During the 1800’s still life emerged within Dutch and Northern European paintings. These paintings were heavily impacted by religious influence as well as the urbanization of both the Dutch and Flemish society’s, emphasising the use of personal possessions. The goal of a still life composition is to direct the viewer’s eye through a painting and lead them toward what the artist thinks is important. Artistic compositions of inanimate objects were considered the lowest form of art because they were decorative, lacked gravitas and could be appreciated without any intellectual effort.

It is alleged that the first still life was produced in 1504 by Jacopo De’Barbari.

Objects often used: burnt candles, human skulls, dying flowers, fruits and vegetables, broken chalices, jewellery, crowns, watches, mirrors, bottles, glasses, vases

“The transience and brevity of human life, power, beauty and wealth, as well as of the insignificance of all material things and achievements.”

• 

• 

• 

• 

Analysis

This painting produced in 1650 is an oil canvas painting by Vanitas. Although it is displayed in the background, I believe the focal point of this painting is the African servant, depicting the immoral and unjust status of the world at the time. The flowers which look as if they’re wilting represent the shortness of life and are meant to remind the viewer that existence is meaningless without the hope of salvation which from a modern viewers point of view could create a sense of hope for the servant who was probably treated poorly. As well as the skull Such a symbol is called a Memento Mori, a Latin phrase meaning “Remember that you will die. “On the other hand, the flowers are the only part of the painting which display vibrant colour and life. The use of the flowers being white lilies could be associated with purity and the Virgin Mary’s immaculate conception which correlates with the image of the virgin Mary which the slave man is holding. The objects in this painting such as a recorder instrument and a paint pallet could suggest that all of the servants belongings were in order to entertain the rich employer.

Over the summer I went back to St Ouen’s and did another shoot following a similar route to the one taken on the field trip previously.

The weather was pretty clear and I was lucky to find some stacks of rocks that people had made between by visits, adding a new on-theme subject matter.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

I tried to be more experimental with my editing, using a mix of monochrome and brightly coloured images, and I like having this much variety in my images. I also tried to vary what I took pictures of, as well as keeping the composition in mind.

• 

• 

I also made some overlays in photoshop, as well as more reflected images because it is a style I really enjoy using.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

If I had more time, I would of gone back multiple times trying to photograph the environment in different weather conditions, to create some more variety between shoots and give me more images. I also want to look into visiting the other SSI in Jersey, and photographing them, again to create more variety.

I like the perspective of this image because it is taken from a very low angle looking up at a small bolder. the perspective make sit look like it is towering above the surrounding landscape. I also like the depth of the image the grass in the foreground the bolder min the mid ground and the background of the cliff edge.

I experimented with this image a lot to bring gout the contrasting colours in this image I tried to increase the divide in the image created by the gap in the stone created by coastal erosion.

I chose to change this image into black and white because I like the reflections on the water in more contrast I chose to position the bird in the centre of the frame.

I put this image in black and white to create contrast between the dark divide in the rock I made the middle darker and the edges lighter to show it gets darker the deeper you go in.

I took this photo of luca trying to cross the wet sea weed i tried to position him in the middle of the image. it creates the effect that he is levitating above the floor because he has wedged himself between the two rocks.

I like this photo because I didn’t realise into editing it that there was a sail boat positioned above the peak of the pinnacle this gives a lot of contrast between the dark rock and ocean and the bright white sail and boat.

I like this image because it shows how big the rock is in comparison to Mr toft. the way the overhang slopes down cresting a darker background for him to stand out in front of .

i like the way this image is divide into light and dark. it is almost a diagonal line separating the light sky and water to the darker rock and grass i made the rock darker but tried to keep some texture in the rock I think I did this well.

I have chosen these as my best images from that field trip.

David Hockney

David Hockney (born 9 July 1937) is an English painter, draftsman, printmaker and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century. Hockney has owned residences and studios in Bridlington, and London, as well as two residences in California, where he has lived intermittently since 1964: one in the Hollywood Hills, one in Malibu, and an office and archives on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, California. In the early 1980s, Hockney began to produce photo collages—which in his early explorations within his personal photo albums he referred to as “joiners”. First using Polaroid prints and subsequently 35mm, commercially processed colour prints. Using Polaroid snaps or photo lab-prints of a single subject, Hockney arranged a patchwork to make a composite image. Because the photographs are taken from different perspectives and at slightly different times, the result is work that has an affinity with Cubism, one of Hockney’s major aims, discussing the way human vision works.

• 

• 

• 

Emily Allchurch

Emily Allchurch is a Jersey-born photographic artist who currently works and resides in Sussex. She uses photography and digital collage to reconstruct Old Master paintings and prints to create contemporary narratives. Her starting point is to visit a location and obtain a huge gallery of images. She then reduces this to a few hundred images that are spliced together to create a “seamless, fictional space”. Each image presents her journey through the location in a unique way, whilst staying composed in a single scene.

• 

• 

Where I will photograph –

For my photoshoots, I have chosen to Study and take photos of Bonne Nuit which means “Good Night” in French. Bonne Nuit is one of Jerseys smaller harbours out in the north coast, it is still commonly used by locals for fishing where you can find many fresh crabs and lobsters being caught.

I chose to study Bonne Nuit because I like how quiet and secluded it is from many people which means it is densely populated, it is also quite covered due to the surrounding cliffs yet still catches the sun throughout the day. It is also an area of the island that many people forget about so I think that studying it can bring some more appreciation to the beautiful and natural landscape which it is.

There is also a small cafe which can be found down in Bonne Nuit that serves a variety of fresh food which can be enjoyed by many. Here is where you can find more information about Bonne Nuit.

Who I will study –

Stuart Abraham:

• A Jersey based photographer.
• Focuses on commercial photography.
• Has a project which is based on showing Jerseys natural landscapes and seascapes so that their beauty can be appreciated by the wider community.
• Link to his website of Jerseys photography.

Some examples of his photography:

Analysis:

In this photo which was taken by Stuart Abraham of Bonne Nuit, which is where I will also be studying and photographing, I think that this is a successful photo. This is because of the vibrancy of the photo, particularly in the boats and surrounding wildlife, and how Stuart Abraham has manipulated this within photoshop as it makes the colours which could have been lost due to the use of natural light to stand out and create a contrast against the cooler tones which can be found in the sand and wall behind them. I also like how he has been able to show the variety of blue tones which can be found in the sea because it makes the photo flow nicely against the sky as it creates a separation which can be a different yet unusual way of framing in photos. The use of the wildlife found at the bottom of the photo also helps to create a border around the photograph which can create the effect as if you are looking down into the hidden harbour of Bonne Nuit which I really like and will think about in my own work.

Photoshoot plan –

1st Photoshoot: General Landscape photography of Bonne Nuit.

2nd Photoshoot: A more in depth exploration of the landscape, specific structures/rock formations/views.

3rd Photoshoot: Still life objects which I have found along the beach cove and other areas.