Postmodernism is more of a reaction against the values and ideas of modernism. Described broadly, modernism is a search for the truth and answers, whereas postmodernism presents the idea that there is no set truth and is much more philosophical. Both these movements came as a result of the thinking patterns of the society during those times. Post modernism first emerged in the early 1960’s, but it wasn’t till the 1970’s till the term postmodernism started being used.
A key element of postmodernism was breaking the divide between high and low art, especially through including pop culture elements. A good example would be cubism, where Picasso, an artist who was part of the movement, often included the lyrics of popular songs in his paintings.
Above is an example of one of the most famous paintings of the postmodernist movement. More specifically it is part of the visual art movement, also known as pop art. It was painted by Andy Warhol, who i will take a lot of inspiration from in my personal study. His works incorporate large blocks of colour and are always vibrant. This is a very expressive way of showing one’s visions and ideas to the world, but it works as it attracts a large amount of attention due to the visually appealing colours, which in turn helps spread the message the artist is putting out.
Focusing back on postmodernism as a whole, its all about referencing things outside of the work (E.g. Social, political, or cultural issues) which is exactly what my project will be about. The works are always aware of and make reference to previously hidden agendas of art markets, relations to museums, dealers and critics.
Unlike modernism, postmodernism did not pay any kind of attention whatsoever to original works. They would dub them as pieces that gained popularity due to propagation. Also, due to scientific and technological advancements and other related fields,postmodernism saw no absolute truth in original works. It believed more in creating applied art. Digital media was used extensively to copy original work of the modernism period.
This is a mood board I have created of the most influential and well-known works of the pop art movement.
When looking at the subject which I am focusing on, I will be relating it to
the subject of realism as I will be capturing documentary style images. In
order to the tackle the topic of the Jersey housing crisis I will first be
visiting various sites in St.Helier and in its outskirts in order to show what
the true state of affordable housing is like and what young people like myself
can afford in the current housing market. It is a topic which I am fully
invested in as it will be a subject which will impact my own life in the
future. It also relates to the topic of occupation and immigration very closely
as the migrant population of Jersey has extremely limited housing options due
to the socioeconomic status of these people. The biggest hurdle facing these
people are housing qualifications, meaning that migrant workers are left to
rent, expensive and subpar property which is rare and highly sought after. Again
it is a topic which relates closely to myself as my own family, who are
migrants, have had to go through the struggle of finding suitable housing for
us.
Due to the documentary style photography which I will be capturing, it will
closely relate to realism. Photo realism is a genre of art that encompasses
painting, drawing and other graphic media, in which an artist studies
a photograph and then attempts to reproduce the image as realistically
as possible in another medium. Not only will I be capturing images of the
exterior nature of low cost housing, but also attempting to see the inside
through visiting family and friends who fall into this category. I will mostly
be focusing on the housing itself, the interior, exterior nature of these
instead of capturing subjects as I think this is quite a taboo topic which
brings a lot of shame with it. People don’t want to reveal the true state they’re
living in, yet alone be the posterchild of what unsuitable housing looks like. I
will be using both a digital camera and a disposable camera in order to play
around with the style of photography which can be produced from this topic. I
am very interested in using film as it gives a nostalgic style feel to the
images, further alluding to the raw and realistic theme of the images. If a
film style approach of photography will be unsuitable, I will revert back to
using a digital camera which is a lot more convenient and easier to use in the
overall project, saving time and resources. As a person who is wanting to get
onto the property ladder in the future, I think it is extremely important to
capture the true nature of what housing is like for the lower class citizens,
the builders the waitresses who serve and work for Jersey. Without sustainable
and affordable housing, the very society in which we live in would collapse and
force the majority of migrants and even native people out of Jersey.
