David LaChapelle! <3

David LaChapelle is most properly the sole reason why I am so passionate about photography. He is my absolute favourite of all time. He is so amazingly, fantastically, unbelievably over the top and talented. He completely challenged the stereotypes of portrait and fashion photography and raised the level of photography so much higher (in my opinion anyway). 

His photographs are always so jam-packed with colour, glamour, celebrity, amazing ideas and sets. 

The first five photographs are taken from his most recent work entitled "Jesus Is My Homeboy". I think these are brilliant, but then I think everything LaChapelle does is always brilliant! I love how he has used something so ancient, and turned it into modern day. I also admire how he has challenged authority, and taken a subject that has always been so serious and important to alot of people, and transformed it into a highly humorous editorial, without it becoming offensive.

I don't understand alot of the meanings/messages behind the majority of LaChapelle's work, but this is what I have always loved about it, as I find myself sat looking at his images for hours on end, coming up with different stories of what he could have possibly been thinking when the photograph was taken. 

I love this next image because of how clever it is, and, as a hater of tangerine-skin-coloured girls (aka too much time on the sunbed, too much fake tan), how much I can relate to it and laugh. I love love love how at first glance the model looks black, because of (the majority of) her skin tone and afro hairstyle, but when you look closer she is actually caucasian. I think it is really clever that her afro is blonde, another thing I only really noticed when I realized the model was of white skin tone.

Richard Billingham

"I was just trying to make order out of chaos"

I had actually never come across Richard Billingham, or his work, before the lecture on our class' 'Contemporary Art' brief, where he was listed as a recommended photographer for research, under the 'Intimate Life' catergoy. 

I'm very glad I have finally stumbled across Billingham, better late than never ey? I really enjoy the relaxed 'normality', undeniable truth, and intimacy of his work, especially these images above, taken from the book 'Ray's A Laugh'.  

Ray, aka Billingham's father, was an alcoholic and his mental state was unstable. The book lets us into the world of his very own dysfunctional family, and the poverty and neglect in which he had to grow up in/around. 

Billingham photographed his mother, Liz, who appears to be obssessed with 'nick knacks', cats and jigsaw puzzles, and his father, Ray, who is always drunk. They come across as disgusting, foul creatures at a glance, Ray "who gets drunk on cheap cider at the off license", and Liz who "hardly drinks, but she does smoke alot" but when studying Billingham's work properly there is an odd element of happiness between them? It's quite touching, knowing that people can be happy, even with so little.

I really love Billingham's honesty, and courage for producing such intimate photographs. He refers to his mother and father as 'Ray' and 'Liz' alot of the time, which makes me arrive at the assumption that they don't have a strong relationship, along with the sarcastic title of the book. 

I think my favourite thing about these photographs, is the fact that Billingham decided to photograph on the cheapest film he could find, "some of them got marked and scratched. I just used the cheapest film and took them to be processed at the cheapest place". I love how harsh the colours are, and the careless focus. These things just add to the brutal truth of his home life, and make the photographs look authentic, with an aesthetic snap shot style. 

They just seem to have a really shocking and alien-like lifestyle to me, personally. It is so different to the upbringing I had, and quite hard for me to believe.

The first two photographs show Ray looking ill, frail and pale. In nearly every photograph of him he has some kid of alcoholic beverage in his hand, or placed by him in the shot, obviously symbolizing his alcoholism. The next photograph is off Liz, looking extremely happy. I love this photograph, because even though she looks grotesque, yellow-teethed and in need of a serious shower, she looks so happy, and I love how much it contrasts with the shots of Ray, being drunk and miserable.

The fourth photograph I found very touching. Liz is handing Ray, what looks like, a cup of tea? I love how the composition boasts the mis-match wallpaper, which is stained in the corner, and the fact that she has, what looks like, a pair of drumsticks in her hand? I also really like the contrast this image has with the one below it, where Liz seems to be confronting Ray, with her fist clenched towards him, but Ray doesn't even seem to be listening. I enjoy this last photograph for its honesty, because its never nice to see your parents fighting, especially (I imagine) if one is too drunk to even be able to listen. I love how there is so much going on in the background aswell, evidence of Liz's fondness for "things that are decorative". I also appreciate the elbow/arm of an unknown subject in the top right hand corner, he looks as if he is putting his hands behind his head? I imagine him to be looking up at the ceiling in kind of disbelief and thinking "here we go again"....or something similar.

