Monday 6 December 2010

Contextual Studies - Conceptualising my own work

Assessment Task 2: Conceptualising your own work
ND2
Liz Bradshaw
Word count:
544


This piece is influenced by the social part of life. It aimed at the common way of thinking which many people have, that has to do with the certain way people dress or act. It also has a form of confessing the person’s inner feelings. The viewer may find it shocking because we don’t expect the person to hold such a view by the way he dresses. It’s same when we look at models in magazines but we never compare our emotional troubles with them. The truth which the artist comes to is, everyone has problems, and it’s a matter of accepting them in public, without stereotyping them.

The artist is changing the point of view of the typical stereotypes that have been shown in society. The message shows that a man wearing a business suit may not be doing as well as it may seem. The idea that a rich man is better off or may not have the same problems as a poor person is what is tackled. She manages to convince the viewer that there is a business man confessing his inner feelings. She also plays with the background and the environment, as the picture is set in a ugly looking alley way which is the complete opposite of what you would expect a man in a suit would be in.

If this piece was a painting, it wouldn’t seem to be realistic at all and would have a different feeling towards the overall piece. The fact it’s a picture shows that it’s more realistic than what a person may have imagined through a drawing/sketch or any other sort of media, which doesn’t capture reality. Also the picture itself says enough if the person was not holding a board. The idea of a person of that status being in an alley way makes us think a bit longer , as it’s something different than we are used to. The board used to convey his feelings adds to the picture and the message that she is trying to get across.

I’m really interested in the aspect of it being an emotional piece. The fact that the man is holding a sign that shows what he possibly feels. Also the idea of confessing themselves by using a sign, took my interest. The signs and texts she used through a photography form was also something that was a really interesting way of putting a point across, also to have a picture have the inner thoughts of a person on someone that is normally stereotyped, was unique to me.

This is the piece of artwork I did that influenced my idea. I used the idea giving my view on the emotive statement on life and changing the idea by not being able to see the person who’s holding the sign, which adds a form of mystery to the photograph and questions the viewer on what they can see. The background is clearer and clean, which was taken indoors of that person’s house. The artist influenced my idea by the idea of confession, aiming things towards life and sociality. Also I made my picture landscape whereas the artist’s picture was portrait as I did not want to show the face of the person inside my picture.

Gillian Wearing

My Work

Sunday 14 November 2010

Photography In The T-shirts.




T-shirts


Before making the proper prints, I cut out A3 size clothes. So I could test out the print before, printing them on the t-shirt. Just so I could see how they turn out.



- Vest T-shirts: Of the Kayne West Design and The John Lennon Design

- Kayne West Design: T-shirt

-Katie Perry Design: T-shirt

- Pharrell Williams Design: t-shirt

I'm planning on cutting the neck part off, so it's more of a females t-shirt.
Which I ended up doing...

Monday 1 November 2010

Contextual Studies: Visual Analysis

Tutor: Liz Bradshaw
Word count: 532

Contextual Studies
Visual Analysis: Francis Bacon’s 'Self Portrai't and the still taken from Director Eisenstein’s 'Battleship Potemkin
'

The first piece is a still image from the film “Battleship Potemkin”. The silent film was made in 1925, the still image shows a close up of a woman who is distressed or upset. The photo suggests that she is shouting because her mouth is open and her eyes have widened. The photo is also in black and white and one side of her face is brighter than the other, I think this effect has been done to create an emotional feeling towards the image, as the scene is upsetting because the scene is of her loved one getting stood on by many people. You can see her suffering from helplessness and uselessness that she could not help. I believe this was done on purpose to create tension and dramatic impact. The film is based on a true event but it may not have happened in that way, as it was made 20 years after the event. This was not related to what was going on at the time because the event took place in 1905 and the film was made in 1925, it was made in a documentary style, with imagery to create drama.

This piece is made using two techniques, film and film photography, the film was directed by Sergei Eisenstein and the photography was done by the Ronald Grant Archive. It is called “Hear The Scream in Your Mind's Ear.” The whole film is about 75 minutes long and it is a silent film, the whole thing is in black and white.

I believe that Eisenstein did this sequence as fiction; it was to try to get a sympathetic reaction from the viewers. The film shows that common people have to fight against an oppressive ruthless government, to be able to improve their lives.

My second piece is a self-portrait painting of the artist, Francis Bacon. In the painting you can see deformed/distorted facial features. Bacon uses light but mostly dark colours on the face, on a pitch-black background. The artist was trying to show emotion through the painting, showing how he felt during that time; this is shown by the fact he didn’t paint the typical features, which doesn’t show his identity, it makes you stare and try to figure out what is happening in the painting.

The picture isn’t meant to be disturbing as the artist quoted. It was done around the time where George Dryer his lover committed suicide. Throughout this time Bacon had an unhealthy interest in images of death. The eyes of the portrait are slightly closed, the face is distorted, people may think that this face was once beautiful but distorted by the outside, society, love, hate, and events. One can put them in a person’s position and see they slowly turn into something ugly.

The only elements I can see in both pieces is that they are about loss and the emotional consequences. One image shows fear and horror and the other shows an inward feeling of depression. There is no truth in the film as it was made 20 years after the event and it was only a film, whereas Francis Bacon was showing his innermost feeling of depression and loss.

Sunday 31 October 2010

UNIT-E Magazine


- UNIT-E Magazine October 2010 Edition
Used one of my photography work in the Magazine.

Online copy: http://issuu.com/unit-e/docs/october2010