ESSAY: In the Spring term will be spending 1 lesson a week every Wednesday on writing and developing your essay. However, you will need to be working it independently outside of lesson time.

Objective: Criteria from the Syllabus

Be aware of some of the methods employed by critics and historians within the history of art and photography

Post Modernism

Demonstrate a sound understanding of your chosen area of study with appropriate use of critical vocabulary. – use for image analysis

Investigate a wide range of work and sources

Develop a personal and critical inquiry.

Academic Sources

Research and identify 3-5 literary sources from a variety of media such as books, journal/magazines, internet, Youtube/video:

https://witness.worldpressphoto.org/the-ethics-of-documenting-your-own-family-7225ca8bd59a

https://www.1854.photography/2019/11/humour-intimacy-and-sincerity-celebrating-family-photography/

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2022/nov/09/photographer-emma-hardy-family-life-in-pictures

https://www.booooooom.com/2020/08/10/photographer-spotlight-emma-hardy/

Mulvey, Laura (1973) ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’ in Screen (1975)

Frames of Mind: Photography, Memory and Identity

 Family Frames: Photography, Narrative and Postmemory. 

Begin to read essay, texts and interviews with your chosen artists as well as commentary from critics, historians and others. It’s important that you show evidence of reading and draw upon different pints of view – not only your own.Take notes when you’re reading…key words, concepts, passages Write down page number, author, year, title, publisher, place of publication so you can list source in a bibliography

Bibliography

Practice:

Sternfeld, J. (2003), American Prospects. Göttingen; Germany.

In Text Reference:

Direct Quote: In his book on conversations on photography, Sternfeld writes ‘

Paraphrasing: Sternfeld (2003)

Quotation and Referencing

Why should you reference?

To add academic support for your work

To support or disprove your argument

To show evidence of reading

To help readers locate your sources

To show respect for other people’s work

To avoid plagiarism

To achieve higher marks

What should you reference?

Anything that is based on a piece of information or idea that is not entirely your own.

That includes, direct quotes, paraphrasing or summarising of an idea, theory or concept, definitions, images, tables, graphs, maps or anything else obtained from a source

How should you reference?

Use Harvard System of Referencing…see Powerpoint: harvard system of referencing for further details on how to use it.

Essay Question

Think of a hypothesis and list possible essay questions:

To what extent do female role models influence personal identity, and how is this shown in Hannah Altman’s work?

In what ways have LaToya Ruby Frazier and Hannah Altman represented identity between generations of women?

How does Hannah Altman portray the delicate relationship between a mother and daughter?

https://www.hannahaltmanphoto.com/indoorvoices#1

To what extent is documenting your own family biased?

https://witness.worldpressphoto.org/the-ethics-of-documenting-your-own-family-7225ca8bd59a

How does the role of a mother differ as a single parent?

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/jan/26/single-parent-strength-a-photo-essay

Essay Plan

Make a plan that lists what you are going to write about in each paragraph – essay structure.

Essay question: In what ways have LaToya Ruby Frazier and Hannah Altman represented identity between generations of women?

Opening quote

Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Which artists will you be analysing and why? How will you be responding to their work and essay question?

List photographers, links to context, what they both bring to my essay and how they informed my ideas.

Pg 1 (500 words): Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography, visual and popular culture relevant to your area of study. Make links to art movements/ isms and some of the methods employed by critics and historian. 

Historical portrayal of women – in art, film and photography. Links to feminism, female / male gaze. Use sources from key texts read.

Divine mother figure

Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.

Loookedatness – looking INWARD – reflective nature to her work. Sense of self, childhood,

Analyse key work, read interview, links to context behind her work, art theory and period

STEEPLY GENDERED…

‘spaces where girlhood is supposed to abide and womanhood stands guard”

Sociolgoist – with camera

Place in the family vs place in the world.