(all quotes from a passage from Richard Billingham about 'Ray's A Laugh')

Tim Walker

Tim Walker is another favourite photographer of mine. This editorial is my favourite of Walker's work. He is very 'fairytale-esque' which is what I love about his work. The male model, here, is dressed up as a toy soldier, and i think the way he is sat - very straight and stiff, propped up against the wall, is a very clever way of making a human look like a doll/toy. His white face with heavily blushed cheeks and slicked back black hair and mustache is also very well executed, plus his blank expression staring straight on. I love how there are other 'toys' on the floor aka dominoes, but they are a larger-than-life size to make the models look smaller and doll-size.

Its lovely how her polka-dot tights match the white spots on the dominoes, and another thing that makes the models look so small is the set surrounding them; the high up skirting board, the massive door and I love the way the light is shining through the door, almost like they are living in a child's dollhouse and the front of it has been left slightly open by a little girl who was mid-play and got shouted downstairs for dinner by her mother.

I like the way he looks as if he has no life, like he is made out of plastic, and she looks very doll-like but still has some 'life' in her? I think this is made more apparent by the way he is staring over to the right and she is looking straight into the camera. Her pose is also not one you would see a toy doing, her leg wouldn't be able to stay like that (obviously, as a doll no muscles), and I like the way that plants the idea of 'dolls coming to life when people aren't around'.

Modernism/Postmodernism

Alfred Stieglitz - "Fifth Avenue 1892"

Postmodernism evolved because artists/photographers/musicians became frustrated with the boundaries and rules of their field. They pushed theses 'boundaries' and broke the 'rules', and now there are no restrictions on what an artist can or can't do. Postmodernism is about combining old methods, with modern ways of thinking, and allowing the photographer/artist/musician to decide the limitations, if any at all. 

An example of a great modernist photographer is Alfred Stieglitz. I only ever learnt about him and his work because I've been a massive fan of the painter Georgia O'Keefe for years and years, and Stieglitz is most well-known for his discovery of her, and their marriage. 

Stieglitz amazes me so much because his work was so different to the other stiff and retouched images (taken by other photographers) that surrounded him at that time. His work included movement, and he would often stand in very bad weather just to get the shots that he was particuarly looking for.

Jackson Pollock is a good example of a postmodernist artist.

"When I am in my painting, I'm not aware of what I'm doing. It is only after a sort of 'get acquainted' period that I see what I have been about. I have no fear of making changes, destroying the image, etc., because the painting has a life of its own. I try to let it come through. It is only when I lose contact with the painting that the result is a mess. Otherwise there is pure harmony, an easy give and take, and the painting comes out well."

His work and his view on "art' is a perfect example of postmodernism. He completely rejected any form of boundary, rule, limit that had been put there before, and worked completely how he wanted to work, and produced work he wanted to produce, rather than sticking to some ancient rule book of art.

Modernist artists tend to take the approach of attempting to make their work mean something, to have some sort of affect on world, to change it? Where as postmodernists do whatever they please. not for a reason as such, just because they want to, to express themselves and for others to express themselves.

Semiotics

"Semiotics, semiotic studies, or sociology is the study of sign processes (semiosis), or signification and communication, signs and symbols, both individually and grouped into sign systems. It includes the study of how meaning is constructed and understood".

Roland Barthes.

Roland Barthes is most well-known for his book "Mythologies".  He was born on the 12th of November 1915 and died on the 25th March 1980.  He carried out extensive research on how meaning/meanings are constructed, the 'sign process', which resulted in the book being based on connotations and codes. 

When I was first introduced to "Semiotics", there was an image of a chair infront of us and we were asked "what do you see?" and the majority of us answered "a chair" (the minority of us didn't answer at all). Of course it was a trick question, because what we were actually seeing was, infact, a photograph of a chair, not the actual chair itself.

Semiotics affect a large majority of modern day;

• Advertising (the eye doesn't need all the letters of a word to read it e.g. "I konw you, are oyu okay")
• Education ("we only know what a symbol means because we were taught it in earlier life)
• (even) Safety (road signs etc)

This "I shop therefore I am" image ("I think, therefore I am = original philosophy) is by Barbara Kruger. This slogan was used to advertise one of Selfridges' Christmas sales aka Advertising.

