“Real things don’t frighten me just the ones in my mind do.” – Francesca Woodman
For my personal study I will be focusing on mental health and the effects it has on photographers. I chose this topic for my personal study because mental health has brought me together with my friends and family but has also been the reason to lose family and friends. With my project I want to explore anxiety, depression, bulimia, and borderline personality disorder. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a disorder which affects how the person’s mood and interaction with others. Symptoms of this are: emotional instability, disturbed patterns of thinking or perception, impulsive behaviour and intense but unstable relationships with others. Most conditions of BPD result from a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Bulimia is an eating disorder with episodes of binge eating and self-induced vomiting. Anxiety is a feeling of unease such as worry or fear these can range from mild to severe. Lastly depression is low mood which can last for weeks or months which can affect daily life. With this study I will be analysing Francesca Woodman and Edward Honaker. I am influenced by these photographers because they both use self-portraits but not in a traditional way. I find that both photographers take photos that hide their face as a way of showing how others view them without the use of facial expressions, the use of their body to express how they feel. I have studied Honaker in a previous topic where I displayed how life is like a jigsaw and having to piece together to find out your true personality, I used Edward as one of the corners to the jigsaw of happiness as depression is the opposite to that.
Historical Context
Francesca Woodman’s photography can be seen as being surrealist and postmodernist. Postmodernism makes references to things outside the artwork for example: political, cultural, social, historical, psychological issues. Surrealism was the longest form of photography going from the 1920s to the1960s and beyond. Surrealism is a photo that rejects the idea that something identifiable which relates back to Woodman and Honaker’s work the subject of their photographer is themselves but blurry or covered which makes them unidentifiable. Postmodernism first became popular in the late 20th century with the focus on abstract photography, which can also show themes of surrealism and expressionism. This was most popular during the war as it gave women the opportunity to create this type of photography. Francesca uses abandoned buildings; torn paper can be transformed into angel wings; antique clothing salvaged from thrift stores can turn into the folds and drapes of classical architectural forms. She goes against traditional photography and questions the degree to which these self-portraits are any longer ‘self.’ In her images she uses a blurry presence caused by movement in front of the camera this creates a camouflage of the body in relation to the objects surrounding her. Abrigail Solomon-Godeau has remarked that “Woodman’s photography has… not a lot in common with mainstream art photography of the 1970s;” as straight photography became popular between the 1960s and 1970s such as Ansel Adams and Imogen Cunningham.
Mental illnesses have been around for quite a long time where it was first thought that during 6500BC (Prehistoric era) the cause of mental illnesses was caused by possession by evil or demonic spirits, displeasure of gods, eclipses, planetary gravitation, curses, and sin. Then in 1917 Freud published the ‘Introduction to Psychoanalysis’ which outlines his theories on the unconscious mind, and his approach to therapy. He produced the theory that traumatic experiences often occurring during childhood can affect the psychosexual stages of development which are then repressed into the unconscious as a way of defending the ego (self). In Freud’s study on Little Hans, he discovered that his trauma over the Oedipus complex was caused by his mothers’ comments, this caused a castration anxiety towards his father, which he projected onto a more socially appropriate object such as a horse. The treatment of this psychoanalyst involved accessing the unconscious, through methods such as dream analysis and interpreting symbols implanted by the unconscious mind. The therapist then talked through the traumatic incident, bringing it into the conscious mind where it could be rationally considered until it was resolved. Freud’s theories focus on traumatic or stressful experiences or distorted perceptions as the cause of mental illness.
Edward Honaker
The first photographer I am analysing is Edward Honaker, he was first diagnosed with depression at the age of 19. This had a significant impact on daily life which he then used to influence his photography, to create a series of black and white images which display his self-destruction, depression, and anxiety. The concept I am using from this photographer is that “Everyone is or will be affected by them one way or another and ignoring them doesn’t make things better.” With that I want to express the struggles using simple objects found in the house showing how it is not just inside but is also around you.
In this image you can see Edward Honaker standing behind a certain with an artificial light behind him to create a silhouette. I thought this photo was highly creative as traditionally you would have the lighting in front of the person you are taking a photograph of. The use of the certain is very symbolic as it shows a barrier between him and the viewer of the photograph. The effective use of artificial lighting behind to create a strong silhouette while having it fade slightly by the shoulders. The contrast of black and white exaggerates the head and hand making them the clear focus of the photo. As this photo is in black and white, it gives a stronger view on what the photo is meant to be because having colour in the photo would probably take away the focus of the photograph and draw away the attention to the simple details such as the hand.
Francesca Woodman
The second photographer I am analysing is Francesca Woodman. I chose this photographer because the use of landscape portraits is very fascinating because she contrasts Edward Honaker as he takes photos inside whereas she explores the outdoors and other buildings which link back to her. “Am I in the Picture? Am I getting in or out of it? I could be a ghost, an animal or a dead body, not just this girl standing on the corner?” I find this quote interesting as she is saying how you should not assume what she is doing in the photo which creates a sense of mystery to what is happening and really question the photo.
In this image Francesca uses a white sheet to hide behind while standing behind a tree. She is wearing a white dress which contrasts with the dark background as though she is trying to hide the white behind the darkness or even be as though she is coming out from behind the darkness. This photo is similar to Edward Honakewr as he doesn’t use colour which I find very effective in their work as colour would take away the purpose of the photo. The white dress and sheet stands out towards the audience and draws their eyes to it as it is so bright and yet the background is very dull and monochrome.
Alexander Khokhlov
Another photographer I chose was Alexander Khokhlov. I chose him because I wanted a contrast in my project by having a print inspired by this artist and photographer. As the photographer and artist wanted to show how “Mental problems cover the true face.” Which is now among the most important reasons why employees are being on sick leave so this becomes a particularly critical issue in people’s lives today.
In this image Alexander Khokhlov uses paint to create different mental health disorders onto their faces. With this image he paints bipolar and the different emotions they express with this disorder. The use of contrasting colours on the two different sides of the face are interesting as they correspond on the colour wheel and are the stereotypical colours to represent happiness and sadness.
Conclusion
In conclusion, mental health has a big impact on photographers and the work they produce. So, with my mental health photobook I want to show the effects mental health has on my photography influenced by Francesca Woodman and Edward Honaker with the prints influenced by Alexander Khokhlov. The exploration of these photographers helped understand the expression of mental health and how they coped and spread awareness of it in such a creative and beautiful way. Honaker and Woodman show how you can create effective photos in black and white and the lack of face expressions to exaggerate how mental health is hiding in the person in the darkness. Yet in Khokhlov’s photos he shows how you can express the inside by presenting it on the face using paint and how it is easier to show people how they feel in a simple but expressive way.
Bibliography
https://www.ignant.com/2015/09/24/photographer-edward-honaker-documents-his-own-depression/ Francesca Woodman by Chris Townsend https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/francesca-woodman-10512/finding-francesca https://www.azquotes.com/author/46190-Francesca_Woodman http://www.artnet.com/artists/francesca-woodman/ https://www.alexanderkhokhlov.com/about