Richness of place and memory

socioeconomic elements

Deconstructs notion of a nuclear family. See below

The Notion of Family gilds its often grim truths with the hope of resistance, as in Frazier’s portraits of her Grandma Ruby—with her battalion of dolls, a stoic countenance, and a matriarchal sense of duty—who raised six children by herself on a Goodwill manager’s salary. In one photograph, she stands in her kitchen, her arm resting on the back of a chair where her grandson sits, light from the adjacent window pouring through a scrim of curtain and ivy, her nightgown slipping from her shoulder, her home a picture of order and cleanliness. “Grandma Ruby’s interior design was a firewall that blocked external forces,” Frazier writes.

Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.

Disrupting idea of the divine mother figure – picture analysed in artist reference.

Takes inspiration from Jewish Folklore and traditions in her image, similar to LTRF using socio economic context.

Presents generational identity and memory through exploring her family history and historical persecution as Jews.

What memory do the photographs leave? What sentiment?

Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced

Compare both artists, context behind, link to my own work and reasons for producing.

Both extremely different artists but disrupting / representing the same things etc

use images

Both use images of the divine mother figure – link to first paragraph and to my own work

Bibliography: List all relevant sources used

How is the ethereal experience of growing up conveyed through the photography of Sam Harris and Olivia Bee?

Growing up is often conveyed through media as whimsical and magical- whether it be through film, music or art- this portrayal of growing up is then often hit with harsh realities through adolescence and adulthood while media embraces the idea of staying connected to your childhood through nostalgia: Sam Harris creates emotionally rich documentary images which main purpose serve to capture memories of his two daughters growing up in rural India and Australia, intertwining the ethereal experience of childhood intertwining with nature (The Middle of Somewhere: Containing images from 2002-2006 -released 2015- of Harris himself, his wife and two daughters travelling in India and Australia), these images manage to apprehend the innocence and joy of childhood while also tackling seemingly brutal topics such as death and natural disaster. “‘The Middle of Somewhere” is from my ongoing visual family diary, which revolves around my two daughters growing up… My work is a celebration of childhood, family life, love and our simplistic lifestyle which intertwines with our environment. As I witness my daughters’ transformation—in what feels like the briefest of moments—I am compelled to preserve something of our time living together.”¹  Olivia Bee concentrates on capturing the oneiric and often ephemeral experience of adolescence, her photobook “Kids in Love” was created when Bee was merely 17, capturing moments as they happened and staging highly emotive, moving scenes with recurring themes of intimacy, exploration and naturally occurring beauty in everyday life- it is significantly hard to tell which images are staged and which are candid which adds to the beauty of Bee’s work. In Bee’s own words, she is “intrigued by the beauty of everyday life and how the beauty of memories (real or imagined) touches us.”² Containing images from between 2008 and 2013, Bee photographs her circle of friends while growing up in the natural, romantic landscape of Oregon USA. I plan to respond to these photographers by creating my own scrapbook-style photobook: aiming to capture childhood nostalgia, memories of now as a teenager and growing up enveloped in island nature- I will be doing this by focusing on natural landscapes and humans in natural landscapes including staged and documentary style images: focusing on a female perception of aesthetic, aiming to show the beauty of everyday life through a scrapbook and diary style photobook.  

Historically, the process of capturing memories through photographs was a very formal process- taking large inspiration from portraiture in paintings, to immortalise people through portrait photography during the Victorian ages, especially with the commercial process of carte-de-visit. This process was typically only accessible to wealthy families as photography was an expensive, complex process. It was not until photography became affordable and more accessible that scrapbook style and vernacular photography developed in response to 19th century studio portraiture showing grandly staged images. The aesthetics of snapshot developed within vernacular photography and became more popular in the general population- namely from the 1970s onwards where staged and candid images were mixed together due to the accessibility and nonchalance of photography at the time. It is this style that I am trying to capture with my photobook project. More inspirations for this project include various photography movements such as modernism- where photographers began to embrace social, political and aesthetic concerns from 1915 onwards: concentrating on the beauty of a subject instead of a harsh reality: experimenting with light, perspective, developing abstraction in a sub-context of surrealism. A renowned modernist photographer “André Kertész said, “I regard myself as an amateur today, and I hope that’s what I will stay until the end of my life. Because I’m forever a beginner who discovers the world again and again.” Kertész saw photography as a sort of visual diary that documented the way he felt about the world around him and insisted that emotion was the basis of all his work, rather than an artistic impulse.”³  Kertész created an image⁴ which inspired me to look into modernism as an inspiration for my photobook- this was further cemented by the quote from the article above where it was emphasized that emotion was the drive for his work. His images- much like many modernist photographers of the time- are a mixture of staged and documentary: capturing life as it happens in an abstract, unorthodox way, much like Sam Harris and Olivia Bee’s photography style.

