Identity is defined as “the characteristics determining who or what a person or thing is”. This can be influenced by various factors including geographical or cultural influences. There have been arguments relating to the importance of nature vs. nurture and which has a larger impact on ones identity.
Different Types of Identity in Photography
Gender Identity: This is the idea of using gender to define ones identity. This is an idea often explored by various photographers/ artists such as Lorna Simpson. This work varies from more abstract pieces exploring the idea of gender identity crossing over to loss of identity to ides of empowerment in her work.
Cultural Identity: This is the idea of exploring culture and how it affects a persons identity. this can range from exploring how various cultures are portrayed/ stereotyped as well as being used to give a better insight into the reality of their culture. This has been explored by artists such as Paul Sepuya.
Social Identity: Social identity relates to the idea that a person can be the surrounding community, this is the same idea as the ‘nurture’ aspect of nature vs. nurture. This also relates to the idea that social pressure can change someones identity on a fundamental level through peer pressure etc. This has been explored by photographers such as Robert Frank, his work explores the influence of the ideals of their community on ones identity including ideas such as nationalism. However this piece also relates to the idea of Geographical/ political identity.
Loss of/ Lack of identity: This is an idea that someones identity can be stripped from them either by some form of disaster or by social out casting. This is often explored in conjunction with other forms of identity such as some of Lorna Simpsons work. This is an idea also commonly explored using a surrealist approach.
Born in 1960, Richard Koenig received his BFA from Pratt Institute. In 1998 he received his MFA from Indiana University and began teaching art and photography courses at Kalamazoo College, Michigan. Koenig has done lots of work but the portfolio of his that I am focusing on is called “Inserts/Koans”. In this he takes old prints and of images showing a frame with something or someone in then in the same framing he removes the main subject and then takes another picture with the first photo with the main subject in suspended in front of the new framing with the area lined up and the main markings lined up.
The effect of these images is that the viewer sees the image before it has undergone change or before something has been removed. And i have chosen this for identity and place because I can depict something that has lost its identity and is missing the identity that it had before when the main subject was there.
Photomontage is a combination of several shots joined together for artistic effect or to show more of the subject than can be shown in a single artwork. Images were composed by cutting, gluing, arranging and overlapping two or more photos or reproductions of photos together, sometimes in combination with other non-photographic material such as text or other abstract shapes.
Photomontages vary a lot in style and design. Artists choose to use a multitude of subjects such as portraits, natural environments, natural landscapes, city landscapes and different objects which are combined together for artistic effect.
MIND MAP:
When looking at the search results which come from searching “photomontage”, there are 4 main themes which typically come up. Therefore I separated my mind map into 4 sections, environmental, landscape, city-scapes, and portraiture.
JESSE DAXLER:
The artists work which intrigued me most when researching the topic of photo montages was Jesse Daxler, a photographer which uses portraiture in order to create her art work.
Jesse Draxler is an American artist, born in 1981 in Wisconsin. He lives and works in Los Angeles. He obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the College of Visual Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota. The artist has a mixed approach: he does collages, but also texts or animated portraits in GIF. The central theme of his work is to transform and twist the original image, and turn it into something else. Mainly known for his collages, they often have sexual connotations, a visual impact and an attractive aesthetic, willing to shake up, or even disturb the spectator. Jesse Draxler likes deconstructing the classic idea of beauty and therefore paint Greek statues with spray paint, spilling ink on a fashion photo or cutting parts of human bodies. The artist makes hand-made collages, with the desire to make the spectator wonder if something is hidden under the surface. Jesse Draxler’s work was recently exhibited during solo exhibitions at Booth Gallery in New York (2016) and during collective exhibitions at The Unit in London(2015). Jesse Draxler also works with magazines, brands and designers. Among his clients are New York Times, Alexander McQueen, The Black Queen, or even Prince.
JESSE DRAXLER: “It’s a scientific exploration of what our knowledge of mortality does to our psyche. Basically, it says that everything we do in life, on every level, is at the core influenced by the idea that we’re going to die someday. It’s something that I’ve researched a lot, but I had never found a scientific exploration of it. It’s always an emotive or philosophical way of writing, so a scientific exploration was really refreshing—straight facts and research. I first came across it midsummer last year. My friend Greg Puciato,from Dillinger Escape Plan, we have a lot in common, so we were exchanging books and he told me to check it out.”
CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF WORK:
TECHNICAL –
In terms of the technical aspects of this photo, extremely heavy editing has been used in order to create a very surreal, almost abstract image. Various editing techniques have been used from simple color adjustments, geometric cutting, using the brush tool and smudge tool. The overall image has also been made back and white which remain consistent throughout Draxlers work. It is also very bright and slightly overexposed. He has also chosen to remove a little slice of the background in order to reveal the checkered blank Photoshop document. I believe this image was likely taken in a studio environment judging from the even lighting which hits the face of the model.
VISUAL –
The initial feeling which hits the viewer upon seeing this image is unease. The dark, colored in, black eyes make this image quite unsettling, making us question why this has been done. The tone of black which has been used for the eyes is very dark, making them the focal point of the image, drawing in the viewer. There is a certain sense of juxtaposition in this image with the use of the youthful model, editing the images to become jagged old and unsettling. The correlating themes of this image which come to mind are delusion, possession and evil. I come to this conclusion through the collective visual effect of all the different elements in this image, the edges, juxtaposition, use of grey scale and strong editing. The black and white filter which has been applied to the image dulls out any life in the image, and makes it monochromatic.
The edges of the different layers of the image are quite jagged and uneven, which gives the image a weathered and old feel. The messy hair and black eyes of the model could potentially signify mental illness or other forms of hallucination. The backdrop is white and clean, making the main subject of the image stand out in the foreground. There is no real sense of pattern or symmetry in this image, everything is chaotic and uneven. Draxler has also used negative space in this image to give another layer of depth to the image. The jagged nature of the edges, gives the image a lot of texture. Although being monochromatic, the image is fairly light and bright as Draxler has used white negative space and the clothing of the model is also light in color.
CONCEPTUAL –
All of Draxlers work is composed of a black and white color pallete, commenting, “When I began working exclusively in grey scale is when everything seemed to start to make sense,” says artist and illustrator Jesse Draxler of his dark, brooding style that combines collaged photography and painting, manifesting in large-scale paintings or commissioned illustrations. “It’s as if by freeing my mind from having to think about color I had gained a greater clarity for everything else, like when someone loses a sense their other senses heighten to compensate.” Jesse suspects that his preference for a black and white palette is informed by the fact he’s color blind, or “color deficient” as he calls it. “Though I don’t put too much weight behind just that.”
Jesse Draxler’s pieces are enigmatic explorations of existentialism. The artist tackles ideas of beauty, nihilism, sexuality, and absurdity through deconstructed images that incorporate found photos, abstract painting, and design, and the resulting pieces are dark, monochromatic, and visually challenging.
ACTION PLAN:
WHO – I took very causal images of just one model.In order to retain consistency and have a clearer canvas to work with when editing, the model is not wearing a shirt.
WHAT – I wanted to take as many images as possible in different positions in order to have different layers which I can later add to my photo montage.
WHEN – This was taken during the evening as I used lash photography and wanted there to be a striking contrast between the backdrop and the model.
WHERE – The images were taken indoors.
WHY – The images were taken as the starting material to use for my photo montage later, using different editing techniques in Photoshop in order to create a final product which incorporates artistic intentions and photography.
HOW – I used a dark room and flash photography in order to create the images.
CONTACT SHEETS:
EDITING TECHNIQUES:
When editing this photo montage, I used multiple editing techniques in order to achieve the final product. I started with my base image, cropping it and perfecting the skin of the model in order to have a clean canvas to work with. I used the blur and smudge tool in order to smooth out the skin of the model. I imported another 3 additional images for the layering of the montage. The main tools which I used to cut out the hands and torso of the model was the magic wand, quick selection tool and magnetic lasso. I found the magic wand tool to be very useful as it allowed me to get rid of large areas of background quickly and efficiently. I only used the magnetic lasso tool when the area I was selecting had a clear backdrop, as the tool is very sensitive and catches onto other unnecessary parts easily.
I later on also used the eraser tool to smooth out any rough edges around the arms which were left behind. When arranging the arms, I used a transparent gradient so that they blend well into the skin around it, preventing harsh edges. I adjusted the size and positioning of the different layers so that they fill the surrounding space effectively and blend together seamlessly. I moved different layers around so that the central hands were in the very foreground of the image.