Canadian photographer Jeff Wall focuses much of his work around conceptual photography, and in doing so focuses largely on the metaphorical symbolism that can be found in photographs. Wall’s work is often brightly lit, and makes use of bold colouring, and often his work can fall into the category of tableaux, with each piece of work referencing a concept or idea that Wall witnessed in his own life. His work has been described as tackling the subject of “overt social tension and unease”, therefore emphasising the strong conceptual meaning behind many of his images. Wall’s work, at a first glance, resembles street photography, with his subjects often looking to be involved in an action, with some images seemingly taken covertly and without the subjects knowledge. However, Wall actually takes great care in staging his images, and makes sure to capture what looks to be a natural scene, while making sure to incorporate the meaning and concept behind his image.
Picture For Women: Jeff Wall (1979)
The above image is a well known example of Wall’s work. It depicts a reflection of the scene itself, with the subject, the woman, towards the left side of the image, looking at the viewer, and with Wall himself, seen to the right of the image, posed with the shutter-release cable of his camera in his hand. In the way that Wall has placed himself in his own image, he is directly placing the usually unseen face of the photographer/artist/creator in the forefront of the image, forcing the viewer to take into account the contributions and work of the photographer themselves, while allowing the viewer to associate this hard work on behalf of the photographer with the beauty and professionalism of the final product (reflected through the focused professional lighting of the female subject, in contrast with the shaded appearance of Wall). In this image, Wall is directly challenging the belief that the only subject to be witnessed in an image is the subject themselves, and is instead emphasising the role of the photographer and scenery in the creation of an image. Wall therefore focuses on the background behind the image, and emphasizes that “[Wall is] looking for ways of showing, ways of creating an appearance of something, whether its a scene of tension or of something else”. Here, Wall is emphasizing the importance of the experience and meaning of the image, and therefore the inclusion of his own figure in the image helps to emphasize the background and context of the work itself.
Overpass, 2001, Jeff Wall
Approach, 2014, Jeff Wall
The concept behind “Picture For Women” is to challenge the controversial debate of the “male gaze” in artwork; a term used to describe the way in which women in art are portrayed by men as objects, and are included in images in order to please the male viewer. In this image, Wall has taken inspiration from Édouard Manets “A Bar at the Folies-Bergère“, which depicts a bar maid looking directly at the viewer, with a male bartender gazing at her in the background. This image represents an example in which the “male gaze” is portrayed in art and culture, and therefore Wall created his final image in order to draw the viewers attention to the historical context o the “male gaze” in media and artwork, and therefore allows the viewer to question the modern implications that this way of displaying women in images has in current media and artwork. In this image specifically, Wall is able to portray his theme of causing an “Overt social tension of unease” in his imagery, by making the “male gaze” the main subject of the image, and drawing attention to it’s controversial historical context.
Through using this specific camera angle and placement of subjects, Wall allows for the viewer to witness the male gaze first hand, as they are present for the male subject viewing the female subject s her back is turned, and at the same time incorporates the viewer into the image itself, by placing the camera in the forefront of the image, allowing the for viewer to feel as if they are participating in the act of watching the women, just like Wall is in the background. This concept highlights the importance of understanding the historical context and modern implications of the “male gaze” in artwork throughout history. The decision to create this image specifically as a tableaux has made use of a studio setting, which is used to control all, variables and factors of the image, while still allowing it to seem natural. Wall himself believes that a studio “…space presents a constant set of possibilities that don’t rely on some occurrence in an unpredictable world of occurrences”, therefore allowing him to control and manipulate all aspects of the image without the possibility of unpredictable occurrences.
David Bate (2015), Art Photography, London; Tate Publishing
Quote Inside Text: David Bate says; ‘The aim of art to produce a dissemblance, rather than a resemblance, of the world is nowhere more clearly manifest than in the dialogue between the codes of photography and the values of painting.’ (Bate 2015; 29)
Online Article
Bibliography:
Noble L. (August 8th 2013); Ryan Schude; The Photographic Journal
Since my personal study will be related to my family and their immigration to Jersey, I will be researching what their home was like politically and social during the 80s when they left so I can better understand their reasoning for coming to Jersey.
To begin, similarly to Jersey being very closely related to England yet having a certain degree of autonomy, Madeira has the same relationship with Portugal. In order to understand historical context in Madeira, I will also have to research what was happening in Portugal at the time and the effects it had in Madeira.