As previously stated, Harris’ work was created purely to capture memories of his family- specifically his two young daughters growing up while they travelled around India and Australia. Harris’ images look pure, with a lack of editing and the natural lighting being taken advantage of to create interesting images which apprehend an almost naïve view of life which is drenched in bright blues, green and warm tones- creating an ethereal, seemingly other-worldly, nostalgic view. Similarly to modernist photography values images (such as the image below) are taken from an offbeat perspective- the two children framing the adults in the middle and the forest setting providing a backdrop. I find this image particularly alluring due to the blurriness- the imperfection- which adds to the feeling of time slipping away with the figures looking almost celestial but almost if they are fading away: however this image does look esoteric in the sense that it is a glimpse into a young family where Harris is trying to capture memories before they fade away (much like the figures). Furthermore on the composition of this image, the two children are framing the two adults- which is unusual as usually the parents would be protecting the children, while this composition gives a sense of the two adults letting their children be free- adding to Harris’ ethos of capturing memories as they happen showing the unpredictability of this travel and the children’s curiosity, the parents acting as a safe haven while the children explore. Harris himself is also in this image- an almost Christ-like figure in white raising his arms as if to welcome his children into a hug- this is also unorthodox as it brings up the conundrum of who is taking the image which furthermore asks if the image is staged or not. On the technical approaches of this image: the image looks amateurish, where a low shutter speed emphasises blurriness. Flash is also used, creating artificial lighting which highlights the colours in the image while a low aperture makes colours and scenery visible in what otherwise would be a very dark image as it was taken at night time/evening.

Priorly stated, Bee’s work is a mixture of staged and candid images however as contrary to Harris’ work, Bee takes pictures as seemingly an outsider looking in while Harris’ images are from an insider perspective. Bee’s photos- although they are of her friends and herself growing up in Oregon, USA- are very intimate and images like the one below⁶ are from the perspective of an outsider looking in to a relationship, while other images of Bee’s are more casual- documenting her friends actions and hobbies such as skateboarding. However the image below is staged, and although staged this image shows great emotive value- two young lovers intertwined in embrace, their body language only open to each other, fitting to the photobook name- “Kids in Love”- this image certainly depicts teenagers in love. This photo also represents uncertainty, a prevailing theme in a teenager’s life- curiosity and apprehension about the future- this can be shown massively through the water. Bodies of water are often unpredictable, humans have always had a fearful fascination about water with hundreds of fairy tales, myths and legends being revolved around wonders of the sea, whether it be shipwrecks or mermaids. A vignette around the corners of the image present an unease creeping in while the lovers embrace and find sanctuary in each other- the light concentrated on them giving an impression of hope in darkness. An important aspect of this image is also colour- the red streak in the girls hair shows rebellion while the contrast of the blue of the water shows serenity asking the question is the danger coming from teenage love, or from the unease of the future creeping in on them?