Once this was done, I again used the blur tool to soften the edges of the hair and make them a little less harsh. In the final stages of editing, I added a black and white filter onto the image and increased the contrast. I decreased the ofset in order to deepen the black and create a stronger gradient of black and white.
MY RESPONSE:
AFTER EDITING AND ADJUSTMENTSBEFORE EDITING AND ADJUSTMENTS
EVALUATION:
The overall process of creating this photo montage was fairly easy yet time consuming. The most difficult aspect was finding appropriate images which conveyed some feeling and variation in the facial expression of the model. I also wanted variation in the hand position of the model, as this is what makes the image unique and different. A key aspect of Draxler’s work is the consistent use of grey scale therefore I experimented with the different depths of black and white in the image.
COMPARISON TO KEY PHOTOGRAPHER:
When making my photo collage, this specific photo from Draxler (misophonia) was my main inspiration. The main concept which I was trying to replicate was the duplication of the face of the model in the image. In order to add my own artistic elements and to differentiate my work, I decided not to use the irregular cut out pattern of Draxler. Another element which I used was the strong grey scale filter. I previewed my work without the filter and came to the conclusion that in order to create impact, the filter was needed.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
TECHNICAL –
During this photo shoot, the main objective was to create strong contrast between the backdrop and model using flash photography. It proved to be very effective as during the editing process, I could easily use the magic wand tool, lasso, and quick select tool to get rid of the backdrop. Whilst adjusting the light, I increased the exposure and contrast of the image to create dramatic lighting. I did not use any additional equipment such as tripod as I wanted the images to be less staged and more relaxed and casual, making the facial expressions of the model more genuine.
VISUAL –
I think when you first look at the image it is very striking and bold with the highly contrasting black and white, creating a monotone state. The themes which come to mind when looking at this image is worry and stress as expressed by the models face and hand positioning, touching the face and hair. There are many elements and layers involved in the image which create confusion. The hands central in the image have a gesture which pulls the viewer in, a sort of hypnotizing movement that makes them focus in. The straight lines of the edges of the arms, guides the eyes from the bottom of the image to the top where the hands and face are located. The central and right hand face are both looking into different directions which make the viewer question the circumstances of when the image was taken and what exactly the model is looking at. There is a sense of repetition and pattern with the use of the same face with different facial expressions and hand position. The hands of the model take position in the foreground of the image and the face in the mid-ground as they are covered by the hands and are shifted further back.
CONCEPTUAL –
The concept of this whole photo shoot was to be as authentic and relaxed as possible. Prior to the photo shoot, I asked the model what emotion they felt most significantly, tho which the answer was “worry”, therefore this was the theme which I tried to sustain throughout and make it clear in the final product. I chose images which clearly reflect this emotion and could be recognized by the viewer.
CONTEXTUAL –
The purpose of creating photo montages is to create hyper reality. Something which is pasted together to create an art piece which is surreal and fantasy like.
The process of creating a collage photo can be traced back to the first darkroom printing attempts, when photographers experimented with direct contact printing of objects placed on photographic plates, or techniques such as double exposure and masking. Of course, the art of “mounting the photos together” doesn’t have to involve the creation of new pictures at all – it can employ found and existing prints only as well, depending on the artist’s intentions and goals. Finally, with the advent of computers, the need of having physical imagery disappeared altogether, as today’s examples of photomontage art are being assembled within editing softwares and often never end up in a printed form.
Perhaps the most famous photomontage came during the mid-Victorian era. Then called “combination printing”, it was created by Oscar Rejlander, a pioneering photographer who was one of the experts in the field. His 1857 collage photo The Two Ways of Life was followed by the 1858 Fading Away by another artist, Henry Peach Robinson. By the end of the century, many other artworks came to life, specifically in forms of funny-looking postcards which often featured the wrong head stuck on a different body, or the creation of strange, impossible creatures. By the beginning of World War I, the method gained its first momentum, with photographers all over Europe producing postcards showing soldiers departing for battle with their loved ones seeing them off. More specifically, it was the Berlin Dada group that developed it as a tool of protest against the war and other political issues of the period, turning it into a proper modern art form.
