army in World War II. Beginning her own studio in Paris with artist Man Ray, she went on to work with Vogue, and in New York, France, all over Europe, and even Egypt. With many self-portraits in her collection, it is easy to see how talented she truly was.
Lee Miller’s exhibit at The Philadelphia Art Museum was really great to see. In the beginning it started off with portraits, self-portraits, then to friends and family, and it finished out with her war photography. It was very relevant to class because she focused on so many portraits and the documentation of people and places. The war photography was most interesting to me and she even had self portraits of herself in Hitler’s abandoned house. Most of my favorite shots were her war photography because they demonstrate how real and important documentary photography is. All of her work was analog, black and white, and no bigger then 11x17. I found the smaller pictures more fascinating because you really have to focus and look close.
My favorite picture was ‘Lee Miller in Hitler’s Bathtub.” In the picture, the concept is fantastic being that this beautiful woman photographed herself in a bathtub which is supposed to be a place of cleansing and purity, but meanwhile it takes place awful mans bathroom. The tile lines on the wall of the bathroom bring the viewer in, with the dresser being a diagonal line, the shower hose helps make a triangle going back down towards the sink. There is a picture of what seems to be Hitler, in the bathtub and a nude statue on his dresser. There is a sense of loneliness and isolation in the room as well as a feeling of disgust and anger.
Overall, I loved the exhibit from everything to her Vogue covers to her war photography. I think the exhibit clearly demonstrated ‘Documentary Photography,’ and gave various examples of it. The exhibit showed Lee Miller as an excellent and well-rounded photographer and I am very happy that I saw the show.

Ten Best - Ross Heutmaker