Bee and Harris both successfully create an identity for each subject- with images giving the viewer a sense of individualism for every subject- this is evident in Bee’s portraiture⁷ where direct eye contact with the camera makes the image feel personal and an intrusion on someone’s life yet exhibiting their nature- imploring you to judge by looks. Harris succeeds this by taking photographs for the sake of memories, capturing the raw natural emotions which a person is displaying. However even though both artists have similar aims and motivations for their images- they succeed them in different ways. Harris’ artistry being more truthful than Bee’s: with a lack of staged, highly controlled images and more a mixture of seemingly amateur “happy accidents” where blur, overexposure and unexpected angles create beautiful, resonant images. On the other hand, Bee’s work “Kids in Love” creates a rebellious aura around the subjects and establishes the real lifestyle behind adolescence existence- times of love, hatred, fear and the occasional cocky, overindulgent attitude- however in Bee’s work there is a sense of masking in the subject, where a subject is clearly letting the viewer judge by appearance but presenting an aura of complexity about them- letting the viewer know that this image is only peripheral through their facial expressions. Together, both artists display an ethereal idea of growing up- from childhood with Harris then adolescence with Bee. Attempting to respond to Bee and Harris’ work, I generated this image⁸, keeping to the main aesthetic of both photographers work: this image is edited very minimally, only the colours have been emphasised. This photograph is of some of my friends climbing up trees- the image is taken from the ground looking up. I feel as if this image encapsulates both photographers; the unusual perspective, the lack of editing, the imperfect of the blur, the fact that it was taken candidly- as just a snapshot in time to remember the night. Taken with flash at night and a high ISO and shutter speed- this image contains a lot of detail, down to each individual leaf which the light of the flash hits. The hectically abstract point of view along with almost an optical illusion concerning the tree structure where it appears to show people walking directly up the tree towards the sky creates a visually interesting image- although not similar to Bee and Harris’ usual subject matter and lacking subject interaction to the camera (backs turned away from the camera) this image does present Bee’s rebellion in essence, backs turned to the camera remaining in anonymity: teenage rebellion, as well as reflecting Harris’ idea of pure childlike curiosity: climbing trees towards the sky. I like this image because depending on how you look at it you can conjure up a meaning for it when in reality- much like Bee and Harris- the image purely captured memories, when growing up into an adult is right around the corner images like this show that you can still enjoy the experiences you did as a child- growing up is ethereal however childlike wonder and rebellion remains in us all.

Bibliography  

1. Sam Harris on The Middle of Somewhere: Lens Culture: https://www.lensculture.com/articles/sam-harris-the-middle-of-somewhere#slideshow: accessed 12/1/23). 

2. Olivia Bee interview on “Finding the right balance”: The Creative Independent https://thecreativeindependent.com/people/olivia-bee-on-finding-the-right-balance/: accessed 13/1/23 

3. The Poet of Modernism, André Kertész Retrospective: Aesthetic Magazine https://aestheticamagazine.com/the-poet-of-modernism-andre-kertesz-retrospective-the-hungarian-national-museum-budapest/: accessed 14/1/23 

4. Underwater Swimmer, Esztergom, Hungary; dated 1917; André Kertész

5. Sam Harris; untitled from the collection “The Middle of Somewhere”; year unknown

6. Olivia Bee; untitled from the collection “Kids in Love”; year unknown

7. Olivia Bee; untitled from the collection “Kids in Love”; year unknown

8. An image I am including in my photobook

REALISM / STRAIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

Dating all the way back to the 1830’s with photographs from the Civil War, realism in the visual arts is defined as an accurate depiction of lifeforms. Images were unedited to give a direct viewpoint what was happening in that moment in time. Documentary, street and cultural photography later stemmed from realism where photographers capture community through an outsider vs. insider perspective.

Realism photography characteristics: Images depict a straight-on realistic representation of the world, in particular different cultures and communities.

Photographers like Paul Strand and Walker Evans essentially paved the way for straight photography capturing working class American citizens in a way that revolutionized photography and changed the way we view images today.

MODERNISM

Modern photography is a period in photography that marked the shift from traditional pictorialist photography to a more direct way of capturing photos, exploiting, and emphasizing the use of and nature of the camera instead of using it as a tool to capture images.

Modern photography characteristics: Images emphasized sharp focus and detail. These photographs were noted for their precision and geometric simplicity which were the result fo a focus on photography as a technical exercise and the photographer as a technician.