Playfully distorting proportion and cultural context, Belgian artist ’s work comprises surreal collages and illustrations that somewhat unexpectedly combine vintage with contemporary images. Slabbinck likes to play around with different styles and proportions with the aim of creating powerful yet simple visual works that are permeated by a subtle sense of humour. His carefully composed images create startling juxtapositions and present new meanings through a masterful combination of completely heterogeneous elements and a clever use of scale and form. An avid collector of magazines and books from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, the artist takes full advantage of the muted tones and rich textures that he finds in his source material, namely vintage advertisements, photography and print.
”Mid-century advertisements have a certain look that appeals even up to this day. There is a sense of innocence in them that’s very inviting to work with. Putting these images out of their normal frame and juxtaposing them with modern elements can give an exciting and surprising effect. The characters in these ads can function as actors in the collage, and I, as the director, can give them a second life by putting them in a new surreal landscape.”
-Sammy Slabbinck
Analysis
In this photo there is a young boy who looks as if he was initially playing with toys. The background is of a large mountain range with an overcast sky, the clouds touching the tips. The boy is holding what appears to be a toy brick and he is playing on the ruins of an Aztec village. The texture in this photo is rough with the collapsed building and rocky mountains but contrasts with the soft nature and purity of the young child. The significance of the boy and the brick is that it as if he is rebuilding the damaged houses whilst playing this symbolizes how important playing is for kids and how it constructs ideas and imagination. There is contrast between the simplistic boy and the sublime nature behind him, it also closes the barrier of age and merges old ruins with young innocence. It suggests that the young are important as they are going to build our future, when we all die they will still be here to carry on constructing the world we created. Sammy has clearly cropped the boy and placed him in the middle ground between the other two pictures. Even though in a literal sense the scale of this picture is impossible, metaphorically it represents the idea that we underestimate children and their presents, they might not be the size of a mountain but they hold similar qualities of strength and power. On the other hand I feel like this picture holds a negative stereotype of men and how they aren’t good for anything other than building. This empathizes how this idea of men going out to work and women staying at home is drilled into the minds of kids from such young ages that it becomes natural to them and the cycle continues for yet another generation.
My Final Outcome
Final Piece
I was influenced by Sammy Slabbink to create this final piece. I took a picture of my little brother and an older picture of my when I visited the Pyrenees. My first step in Photoshop was select, select and mask, then I used the quick selection tool to roughly highlight the area of my brother I wanted to isolate from the background. Next I used the eraser tool to get rid of any unwanted parts in more detail. I opened the picture of the mountains, decreased its brightness, offset and exposure. Finally I placed my brother onto my mountain picture and blurred out his legs to make it look like he is sitting in the snow. I wanted to create something that had connotations similar to the ones I expressed above about young children being underestimated just because of their size. He is wearing shorts to represent the fact that children aren’t always weak, they hold power in society, they are our future and like my brother they don’t feel the cold, they are stronger than we think. As well as that the ice cream made from the snow represents that the youth are resourceful, before all the technology they play with anything; mud, pot, pans, we could learn a few life lessons from kids as they get the best out of the things they have, they work with what they have. I purposely made an unrealistic scale between the mountains and my brother to suggest that mountains may be big in real life but they don’t hold anymore importance than children just because of their size.
Photomontage is the process and the result of making a composite photograph by cutting, gluing, rearranging and overlapping two or more photographs into a new image. Sometimes the resulting composite image is photographed so that a final image may appear as a seamless photographic print.
For the weeks leading up to the AS PHOTOGRAPHY MOCK EXAMat the end of January 2019 you will need to refer to this resource pack
“SELF -PORTRAIT and IDENTITY JAC PDF”
(to find it just copy and paste the link below into the top bar of the folder icon on your screen)
M:\Departments\Photography\Students\Resources\Portraiture\TO DO
We have included a mini-unit to help you explore opportunities with self portraiture in photography as this may become essential to your project outcomes. We will spend 1 x lesson looking closely at this and discussing ideas for you…
Remember…your stimulus for the month of January is…
define “identity” and explain how identity can be influenced by “place”, or belonging, your environment or upbringing /gender identity /
cultural identity /
social identity /
geographical identity /political identity
lack of / loss of identity
Add a mindmap and moodboard
Choose a range of photographers that you feel explore identity as a theme and create at least 1 x CASE STUDY on a chosen artist (that will have an influence on your final outcomes re : MOCK EXAM)
Organise and carry out your photo-shoots !!! You MUST complete a minimum of 2 PHOTO-SHOOTS in readiness for the mock exam itself
Decide whether or not YOU will become a feature of your work…will you point the camera at yourself? (how important is self-portrait to “identity”?)