Different colours have different meanings to different people/cultures. This makes its very difficult to do global advertisements. These advertisements are for 'The United Colours of Beneton';

"The “united” colors of its sweaters soon became a metaphor for the united skin tones of the youth from many different countries for whom the sweaters were designed. As the markets expanded—Benetton became a global force in just a few years—the United Colors concept spread from encompassing the different races to the ideas of tolerance, peace and respect for diversity."

Barthes also looked at handwriting. For example if you were asked "what type of person do you think wrote this?"

the majority of people would automatically assume that it was a lawyer or a doctor's hand, because it is so well written. But who's to say that a criminal did not write it? and why is that so shocking/unexpected. My mother is a lawyer and her hand writing is awful!

http://production.investis.com/ben_en/about/campaigns/history/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiotics

Feminism

"does the camera sustain and perpetuate certain kinds of viewing relations that reflect an unequal order of sexual and social relations?"

The self portraits/film stills of Cindy Sherman are extremely influenced by feminism, mainly because of the time when she produced them, the world was a very male-dominated place.

  In her films, she played roles of 'the domestic goddess' and 'the sex symbol'. They always seem have the look/feel of helplessness and/or vulnerability to them, which I think is very clever. Even if she is playing a 'sex symbol' she still has this vulnerability to her which grabs your attention because sexy and vulnerable work so well together, but are so unusual and not expected.

I like Sherman's work, she has been one of my favourite artists for quite a while now. I love her "i don't give a shit" attitude to life, which shines through brilliantly in her work, which will be recognized and appreciated so much more than it already is (if possible) because of growing feminist followers.

Sherman's work is rarely titled, and that makes her work so much more powerful. If titles were involved then it would force the viewer to feel/see something that they might not of necessarily felt if the image was left untitled. I also love this about her, this means everyone can make up their own mind on what Sherman was thinking/portraying when she produced the photograph.

I just wanted to quickly add "The Guerilla Girls" into this blog, because I think they're brilliant. They dress up in gorilla outfits, and take one name each of a dead female artist to promote them.

They raise issues, for example, about the fact that when "art" began, why were there no female artists recognized? how come it was all men? (e.g. Micheal Angelo, Vincent Van Gogh) why weren't women selected?

"We’re feminist masked avengers in the tradition of anonymous do-gooders like Robin Hood, Wonder Woman and Batman. How do we expose sexism, racism and corruption in politics, art, film and pop culture? With facts, humor and outrageous visuals. We reveal the understory, the subtext, the overlooked, the and the downright unfair."

The Guerilla Girls (http://www.guerrillagirls.com/)

The Ballad of Sexual Dependency

Nan&Brian (who she loved very dearly) in bed

Nan, after Brian beat her up

  Nan Goldin is best known for the huge success of the 'Ballad of Sexual Dependency' - a photographic account of her friends, lovers and real life while living in New York, presented in a slide show fashion, and accompanied by music.  

I'm trying desperately to reframe from beginning a paragraph with the words "I love Nan Goldin"... but I'm finding it extremely difficult, so, to hell with it...

I love Nan Goldin! I love how her work is so raw and non-staged. I love how she has photographed the bad times aswell as the good, and how bare and honest her photographs are. Every single photograph screams emotion, and that just makes me so passionate about this art, she makes me passionate about this art. 

I think it is really brave and clever to include your friends and/or lovers in your photographic work because it adds that extra spark when you know that these photographs are real life, its like a secret open window into a complete stranger's life, which now I read that sentence back over, sounds like some sort of definition for "paparazzi", 

"They don't understand that it's not about a style or a look or a setup. It's about emotional obsession and empathy."

Nan Goldin

but Goldin's work is so much more extreme and interesting (obviously) than some snap-happy pap, even if her work has been described as "snap-shot",  the underground film and story telling nature of her shots make them one of a kinds, and so addictive. Her subjects are only 'famous' to her, not the rest of the world. They arent super models or actresses, they are just the people who make up her life, who now also make up some of the most influencial photographs of time.

Since the Ballad of Sexual Dependancy, Goldin continues to document her life through photograph, with the help of friends and lovers, but there is a change of tone in her work, since she moved to Europe and lost many of her dear friends to AIDs.