Portugal was once one of the world’s richest countries when their empire stretched over vast areas in places such as Asia and Africa. Since their wealth was not reinvested into developing their internal infrastructure, over time Portugal and its remaining colonies, especially Madeira, became one of Western Europe’s poorest in the 19th and 20th century. Due to the Portuguese revolution, and the many colonial wars in places such as Angola and Mozambique in aims of independence, the Portuguese economy was seriously struggling.
“Portugal lost an estimated 2.6 million people to emigration, more than any West European country except Ireland” – Source
As a result of this many Madeira locals struggled and lived in poverty, with low job prospects. This lead to many people emigrating in hopes of more opportunities abroad. The emigration “boom” began in the 60s and 70s, but also continued through to the 90s. During this time many Portuguese nationals went to places such as Venezuela, Brazil and England. Some did so illegally in order to avoid military conscription to fight in colonial wars.
“Between 1951 and 1991 the population [in Jersey] increased by 52%, largely as a result of the growth of tourism and then the finance industry. The source of immigrant labor moved from France to Portugal, more specifically Madeira. “ – Source
While different sources disagree on the total size of the Portuguese population of the UK, they agree that there has been a significant increase in migration from Portugal since 2000 , which coincided with a large rise in the Portuguese unemployment rate in the early to mid 2000s.
I was also keen to find out more about the history of Portuguese people in Jersey, as I am aware there is a large community residing on the island. However, it was noticeable that it is not an area of the island’s history that is well recorded. I was able to find some information regarding migration patterns and some statistic’s relating to this on the Government of Jersey’s website.
As you can see from the chart above, from 1981 to 2011 the amount of Jersey residents who’s place of birth was Portugal/Madeira has steadily increased.In this table, is the previous information expressed in terms of percentages. We can clearly see that over the last 3 decades the amount of Portuguese people in Jersey has increased by 20%.
For my personal study, from the word "liberation" I want to focus on attatchment which leads onto bond. Through attatchment and bond I associate people and places. Certain people I associate with certain memories and places and certain places I associate with certain moments in time and the people I was with.
The people in my life who I have an attatchment to is my family. I come from a large family, I have three sisters and my mums side of the family is particularly large (They're also from the north of England, Buxton in particular).
I am close with my mums family, however I am not very close and attatched to my fathers side of the family. I still care for them as they are part of my family however there is a lack of bond between us as theyre have been certain aspects of my fathers childhood which lead to his detatchment and my detatchment from them. However, as time continues, some family members from my fathers side have realised that time runs quickly and relationships are being rekindled. I want to capture both strong and weak family bonds, dsiplaying that families are complicated, however time can heal.
I also want to focus on the friends that play a large parto of my life. I have unique bonds with each individual and specific attatchments to memories associated with them.
I also want to explore how friendships can become romantic, for example, my boyfriend was first a good friend of mine and over time we became romantically involved. Both mine and my boyfriends parents have very healthy relationships which I believe has an influence on my relatiopnship as we see aspects that make a relationship happy and apply it to ours.
From the 1880s and onwards photographers strived for photography to be art by trying to make pictures that resembled paintings e.g. manipulating images in the darkroom, scratching and marking their prints to imitate the texture of canvas, using soft focus, blurred and fuzzy imagery based on allegorical and spiritual subject matter, including religious scenes.
Pictorialism reacted against mechanization and industrialisation. They abhorred the snapshot and were also dismayed at the increasing industrial exploitation of photography and practices that pandered to a commercial and professional establishment. The Pictorialists championed evocative photographs and individual expression and they constructed their images looking for harmony of matter, mind and spirit; the first was addressed through objective technique and process, the second in a considered application of the principles of composition and design, and the last by the development of a subjective and spiritual motive.