Show your experiments and outcomes as a response to chosen artists over the next few weeks…and begin to plan how to finaliseand display your ideas.
Some suggestions for you to look at…
Carole Benitah…memories of childhood, loss and belonging
Jessa Fairbrother…mother and daughter relationship
Phillip Toledano…loss, death, memory, grief
Laia Abril…loss and memory, eating disorders and body image
Diana Markosian…cultural, geographical and political identity
Rita Puig Serra Da Costa…death, grief, loss and family identity
Yoshikatsu fuji…relationship breakdown
Nancy Borowick…relationships and support
Julian Germain… people as individuals vs community
The Ten Commandments were given by God to the prophet Moses during Old Testament times. Recorded in the Holy Bible, these commandments form the foundation for the laws governing the moral conduct of God’s children.
Catholicism- The Church doesn’t see the Ten Commandments as arbitrary rules and regulations from the man upstairs but as commandments for protection. Obey them and eternal happiness is yours. Disobey them and suffer the consequences.
“I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt not have any strange gods before Me.”
This commandment forbids idolatry, the worship of false gods and goddesses, and it excludes polytheism, the belief in many gods, insisting instead on monotheism, the belief in one God. This commandment forbids making golden calves, building temples to Isis, and worshiping statues of Caesar, for example.
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”
The faithful are required to honor the name of God. It makes sense that if you’re to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, then you’re naturally to respect the name of God with equal passion and vigor.
“Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.”
The Jewish celebration of Sabbath (Sabbath) begins at sundown on Friday evening and lasts until sundown on Saturday. Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Christians go to church on Sunday, treating it as the Lord’s Day instead of Saturday to honor the day Christ rose from the dead.
“Honor thy father and mother.”
This commandment obliges the faithful to show respect for their parents — as children and adults. Children must obey their parents, and adults must respect and see to the care of their parents, when they become old and infirm.
“Thou shalt not kill.”
The better translation from the Hebrew would be “Thou shalt not murder” — a subtle distinction but an important one to the Church. Killing an innocent person is considered murder. Killing an unjust aggressor to preserve your own life is still killing, but it isn’t considered murder or immoral.
“Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
The sixth and ninth commandments honor human sexuality. This commandment forbids the actual, physical act of having immoral sexual activity, specifically adultery, which is sex with someone else’s spouse or a spouse cheating on their partner. This commandment also includes fornication, which is sex between unmarried people, prostitution, pornography, homosexual activity, masturbation, group sex, rape, incest, pedophilia, bestiality, and necrophilia.
“Thou shalt not steal.”
The seventh and tenth commandments focus on respecting and honoring the possessions of others. This commandment forbids the act of taking someone else’s property. The Catholic Church believes that this commandment also denounces cheating people of their money or property, depriving workers of their just wage, or not giving employers a full day’s work for a full day’s pay. Embezzlement, fraud, tax evasion, and vandalism are all considered extensions of violations of the Seventh Commandment.
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”
The Eighth Commandment condemns lying. Because God is regarded as the author of all truth, the Church believes that humans are obligated to honor the truth. The most obvious way to fulfill this commandment is not to lie — intentionally deceive another by speaking a falsehood. So a good Catholic is who you want to buy a used car from.
“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.”
The Ninth Commandment forbids the intentional desire and longing for immoral sexuality. To sin in the heart, Jesus says, is to lust after a woman or a man in your heart with the desire and will to have immoral sex with them. Just as human life is a gift from God and needs to be respected, defended, and protected, so, too, is human sexuality. Catholicism regards human sexuality as a divine gift, so it’s considered sacred in the proper context — marriage.
“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.
The Tenth Commandment forbids the wanting to or taking someone else’s property. Along with the Seventh Commandment, this commandment condemns theft and the feelings of envy, greed, and jealousy in reaction to what other people have.
