Daily Archives: October 4, 2019

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Still life research

October 4, 2019 Lucy L Leave a comment

A still life is a painting of a range of inanimate objects. This became very popular in the 16th century in the Netherlands where it was called “stilleven”, however this form of art can be seen all the way back in ancient times.

History

Still life paintings were seen in as early as the 15 century during the Egyptian times where paintings of different foods such as meat, fish and crops were discovered in ancient burial sights. The Romans and the Greeks also made similar forms of art using a technique called Frescoes which is where they painted on plaster. In the middle ages this form of art was modified to include more religious elements. In the Renascence era, floral designs became more popular. Paintings from this time usually show a vast amount of flowers from different areas around the world all blooming in the same vase. During the Dutch golden era, this was adapted slightly to create painting known as Vanitas which are floral painting that were paired together with objects like human skulls and hour glasses to convey the concept of the nature of life. Closer to the modern day era, this technique was adopted by artists such as Van Gough who painted lots of images of objects such as sunflowers, water jugs and wine bottles.

Dutch still life

Dutch still life painting are known for depicting objects such as fruit, flowers and meat. When looking deeply into these painting we are able to focus on underlying metaphors. This era was known for its wealth. This was a time where overseas trading was prominent in the Netherlands and exotic luxuries from all over the world were imported into the country. Luxuries included things such as tobacco, spices, salt, gems, tea, silk and sugar. Dutch citizens wanted to celebrate their new found imports by incorporating them into their art. From this point on, these paintings became more elaborate and affluent.

Cherries and strawberries were used to represent men’s souls and dragonflies were used to show evil since it was seen as a subspecies to butterflies which represent salvation. Skulls and hourglasses were also very common in dutch still life paintings as a warning, and were often seen next to luxury goods as a reminder that such things would not be important in the after life.

Analysing Still life paintings

*Banquet Piece with Mince Pie,* 1635

by Willem Claesz Heda

In this painting we can see an abundance of goods and luxuries. The gold and silver jugs on the table shows a high status and symbolises riches, it also pops against the background. The tablecloth also reflects power as it seems to be a type of quite expensive cloth, perhaps silk. On the table we can see all sorts of foods from lemon imported from Mediterranean countries, to mince pie that was seasoned with spices from eastern countries. These imported goods show a high social status and an abundance of wealth.

*An Allegory of the Vanities of Human Life, c. 1640*
*by Harmen Steenwyck*

In contrast to the image above this painting is slightly different as it is more religious in symbolism. Firstly, it is clear to see that it is a lot more monotone, and a lack of light shining which shows that the concept is darker or more serious. All the objects on the table are displayed in a chaotic order which could represent sadness or anger, and implies that someone may have been present at the scene and then left. We can also see that although the image contains some objects, there is quite a lot of bare space. This represents a feeling of emptiness that comes with having luxuries. The painting also refers to death as there is a very prominent skull on the table, that the steak of light is shining on to to highlight it further. The presence of books and instruments is used to indicate knowledge. Having the skull in front of the objects shows that when death comes luxuries will not mean anything.

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-dutch-lifes-dark-secrets-hide-exotic-delicacies

AO2 Explore Ideas, Unit 2 Portrait, Unit 3 Landscape

Classic Vs Contemporary photographers

October 4, 2019 Alex Phillips Leave a comment

Classic Photographer Study: Francis Foot

Francis Foot was born in 1855. In his early years he was a gas fitter, but he later developed an interest in photography and so much so that his family purchased a shop in pitt street, where they represented UK record retailer HMV. The logo is still painted on the exterior of the shop today. He then went on to have 4 children, George, Stanley, Dora and Reg.

Francis’ photography was published as postcards and many of his images and films have been curated by the Societe Jersaie Archive for historical purposes. His video portfolio provides video of aircraft landing on the beach in St Aubins bay, St Helier Harbour and Shipwrecks around the island

Below are some examples of Francis’ work

The Smith family, Taken around 1909. A traditional family portrait which features themes of hierarchy due to the arrangement of the family. The assumed father of the smith family sits central, With his son next to him and daughter in front of him sat on the floor. His wife sits aside his son whilst the members standing in the backdrop could either be extended family such as aunties cousins etc, Or could be maids and servants that are essentially considered part of the family

The weighbridge taken from pier road, Much different from the waterfront known by all today. The row of buildings opposite the sea wall are today a major financial hub as seen in Lewis bush’s work below. This image is particularly important in terms of historical change as this image was taken just a few years before the idea of land reclamation came into play and started to be developed upon.

Contemporary Artist Study: Lewis Bush

Lewis Bush is a British photographer whom recently did an arch isle photographic residency In Jersey. he is 31 years of age. However he started life on a very different route to photography, Working as a consultant researcher for the United Nations AIDS/HIV Task force, Tasked with researching potential cures and solutions to the AIDS/HIV Crisis. In 2012, Bush decided to focus on his own photo graphical works and projects, and one of his main focuses was to draw attention to various invisible powers throughout the world and photograph them and what they entail.