"Kathe in the tub"

"I used to think I couldn't lose anyone if I photographed them enough. I used photography to stave off loss. But with the recent deaths of many of my friends I realized the limits of what can be preserved."

Nan Goldin

This is my favourite photograph of Nan Goldin's. It looks like a typical sunny day at the beach, and reminds me of home. I love the way she is shielding her eyes from the bright sky and the fact she has sunglasses on. I also love the use of primary colours in this photograph; the red of her trousers, the green of her cardigan/jacket and the yellowness of the mickey mouse (cute!) magazine.

Derby (pronounced "dar-bee" )

So, we all jumped on a coach and slowly, but surely, rolled up to the streets of Derby where the "International Photography Festival - PHOTOCINEMA" was being held.

I am terrible at life when hungry, and also terrible at map-reading full-stop (there were different exhibitions dotted about Derby that you ahd to find yourself) so James, Emma&I had a quick Nando's lunch and then trotted off to the first show.

I viewed some awesome work that day, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I'm going to talk about a certain photographer who's work was on show in "The Quad" building. I've been quite the biggest fan for a number of years now, and was very excited to enter the room and spot hsi photographs hanging before me!

Gregory Crewdson's work tends to amaze me, full stop. I love to use alot of 'space' in my own work and he is a very big fan of it too, I think he is where I have subconciously got it from, and I thank him for it if that is the case!

The first image I have posted is my favourite. The village looks disserted, and the model looks completely possesed eventhough you can't see her fae properly. The way the light is coming through the middle of those houses, just shining on her, is amazingly beautiful but also gives me a shiver down my spine. It's almost like she can see something that we cannot, something at the opposite end of the road that she is staring down. I desperately want to know what it is....if anythnig at all!

On the second image, the contrast in colour between the sky, the buildings and the snow on the ground gripped me straight away. I love the way the lamp post's bulb is not on, but there is light coming from somwhere else further back in the photograph.

On the third image, again Crewdson has mastered the art of 'space'. i love how the black car is randomly 'parked' in the middle of the puddle filled carpark and there are two yellow cars either side of it. the black car looks as if someone has abandonned it, like they saw something amazing and had to stop the car and get out to have a better look. The yellow cars are parked properly. I love the way the girl is just stood, again looking lost and staring at something/someone that we cannot see. There is so much wonder, and so many unanswered questions to these photographs, I love it, this way I can make up my own mind.

* Drop Dead! (NOT a bmth reference)

http://danielaedburg.com

Hey! This photographer is awesome. I am ALL about the whole fairytale-esque shoots, they are the best, &she pulls it off so well, with such a clever concept. 

 I thought I'd better post the rest of the series, as I posted the "Death by Cake" in my 'f*ck you' post a few days ago, &write a little something about them. 

 The series really appeals to me, as I am forever stuffing my tummy with sweets, chocolate etc! &absolutely loving every minute of it.....until that horrible feeling of fullness kicks in, &then I want to actually die.  So, for me, the title is really clever aswell&I completely understand where she is coming from with  "Drop Dead Gorgeous". 

"that which gives me pleasure one minute, causes guilt the next. I am surprised 

at how much i like the products I consume, but, if you stop for one second to 

think about it, it's absurd. Yet, you can't stop."

- Daniela Edburg

I particularly enjoy the bright colours in every single shot, but then there is that one shot at the beginning of the series "Death by Oreos" that is very dark, it actually reminds you of death, but is still humorous&fun (especially with the reference to the famous painting of Whistler's mother). 

Another thing that is absolutely charming about Edburg, is that she never uses professional models in any of her works, she only uses her friends.

* Hell To Sell

Vivienne Westwood is my favourite everything. That does make sense,&has a few meanings, but I guess that's only if you read it correctly. 

I'm so glad that Pamela Anderson is modelling the new collection, both are brilliant.

 The girl has still got it....I've always wanted 'it', but still am no further to discovering what 'it' actually is?! 

"the qualities that give pleasure to the senses"

- define:beauty (google)

 I think the photographs work extremely well, I've read about a lot of people saying how 'ugly' Pamela Anderson is, &what a 'freak' Vivienne Westwood is. I find these people, &their statements, absolutely hilarious. 

 For me, they have shown a different side to Vivienne Westwood, &I don't know about you, but I would never of thought to team Pammy and Viv together (by this I mean Pamela Anderson&Vivienne Westwood clothing, but I also mean actual Pamela&actual Vivienne, as people).