Artists associated
Julia Margaret Cameron (one of the first socially accepted photographers during this period)
Peter Henry Emerson ‘naturalistic photography’ – book he wrote on the romanticism of photography with rural landscapes and figures within landscapes
Henrich Kuhn
The Vienna camera club (Austria)
H P ROBINSON – HE NEVER TOLD HIS LOVE (1884)
The brotherhood of the linked ring (London)
Alfred Stieglitz: Equivalent (cloud studies)
Photo secession (New York)
Key works
Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-1979)
Julia Margaret Cameron was a photographer in the Victorian era. The bulk of Cameron’s photographs fit into two categories – closely framed portraits and illustrative allegories based on religious and literary works. In the allegorical works in particular, her artistic influence was clearly Pre-Raphaelite, with far-away looks and limp poses and soft lighting. Cameron’s photographs were unconventional in their intimacy and their particular visual habit of created blur through both long exposures, where the subject moved and by leaving the lens intentionally out of focus.
Peter Henry Emerson
In 1889 Peter Henry Emerson (1856-1936) expounded his theory of Naturalistic Photography which the Pictorialist used to promote photography as an art rather than science. Their handcrafted prints were in visual opposition to the sharp b/w contrast of the commercial print.
REALISM / STRAIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY
Time period: 1920s
Key characteristics/ conventions
Went back to photography origins, with detail and purpose not recreating paintings. (closely associated with ‘straight photography’) photography grew up with claims of having a special relationship to reality, and its premise, that the camera’s ability to record objectively the actual world as it appears in front of the lens was unquestioned. This supposed veracity of the photographic image has been challenged by critics as the photographer’s subjectivity (how he or she sees the world and chooses to photograph it) and the implosion of digital technology challenges this notion opening up many new possibilities for both interpretation and manipulation. A belief in the trustworthiness of the photograph is also fostered by the news media who rely on photographs to show the truth of what took place.
We have chosen to look at the Book published by David Campany called “So present, so invisible.” From his brief introduction, he clearly states that photography itself is evolving everyday, how now we have images produced digitally. Photographs aren’t a problem to capture anymore because we all have cameras on our phones. The topic of photography turns into a very conversational aspect as their is so much to talk about within one image than not. In his book, he has had various conversations with lots of other photographers the one photographer I have chosen to explore is Latoya Ruby Frazier.
“I look for narrative or context that will amplify the voices of the marginalised who have so many important stories to tell about America, capitalism, working class life and the current issues we face..”
“I believe in the value of documentary photography especially at this moment, as we watch the mass media manipulate the issues around gentrification ,poverty, police brutatltiy and corporative violent against our ecosystems.”
“Kracacuer felt that photographs obscured the truth and fought contemplation. Benjamin was concerned that photographic world masked the complexity of the human world.”
“Andrea Holding Her Daughter Nephartti”
The image above comes from one of her famous publications called “the notion of family.” In this exploration of her work she was trying to tell her story. Frazier was an African- American along with all her family. She wanted to emphasise the struggle her family had to go through and come to terms with oppression of Braddock, a small suburb, and the terrible physical and psychological torture they endured for years. Her work captures a balance between family and society, our body enduring pain but also be somewhat hopeful aswell.
Visually, what we can see from this image is 2 ladies, one being the mother and the other the daughter. They’re positioned in the centre of the image which immediately draws our attention to them as the models straight away.
After having done some contextual research on the image, Frazier has captured this moment because of what was going on at the time. The image is called “Andrea Holding her daughter Nephratti.” She’s holding her daughter because of the living conditions at the time in Flint. A crisis began in 2014 when officials switched to a cheaper water source. The new water source caused old lead pipes to corrode. The lead became toxic which meant all civilians would have to switch to bottled water for ordinary everyday tasks. Frazier spent 5 months with three generations of woman from Flint as they attempted to live their normal lives. She described that those woman often lent on one another and relied on each other to be able to live day in day out. This explains the positioning of the mother and daughter in the image above as you can see one of them is resting her head on the other. The positioning of them is important as it mirrors the reliance on each other at this particular time.