The most well-known discourse of photographic modernism now is the one initiated in the USA by Alfred Stieglitz. Developed around his New York based journal Camera Work between 1903 and 1917, this version is characterized by the “straight” photograph.

POST-MODERNISM

Postmodern photography began in the second half of the 20th century, and it encompasses a variety of themes. First and foremost, postmodernism builds on the themes and conceptual ideas that began during the modernist period. This type of photography also often features surrealism, expressionism or other similar themes

Post-modernism photography characteristics: Postmodern art questions the notion of authenticity and embraces ‘hybridity’, blurring the lines between high art and popular culture. Postmodern photographers are particularly interested in the selective, constructed nature of the photograph.

One of the defining features of Postmodern photography is the idea of the “banal”, and photographers such as Lee Friedlander, William Eggleston, Jeff Wall, and Andreas Gursky have all sought to re-examine “banal” (or “boring”) subject matter through their camera.

Academic Sources:

• Research and identify 3-5 literary sources from a variety of media such as books, journal/magazines, internet, Youtube/video .
• Begin to read essay, texts and interviews with your chosen artists as well as commentary from critics, historians and others.
• It’s important that you show evidence of reading and draw upon different pints of view – not only your own.
• Take notes when you’re reading…key words, concepts, passages
• Write down page number, author, year, title, publisher, place of publication so you can list source in a bibliography

Bibliography

List all the sources that you have identified above as literary sources. Where there are two or more works by one author in the same year distinguish them as 1988a, 1988b etc. Arrange literature in alphabetical order by author, or where no author is named, by the name of the museum or other organisation which produced the text. Apart from listing literature you must also list all other sources in alphabetical order e.g. websites/online sources, Youtube/ DVD/TV.

Quotation and Referencing:

Why should you reference?

• To add academic support for your work
• To support or disprove your argument
• To show evidence of reading
• To help readers locate your sources
• To show respect for other people’s work
• To avoid plagiarism
• To achieve higher marks

What should you reference?

• Anything that is based on a piece of information or idea that is not entirely your own.
• That includes, direct quotes, paraphrasing or summarising of an idea, theory or concept, definitions, images, tables, graphs, maps or anything else obtained from a source

How should you reference?

Use Harvard System of Referencing…see Powerpoint: harvard system of referencing for further details on how to use it.

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Bibliography

Examples of Referencing:

Bibliography:

Paiva, T. (2008), Night Vision: The Art of Urban Exploration. San Francisco: Chronicle Books LLC

Online Source:

Direct Quote:

In his recent book, Paiva writes about the ‘relentless drive of humans to both build and explore’. (Paiva 2008: 9)

Paraphrasing:

Paiva (2018) writes about the drive humans feel to build and explore.

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Abel-Hirsch, A. (2019), ‘ Blackwater River’ in British Journal of Photography. Issue 7890: 50-67

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Essay Plan

Essay Question:

Subject matter: Technology/Light/Aesthetics

In what way has Rut B-L and Robbie L made images at night that references an otherworldly effect?

In what way does Rut B-L and Robbie L use artificial light to create a surreal tone?

Opening quote

Introduction (250-500 words): 

What is your area of study? Surreal and abstract photography that displays nature as damaged/overrun/etc… within the genre of landscape/night/object/studio photography

Which artists will you be analysing and why? Robbie Lawrence as his ‘Blackwater River’ project has images that are akin to what I am aiming to produce (the theme of the project isn’t exactly the same but some of its roots are similar). Rut Blees-Luxemburg as I have interpreted her work as representing the relationship between humanity’s effect on nature.

How will you be responding to their work and essay question? I will aim to create my own work with motifs of theirs, while linking it with this project’s theme and essay question.

Pg 1 (500 words): 

Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography, visual and popular culture relevant to your area of study. Talk about Surrealism/Abstractionism Make links to art movements/ isms and some of the methods employed by critics and historians. Modernism 

Pg 2 (500 words): 

Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.

Pg 3 (500 words):

Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.

Conclusion (250-500 words):

Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced

Bibliography: List all relevant sources used