I am going to base my tableaux vivant of the 6th commandment ‘thou shalt not commit adultery’. Christians believe that marriage is a gift from God, one that should not be taken for granted. It is the right atmosphere to engage in sexual relations and to build a family life. Getting married in a church, in front of God, is very important. A marriage is a public declaration of love and commitment. Adultery is voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not their spouse and is seen as a sin. In the Old Testament, adultery was understood as sexual relations between a married (or betrothed) woman and a man other than her husband. It was therefore a sin against the husband. The Bible mentions adultery as grounds for divorce but does not require it. In many cases the husband and wife can be reconciled and the marriage saved even after adultery. It is not a sin to continue to live with and have sex with a spouse who has committed adultery. (As a practical matter, the risks of sexually transmitted diseases should be considered.) As with other sins, God will forgive the sin of adultery if a person sincerely repents and also forgives other people. Even though God will forgive adultery, the damage it causes often cannot be undone. It is extremely hurtful to the spouse. It often leads to divorce and leaves the marriage partners embittered, disillusioned and financially poorer. It robs the children of the love and security of a healthy family and denies them a good role model for their own future marriages. Children from families where there is conflict and/or divorce are more prone to anxiety, poor school performance, drug abuse and delinquent behavior. These problems can persist into adulthood. Adult children of divorced parents tend to have lower educational attainment, lower income, more children out of wedlock, higher rates of divorce themselves, and a lower sense of well-being.
My Final Outcomes
ISO 200 23mm ƒ/5.6 1/160ISO 200 23mm ƒ/5.6 1/160-Final Piece
I used three girls to represent a gay relationship as I wanted to go against the Christian vision of a relationship between a women and a man. As well as that I wanted to steer away from the stereotype of the men always cheating on the women and seeing as its a lesbian relationship its impossible for a men to be expressed as the one committing adultery. I asked my friends not to wear anything specific and just wear what they usually would wear on a day to day basis to symbolize how adultery has become much more casual. This is due to it becoming more common therefore people don’t see it as a big deal.This is the opposite as to how Old Testament Christians used to see it, it was a sinful act that would send you to hell but nowadays as long as you repent you can cleanse that sin.
I decreased exposure on both photos in Photoshop as the sky was very bright yet overcast, me and my friends went out at 10 am in order to miss the midday sun and avoid overexposure. The structure on the first image is symmetrical and repetitive which symbolizes the constant and on going affects adultery has on the couple and their family. In the second photo there is a clear split as if the cheater and their married parent are living in different worlds and how the partner is blind to the act in which her significant other is taking part in. In the second photo I wanted the phone to be seen as I wanted to exaggerate the modern side of adultery and how it doesn’t just affect those who are religious or old it affects our generation as well.
In my first experiment I wanted to create a piece which was similar to Brno Del Zou. I liked the overall message that he was trying to create and surrealist approach. In order to create this I re levelled this photograph in order to give off a dramatic effect, then I turned my photograph into black and white in order for it to look like Brno’s work. I then cropped the photograph to only have the shoulders and the face of my model in the frame of the image. Next I used the rectangular marquee tool and selected different features of the face. I then pressed ctrl + J to copy that section and ctrl + T to enlarge or make smaller that feature. I then repeated this until I was happy with the effect. Once I had all the section cut out I moved around the layers to ensure I liked the way that they all overlapped each other. Finally, I added drop shadows to them to make them stand out from the original image, it is also used to help create a 3D effect. I am very happy with the way that this photo-montage has turned out as it is ascetically pleasing to look.
In response to Hausann I decided to create my own Dadaism photo-montage in a similar style. First off the background is made out of a sexist quote that president Trump said in one of his speeches. This being repeated allows the viewers to understand the point being made and emphasises how foolish the president is. Trump himself is located in the centre of the frame with his finger pointing towards the viewer. Pointing directly at someone can be considered rude, so by using this image I wanted to portray the rude side of Trump. Coming out of his arm is a long fenced gate wall, which is presenting his idea on building a wall which he wants to place on the boarder of Mexico and USA. His left eye has been replaced by the USA’s Immigration services logo, to show the idea that he wants to stop immigration into the country, making it hard to live their if you where not born their. I put this on to show how hypercritical Trump is, he is saying all this about immigration but then his wife is not from America but he bought her into the country to live, but he sees that as okay. Similarly to Hausann’s work I used a cartoon mouth to show that Trump is very much all say and does not think before he speaks. By trumps head is a bit of corn, which went viral on social media when people started comparing Trump’s hair to different objects. Implementing this into my work allows me to express my views that Trump is just a joke. This photo-montage is used to express my negative viewpoints towards the current US President, as I do not believe he is doing America justice. As shown their are many similarities between mine and Hausann’s work as I was inspired by him to create this piece.