 The contrast between Anderson&Westwood is so good; hair colour, age, even style, &I love the simplicity&the 'normal day life' feel the photographs have to them, but at the same time you can't help but have that feeling of slight craziness? Like something just doesn't add up quite right, but that's what I love about these photographs. They puzzle me. I've found that Vivienne has that effect on me, also.

 In my head they shouldn't work, probably because I don't, well I didn't think Pamela Anderson would actually wear Vivienne Westwood outside of the photo shoot, or maybe she would? 

 I quite clearly need to research the Anderson, and her 'style', before I can really comment on what she would or wouldn't wear, but until that day comes, all I'm saying is that they are an unusual, but amazing, pair and opposites quite clearly attract!

 &I don't even need to comment on Juergen Teller. Although, I'm sure my tutor will have something to say about that decision, soooo, just for you Julie, 'always brilliant'. 

Perfect x

* f*ck you

Look inside, look inside your tiny mind. Then look a bit harder. 'Cause we're so uninspired, so sick&tired of all the hatred you harbor.

So you say its not okay to be gay, well I think you're just evil.

You're just some racist who can't tie my laces, your point of view is medevil.

Daniella Edburg. I love this image, I love the colour used, the contrast of the pink and the yellow makes me think of sickly things and, without being disgusting, vomit. She just looks exhausted, maybe form eating too much cake or, by the looks of her dress and appearance, exhausted from trying to be the 'perfect housewife'. Poor girl, I think she's tried to bake one too many cakes at one time!

The way the table cloth is hanging of the table, and the tea towel clinging for life onto the oven door, both can be seen to represent the way she is draped over the oven. I like the way they flow together across the photograph, from table cloth-to her-to tea towel and back again.

I like the way she is so oddly positioned. How did she ever get underneath a table and then pass out onto an open over door? And surely the oven door is hot? These are the types of things that remind you that it isn't real life, everything you see has been purposely set up and the model has been posed. She is not a documentary photographer where nothing is staged, like Nan Goldin or Richard Billingham. Edburg makes strange decisions sometimes that make you really think about why she made that decision. I love photographers/artists that have that talent.

* Reinventing the Wheel to Run Myself Over (aka Gallery visit)

So today I got the dreaded DLR to Canning Town, &from there, made my way to Oxford Circus via the Jubilee&Central lines.

My final destination being the new location of The Photographers Gallery.
Our class were to view the 'Deutsche Borse Photography Prize 2009' Exhibition; works from Paul Graham, Tod Papageorge, Taryn Simon, and Emily Jacir.

Paul Graham (1956, UK - nominated for 'a shimmer of possibility') was the first exhibition to greet us. His work is a collection of photographs he has taken from travelling across the United States of America, between 2004&2006. He shot 'every day activities' such as basketball or waiting for a bus.

"nothing much happens but everything shimmers in the flow of life"

- Paul Graham.

The first set of photographs to immediately catch my eye, were of a homeless-looking man clutching some flowers. They were ridiculously powerful. There was no information about this man, you had to make up your own opinion of him by the way he looked in the photograph. This intrigued me further.

I instantly felt sympathy for him, and wanted to give him a big hug. Which is strange because I'm pretty sure if I saw him in the street, face-to-face, &he tried to give me a big hug I would, in return, try to give him a big slap around the face.

Just everything about the series was, to me, dripped in sympathy&wonder. Although, saying that, he didn't look upset or depressed, his facial expressions had so much hope, and even a touch of happiness, or maybe comfort? Like he had accepted his life as it is.

I don't know if the feminism of the pink flowers brought this out of him, but I think they definitely helped. The contrasts between his appearance&the flowers' are so strong; his scruffy, rough, dirty, dark, but harmless exterior, mixed with the flowers' delicate, pretty, girly coloured exterior brings so much feeling to the series. I really enjoy any type of contrast in a photograph, I think it makes the shot so much stronger.

It seems that the flowers were important to him, which i thought was so lovely! Which girl isn't a complete sucker for a guy that loves flowers....&pink flowers at that!

The shots are truly brilliant, I still want to find out the real story behind that gentleman....but knowing me, he'll turn out to be a multi-murderer or something equally as foul.