Miyako Ishiuchi, is a Japanese photographer born in 1947, she studied in the design department at Tama Art University where she specialised in textile dying and weaving. we can see her interest in textiles in here photography focusing on the eccentric clothes of Frida Kahlo
TECHNICAL: This photo was taken in a studio set up which would of had controlled artificial lighting. a diffuser could have been used over the lights to distribute the light and to make the shadows softer. There are soft shadows around the dress which help to define it and make it stand out from the background. The photo has a high contrast which helps to show the details in the dress and makes the colours look richer. The photo is all in focus meaning it has a high aperture. It was taken using a hand held camera which would have needed a fast shutter speed to avoid motion in the image. the white colours in the image look slightly blue/purple toned however i think this is due to a filter rather than white balance.
VISUAL: This image is very minimal in terms of colours and has 3 predominant shades, turquoise, orange and an off white colour. There is a lot of texture in the image which shows of the fine details in the material. The item in photo looks 3D and stands out from the background, this helps to show the dress as it would look in real life. The skirt of the dress goes out the bottom of the frame giving the image a relaxed feel. It was probably taken from above because the dress would be lying on the background.
CONTEXTUAL: This photo was taken in 2013 of a dress owned by Frida Kahlo from earlier than 1954, this means it is a modern viewpoint on a vintage item. This is a reason for it being displayed like a museum piece.
CONCEPTUAL:
This series by Ishiuchi Miyako named ‘Frida’ was taken in 2013 to record of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo’s wardrobe and belongings. She died in 1954 and her husband Diego Rivera began placing her personal belongings into the bathroom of their Mexico City house, “The Blue House”, this later became the Museo Frida Kahlo. following his instructions the room remained sealed until fifteen years after his death. In 2004 it was finally opened and over 300 unseen relics were discovered. The museum invited Ishiuchi Miyako to photograph and document the artefacts for a catalogue.
This links to the theme of secrets because after her husbands death the contents of the room was unknown for over 15 years. Each individual item held its own story about their owner and I want to used this idea for my own photos.
Frida Kahlo was a famous Mexican artist in the 20th century who is well known for her portraits and work on artefacts and nature. she is also admired as a feminist icon due to her bold artwork and political views. she, and her husband were strong communists and she incorporated her beliefs in a lot of her work.