*All of the images used in this piece have been taken from google.*
My next montage is using the double exposure technique, where I combined two images together. First of all I opened the picture which I wanted to expose the background image. Once it was opened I levelled the image by pressing ctrl + alt + L. I then outlined the model by using the quick selection tool,I then pressed ctrl + Jwhich copied the outline onto a new layer. Next I created a new layer and put it underneath the layer with the outline. I also made the background layer invisible by pressing the eye. With the new layer made I turned the background white using the paint buckettool. After I choose the background image and placed it onto the page with the model. I then moved the background image around to go over my model. After I pressed ctrl + left clickedthe layer with my model which showed the outline. I then pressed the background layer and made a new vector mask. Which now shows the outline and the background inside the outline. I then turned the opacityof the top layer down to 58% in order to see the background and the models face. Finally I made a new layer and rubbed out the sharp edges. I am very happy with the way this photo-montage turned out as I like how it takes upon the surrealist approach. I also like how this idea begins to present the theme of identity and place.
For my next surrealism photo-montage I wanted to be able to show identity and place again. For this idea I opened up a new photoshop document and created a white background. Then using the circular marquee tool I created a large black circle in the centre of the page. I then opened up the picture of my model. Using the quick selection tool I cut out my model and dragged her onto the white with black circle photoshop page. Using the transformation tool I made her smaller to fit into the circle and positioned her to have her arm slightly coming out of the circle. I then added a piece of smoke, image taken from google, and have it coming from my models head. The simple background is used to create emptiness and create a location of isolation. The smoke is used to show how if we overthink are minds can not cope. I really like the way this photo-montage has turned out.
For my final photo-montage I decided to create a hand crafted piece, the image above is a picture of what I created. The piece was inspired by Carl Breezy. In photoshop I cut out a section of the models face a turned it to create the gap in the centre of the face. I then used the burn and smudge tool to blend in the hair. I wanted to present my model as someone who is intelligent, to do this I added a long equation with an arrow connecting it to the face. This informs us that the model knows how and when to use that equation. I then added an element of the periodic table to the top left corner as I wanted to portray the model as someone who is important, important enough to have her own period on the periodic table. It also presents the idea that this girl is a period and reminds us that humans are made out of chemicals. I then added angles to the face which also shows my models intelligence. Adding the bug into the centre of the face was inspired by Breezy’s work as he tend to put a bug into the centre. I chose a beetle as I felt it would suit best in this photo-montage. I created this to make it seem like a sketchbook and that it looks like quick working outs in order to shows the mental process of someone. I am very happy with the way this photo-montage turned out as I like the simplicity of the idea.
To evaluate my photo-montages I believe that I have been successful in showing the difference of Dadaism and surrealism. I have been able to use artist inspiration and create pieces of work in a similar style, but making them relevant to today’s issues. I have been able to experiment with different photoshop tools and techniques in order to create my final outcomes. If I was to create another piece, I would look at implementing the theme of identity and place into all of them. I would also look at creating more Dadaism pieces in order to get across my political viewpoints
Brno Del Zou Photograph From photosculpture series
Brno Del Zou is a French photographer who was born in 1963. In his photography he takes a very imaginative look towards a human. He wants to show his viewers the chaotic side of our brains. This is seen as his artistic aim. In my opinion I believe that Del Zou has met his artistic aim. In this series of photographs ‘photosculptures’, he wants to be able to understand the human body better and so he does this by using fragments of the faceto create the bizarre looking face. This clearly links to the conceptual factor of the image, understanding the human body in all of its complexity. The facial features used helps to create a connection of scales, this is outlined by the volumes of the body features. The photographs are all in black and whitewhich helps Del Zou to bring across his desired mood and tone. I believe that the mood and tone presentedis a mysterious and artificial, which helps to intrigue the viewers to his photographs. More over the apertureis small as not much is in the frameof the photograph. Moreover the message which is being presented through this series of photographs is that the human mind can be chaotic, and it is normal if it is. The set of photographs are all take as portrait at a straight on angle, which allows the models face to be the main focus point.The tone of the photographs seems to be quite light as the tends to be no shadows give off the body parts nor the face itself. There is a low contrast in the tone, which helps to present the overall creative theme. The lighting used seems to be artificial lighting, which seems to be soft allowing the models body to easily be recognised. The shutter speed of these photographs looks to have been normal due to the fact Del Zou is not capturing anything moving. The depth of field in these photographs is short as the models face is the only object which is in focus. The background of these photographs are plain and simple, allowing the viewer to focus primarily of the distorted models face. The images within the series are mainly in black and white, however, in some of the images there is a hint of colour, which allows more important features to stand out more. Due to the images being in black and white it allows the tone of the image to be clearly presented. Del Zou’s photography from the photo sculpture series is a prime example of surrealism. The artist is not presenting a political viewpoint, but is taking the route of a non-naturalistic photograph.