Lewis was recently in Jersey as part of the Archisle International Photographer in Residencey project, Where artists from all over the world spend a 6 month period in Jersey curating projects with an insight into island life whether that be past or present or even future. Bush created a project named “Trading Zones” which focused upon the finance industry in Jersey and the power within it. Bush found that the power of the finance industry could either positively ro negatively affect the lives of many millions of people and therefore set out to photograph this unapparent power at work.

Bush takes quite an interesting approach to the project, By using architectural drawings and building plans throughout the project, Highlighting various Sectors within the finance industry and many metaphorical features of it

Bush’s Work

In this image, Bush has curated aerial photographs of offices opposite liberation bus station. He includes the companys and corporations occupying the buildings as well as the branches and divisions of such companies. I personally like this image as it gives off a sense of dominance in terms of the amount of financial office space and it also has a military observational aesthetic to it, with the listings of the buildings and the aerial imagery

This image depicts many corner structures of various financial offices/ Buildings, Such as the RBC building and Nat-west International bank. Bush is good at highlighting that some of the offices, Such as the one in the top right, are actually historical buildings that have been modernized and brought into present day by the inclusion of Glass and steel girders to give the building a modern and professional look

Another interesting piece of work from Bush is this Image of a public telescope on ST Catherines Breakwater. The image is titled “Hong Kong, 9896km”. This image is powerful in representation of the international influence of Jerseys finance sector as the Island has ties with many banks and industries within Hong Kong, itself a major finance capital. What is more interesting is the telescope looking out to see, Almost as if it is making contact with and directing the viewer towards Hong Kong as this image was taken on Jerseys east coast

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Emile F. Guiton and Autochromes

October 4, 2019 Gabrielle B Leave a comment

Emile Guiton was born in Jersey in 1879. He was part of La Société Jersiaise and was part of the executive committee there as he had a keen interest in History. Guiton had a fascination with the past and he had a particular interest in the design of Jersey houses over the centuries, in particular, the different styles of arches to be found in the island. Guiton was a keen amateur photographer and practised throughout his life. He experimented with colour at the beginning of the twentieth century in “Autochromes”. He would photograph archaeological excavations and he was one of the few people in Jersey permitted to take photographs during the German Occupation of 1940 – 1945. He recognised very early on the importance of collecting photographs and donated many images to the Société Jersiaise when he died in 1972.

Emilie’s work:

Autochromes

Autochromes ( or Autochrome Lumière) is an early color photography process patented in 1903 by the Lumière brothers in France and first marketed in 1907. The process consists of a glass plate coated on one side with a random pattern of microscopic grains of potato starch dyed red/orange, green, and blue/violet with the grains of starch acting as colour filters and a black-and-white panchromatic silver halide emulsion is put on top. The autochrome was put into the camera with the glass side that wasn’t covered in the potato starch and emulsion was facing the lens so that the light passed through the filter layer before reaching the emulsion. Because of the light loss due to all the filtering, autochrome photographs required a much longer exposure. This mean the photographer had to use a tripod and that photographing moving subjects wasn’t practical.

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Critical Analysis

October 4, 2019 Daniel B Leave a comment

Image result for early vanitas paintings

Concept and Context:

Vanitas paining were especially popular in the 16th/17th century and started in the Netherlands and the term originally came from the opening lines of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible: ‘Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities, all is vanity’. Vanitas paintings would usually feature skulls, glasses, and candles to show the certainty and inevitability of death, and the transience of life.

Visual Analysis:

This painting by Pieter Claesz shows the our own mortality in several different ways, using different objects to reference elements regarding death. Firstly and most obviously is the human skull which is the main subject of this painting. It represents not only death, but how everyone is the same when they die, and it does not matter your beliefs, appearance or actions because underneath that we are all the same. Also notably is the glass resting against the skull. This once again references death, and given that it is next to the skull, it can be used to represent the life of person who died and is now just a skull, as the glass has tipped over, and there is no more liquid left, this shows how the person has run out of life, and judging from how it looks like it has been knocked over, it would be possible to assume that Claesz may have done this to show that the person died a quick death.

Another object commonly featured in Vanitas paintings is an hourglass to show the unchangeable nature of time, and how there is no stopping it. Whilst this painting features no hourglass, it features a cigarette to create the same effect, showing that we all eventually get burnt out into nothing. The use of the quill has a similar effect as well, and because as there is no inkwell, the ink on the quill represents our lives, and how every day it is used up bit by bit until we eventually run out and can no longer function and then die, which is represented by the quill running out of ink.