Symbolically, as they are wearing white it could also be inferred as a sign of peace due to the cultural differences that Frazier was experiencing as an African- American in Flint at this time. The colour white is often associated with peace and coming together, something which only happened in Flint after they changed the water supplies The reliance they had on one another to complete day to day tasks that now became a challenge. The tone and emotion coming from the image is rather ominous in the sense that neither of them are smiling but neither of them look angry. Frazier could have kept them almost emotionless to portray what was happening to her community not only racial abuse but physical abuse as well.
For my personal study I am going to show the narrative of my childhood and the events that have happened in it. The main event that I am going to focus on is my parents divorce and how that affected me and my little brother. I am going to incorporate other family members that similarly took the role of parenting during the time of the divorce. I have decided to do this for my personal study because its personal story that made me the individual I am today. I have learnt a lot through seeing what the effects of divorce can have on an adult but also a child being me. I now live with my mum so most of my personal study is going to focus on her and how she has had to understand and adapt to the rules of also being a dad. I do occasionally see my dad so I will also use pictures of him throughout my personal study.
The people I have chosen to photograph are my family members. I have decided to use old photos from albums
WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?
SHOOTS
For my first shoot I have been to the studio and decided I am going to take a photo of my family members. I took small passport photos that I had found and using the lighting set up in the studio photographed images that may have been a bit tampered with due to it being so old. I have examples below of the images I have taken:
These are images of my parents.
For my next shoot I am going to continue to look at archival images but include other family memebers like my aunty and uncle. I am including this because I used to stay there all the time and they took on the roles of looking after me when my parents were busy so I have always looked at them both as being my second parents.
As my study goes on I am going to incorporate old pictures and new pictures of my parents and aunties and uncles. Therefore I am going to take images of my family members singly again , make them look like passport photos. On an app I have on my phone I am going to experiment with different colours and making small boarder around the images. I am going to look at different photographers and take some examples of their work and try and incorporate it into my photographs. As I take art A- Level I am going to try and bring in some drawn elements onto my images.
I would also like within some of the image I take to create a distorted like image. I want to do this because I want it to reflect with the narrative that I am going for and reflect how I saw the time of their divorce. An example of an image I would like to say influenced my style is below:
For my personal study under the topic OCCUPATION VS LIBERATION I have chosen to photograph a range of things covering objects, portraits and some landscape work. During the past few months we have covered a range of tools and skills including using Lightroom and InDesign when creating our final outcomes for the Zines. When having gone and done a photo shoot we have been told to go through a selection process on Lightroom which would have included staring them out of 1-5, flagging them, color coding them and then most people would have narrowed down to about 10 images. From those 10 images we would then have to experiment with them. This could be changing the lighting settings, to changing the color of the image to sometimes just cropping the images. We have learned how to use the studio lighting and how to set them up to make our images look professional. Additionally, we have also learned how to photograph in different types of light, for instance the bunkers had low lighting so we had to adjust so that our images didn’t look blurry or too dark.
This is what the selection process would have looked like.
The areas I have enjoyed personally going out to photograph have been portraits because i think a lot can be interpreted from a single image. The people I have chosen to photograph have been people close to me weather that be friends or family. The topic in this module that lead me to wanting to continue with portraits was ‘Home Sweet Home.’ Some photographers i have looked at are Sian Davey and Masahisa fukase. These two photographers drew my attention to the most due to them photographing their family members. I liked their work also because it showed a real connection to their families. Each image has a different story with either really vibrant colors or really dull colors. The lighting in the images as well have an effect on the way we interrupt them, for instance with more light could indicate a happier story, an image full of darkness would probably have a more gloomy interpretation. I like the way portraits look and when having had a couple go’s at photographing for instance Joan I could tell that she wasn’t just some ordinary person she had a story to tell.
Example of portrait photography
Joan – One final outcome
The images above are the sort of images I am going to incorporate into my personal study. I will look at photographic archive images from when my parents were younger and include images of their growing up process. I am doing this because our living conditions were very different as my parents are from a rural area in Madeira. My parents got divorced when i was 11 but the actual process took over 4 years. In my personal study i am going to show the development of their divorce and show what effect it had on the people around them, myself included. I will mainly use portrait based images but might include a couple of valued objects that they gave to each other during the time of their marriage.