I believe that Brno Del Zou took inspiration off David Hockney who produced similar work. In Hockney’s work, he used different angles of a model and combined them together to create a fragmented surrealist piece. Whereas, in Del Zou’s work he uses the same angle just different facial features to layer up to create a fragmented surrealist piece. In Hockney’s work the images are mainly presented in colour and their is a background for the model which allows context to be added to the images and allows viewers to think about the situation the model is in. In contrast, Del Zou’s images are presented in black and white and have a plain background, which helps to alienate the models. A similarity of both artists is that I believe that the share the same artistic aim as the tones of both images are similar. Moreover, they both took the surrealist approach which allows their creativity to be expressed. Finally, I think that Del Zou’s work is an updated version of Hockney’s work due to the similarities in their work.
David Hockney’s Photograph
Raoul Haussman
Raoul Hausmann – Der Kunstkritiker
In 1919 Hausmann created ‘Der Kunstkritiker’ which is also known as ‘The Art Critic’. He created this photo-montage’ to challenge the idea of a stereotypical art critic, and the an art critics requirements in order to decided whether a piece of art is fashionable. The main motivation for Hausmann to create this image was because he was a member of Berlin’s Dada movement, and was not too happy with the traditional art styles and pieces they where creating so decided to make his own to present his disapproval to this. This photomontage has taken a disorganised style which allows the feelings of Hausmann to be clearly be presented. Due to how old this image is, it stands to reason that this photomontage was hand crafted. The main focus point is the art critic which is located in middle of the image, making him the first thing viewers look at. The head of the critic is much larger than the body, which presents the idea that art critics can consider themselves to be big headed and much superior than others. On the face the eyes and mouth has been covered by which seems to be a child’s drawing of eyes and a mouth, which presents the idea that these people are child like. It also shows that critics opinions are irrelevant as they can not see art as it should be viewed. Their is a large pencil as well in the critics hand, which shows the power that the pencil has. It is considered powerful as it is what the art critic would use to make their review about the art work. Next to the critic is a woman, who looks to be apart of the upper class, due to the way she is dressed and presented. During the time this photomontage was created the class system was being used. Hausmann used an upper class lady as it shows that the art critics where not basing their decision on whether they liked the art but on whether members of the upper class would like the pieces of art. Behind the critic is a triangular cut out of money which presents the idea that people in this job was money orientated, they worked hard in order to get money off the upper class, who had way too much power. Underneath the upper class lady is a newspaper article which outlines a man, which is taken from the business section. He added this onto the montage in order to show that he does not like the fact that people with more money have more power. The background has large words which are incomprehensible which also adds to the negative tone being created. The background colour is also loud also presenting the idea that people in this career are loud. As shown Haumann is showing his viewpoints as negative towards the class system and the way art critics work, clearly presenting a clear example of Dadaism. He is also showing that art work does not have to be created in order to please others, but should be created for self enjoyment. This piece of work is very powerful in the way that it has been done, suggesting that it was well thought out by Hausmann. In order to create a photomontage in this style I will need to think about what overall message I am trying to get across and how each image adds to the overall message.
Shirin Neshat—cultural identity
Rineke Dijkstra—geographical, political and social identity
Sarah Maple—gender identity