The Books under the skull also have a very significant meaning. They represent all of the knowledge that this person had learned in their lifetime. This helps us connect with the person, as it gives them a backstory of sorts. Schooling was obviously much harder to come by in the 16th century, and was mainly reserved for the rich and powerful. This therefore means that the skull belonged to a wealthy scholar, perhaps a writer due to the quill, giving the object a double meaning

AO1 Develop Ideas, AO3 Record Ideas

Autochromes

October 4, 2019 Nathan H Leave a comment

Autochromes is a material which was once used for colour photography, consisting of a photographic emulsion applied over a multicolored screen of minute starch grains dyed red, green, and blue-violet. This effect was achieved by getting a glass plate and coating it with a latex-based varnish and covered with a thin, regular layer of grains of potato starch dyed green, blue, and red-orange. In order to achieve the negative element of this type of photograph, one side of the glass would be covered with a thin layer of collodion (a flammable syrup) containing ammonium or potassium halides (iodide or iodide and bromide). The collodion is richer than the other substances which creates the negative, producing the whitish image. allowing it show up better against the dark background used when viewing the final outcome.

Emile F. Guiton:

The founder of the Societe Jersiaise Photographic Archive had a passion for capturing colour photographs, during the begining of colour photography in the early 20th century. Emile captured two categories when using the autochrome technique: still life, fruit and flowers showcasing symbolism and domestic photographs, taking a more portraiture approach. He used still life photography in order for him to develop his skills, when using the chemicals to create the autochrome effect. In addition, the subject was still allowing for a controlled environment making the colour experimentation to be clearer. Emile would sell the autochromes in packs of four, which showed his experimentation with the chemicals. It is said that he created his work to capture the heritage of the island.

One of Emile’s most famous photographs was Valley de Vaux, which showcased two of Jersey’s landscapes in colour. One was a country environment and one was showcasing the urban life of Jersey, creating a clear juxtaposition. This photograph I could not find online, but from the description read on https://hautlieucreative.co.uk/photo20al/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2019/09/The-Autochromes-of-Emile-Guiton.pdf it is clear that the work is trying to showcase the cultural change during this time period.

AO1 Develop Ideas

Laura Letinsky

October 4, 2019 Jazmin G Leave a comment

Laura Letinsky is best known for her elegant composed still life photographs. Inspired by the 17th century European still life paintings, Letinksy offers her 21st century perspective of the genre. She is aware of the rich narrative possibilities that still life presents. Although her photographs are similar to Dutch still life, they are more modernised.

The scenery usually has a dirty table cloth, as if someone just got up and left their meal after a huge argument with someone. Although as thoughtfully composed as the arrangements of those historic painters, her images embrace the messiness of real life where peaches rot, and table cloths are stained with spilled red wine and covered with crumbs from meals consumed.

Early in her career, she photographed couples in their own homes creating visual narratives about love and relationships. By the late 1990s she stopped photographing people and replaced them with objects. She began using objects that hinted at human presence.

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Evacuation during the occupation?

October 4, 2019 Kimberley N Leave a comment

My grandfathers Story of how he got evacuated at the start of World War 2:

In 1940, My granddad was evacuated to Bolton at the age of just 5 years old, along with his sister, mother, father, and other family members.
His was exported to the South of England on a coal boat, from here they went on various trains to Bolton.
When they arrived they were bulleted in a warehouse with other families which had also been evacuated, a couple months later my grandfather family were put in a mansion with again other families – the other families included people from Guernsey, and Jersey.
Later on, Other family members (relations) joined them, these included his grandmother, Auntie, Uncle and Cousins. However In 1941, Jeans my Granddads sister died of pneumonia and was buried in Bolton
My Grandfathers Father worked as a fireman in Manchester, Whereas his mother worked in an aircraft factory. This meant my grandad was looked after by his grandmother.
He went to school in Horwitch, where he stayed until 1945, however when he returned he went to New Street school (St Pauls)
At the end of the war in 1945, Mr granddad and his family returned to jersey minus his father, who remained in England.
My Granddad also served in the army from 1951-75.
My Uncle Cyril was award the MC Which stood for the Military Cross for clearing a pathway through a minefield, he was a Captain in the Army.

Evacuation Meaning:

Evacuation means leaving a place. During the Second World War, many children living in big cities and towns were moved temporarily from their homes to places considered safer, usually out in the countryside. The British evacuation began on Friday 1 September 1939. It was called ‘Operation Pied Piper’.

History of Evacuation:

The first official evacuation was at the start of the Second World War, this was deemed to be necessary and the experience has lived through the people were the centre of the evacuation.
The people only packed what they need for example in the Second World War this is what they could take: Gas Mask in case, a change of Underclothes, Night Clothes, Plimsolls, spare Stockings or Socks, Toothbrush, Comb, Towel, Soap, Face Cloth, Handkerchiefs and a Warm Coat.