The artist I have decided to focus on is Michelle Sank.

She is a South African photographer who was born in Cape Town. She lived there till 1978 and she moved to England in 1987.

Her images reflect a preoccupation with the human condition and too this end can be viewed as social documentary. Her work encompasses issues around social and cultural diversity.

Some examples of her work include:

In this photo she decided to photograph an elderly woman in what seems like her home. Sank depicted the woman to look comfortable. She managed to make the woman seem very wise and almost powerful in the photo.

My emotional response to this photo definitely varies depending on what aspect I focus on. Overall the photo makes me feel comforted and almost safe because of the stereotypical thought of older people, that they are sweet loving people. And because of the angle the photo was taken, it almost gives the illusion that the viewer is looking up. This is because the woman is sat down making the eye view of this photo the hight of whoever Sank wanted the viewer to imagine was looking at this woman. To me it makes me think of a child and a child would definitely be looking up to this woman, almost as a roll model.

This photo was what seems like taken in natural light. And the backdrop seems to be the comfort of the woman’s home making the photo seem more comfortable and somewhat safe. The shadows and the dimensions don’t seem forced and look natural due to the natural light used to take the photo.

The leading lines in this photo seem to be vertical, you can see that on the couch, the frame of the glass shelf behind the model, the curtains and the radiator. If I were to over analyse this information, I would say that the use of this linework would back up my thoughts about looking up to the woman in the photo because of how the lines travel up through the photo.

Another example of Michelle Sank’s work would be ;

In this photo Michelle decided to photograph a young woman in what seems like her bedroom. Sank decided to make this woman stare straight into the camera maybe to give a more intimidated feel to the photo. In this photo Michelle definitely showed the difference between cultural differences and stereotypes, in the first photo before, the woman was shown to be of some kind of wealth based on the clothing she wore and the sophistication of the photo in general, while in this photo the woman seemed to be in more generic clothing and is you can see, the wall in her bedroom seemed to be broken or a layer of paint has worn away or been broken off. This could show social standing differences through little details in both photographs.

The emotional feeling this photo gives me in particular is more intimidation while still giving a feeling of comfort and relaxation. The intimidation comes from the glare the model is giving the camera and also the observation that her hands are in her pockets. However the comfort and relaxation feeling comes from the fact that the woman gives a slight smile in the photo almost making her inviting and kind looking. Also, the idea that the woman is in her own bedroom gives the feeling of comfort because she is in her own home and is safe where she is.

Emotional:

• Intimidating
• Uneasy
• Creepy
• I like the photo because it makes me think about the backstory and meaning behind it.

Visual:

• Looks like a train factory
• Dull
• Dark lighting, lots of shadows
• Looks a bit abandoned and dirty/rusty
• Artificial lighting
• Shallow depth of field
• Old white man-main focus point, subject of the image-staring into the camera, makes viewer feel uncomfortable
• Dark surroundings
• Symmetry

Technical:

• Balanced composition from the 2 pillars either side making the main subject centered
• Line of symmetry
• Losing focus and detail the further back you go behind the subject so the main subject is focused and the rest is blurry
• Lighting is from either side of his face so the middle of his face is dark shadowy.

Conceptual

Taken from Los Angeles Times:

“In 1963 Jewish photographer Arnold Newman was commissioned by Newsweek to take a portrait of Alfred Krupp, a convicted Nazi war criminal. At first, Newman declined the offer. The Jewish American photographer saw the convicted war criminal as the devil and wanted to put a knife in his back. But Newman did proceed with the job. A sinister-looking man, Krupp was seated on a platform with his factory in the background. Newman asked him to lean forward. Krupp clasped his hands together under his chin. “My hair stood on end,” Newman would later say. It was considered one of the most important photos by the man who became known as the father of the environmental portrait.”https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-arnold-newman-photographer-20190613-story.html

Contextual

• 1963

Examples of Arnold Newman’s photography:

Who is Arnold Newman?

Arnold Newman was an American photographer, born in 1918 and died in 2006. From 1936 to 1938, Newman attended the University of Miami then later became an assistant in a Photography studio. In 1941, Newman had his first major exhibition in New York, where he eventually opened his own Portrait studio in 1946 after visiting the City frequently. Arnold Newman was best known for his Environmental Portraits, featuring various artists, writers, political leaders, scientists and more, typically in their own space or somewhere constructed to fit their character. Some of these people include Pablo Picasso, Marilyn Monroe, Jean Cocteau and Igor Stravinsky, many of these images published within magazines such as Time, Look, Life and Harper’s Bazaar.

Image Analysis

Emotional

This photograph makes me feel quite intimidated as the man in the image appears unfriendly and stern and the surroundings look cold and harsh. The positioning of his hands also give the impression that he is plotting an evil scheme, this adds to the oppression.

Visual

This image consists of dull colours with a lack of natural light and was taken in an industrial place. The subject’s aged, stern appearance fits in with the background, which looks like a train factory because it appears like it would be a manly and hard workplace. The fact that the subject is wearing a suit implies that he has authority, therefore, he may be the boss of the factory. The serious look on his face, texture of his skin and the background together all create the impression that the subject is firm and solemn. In this image, there are also many dark tones which may represent the subject’s personality and morals.

Technical

This image has a wide depth of field as you can see far into it and, in terms of perspective, it looks like it is getting further away. The focus/focal point of this photo is the factory owner and it can be seen that there are various leading lines towards him. These include the lights on the ceiling and the trains each side of him. the two pillars and the fact that he is centred within the photo creates symmetry and a sense of balance. Additionally, the pillars also provide a frame for the subject which makes your focus go towards him. The lighting coming from the rear side in this image is quite unique and peculiar as well as the lights on each side of his face. This lighting gives the subject a slender appearance and creates a darker atmosphere, linking with his sinful nature.

Conceptual

This image was taken by a Jewish Photographer, Arnold Newman, of a German Factory Owner. The Factory owner, Alfred Krupp was a convicted War Criminal, therefore, Arnold Newman’s intention was to portray Krupp as evil in the photograph. He did this by making Krupp look like he was plotting an evil scheme through his facial expressions and positioning and using lighting to highlight Krupp’s features such as his wrinkles and nose, almost as if to make him look unpleasant. After seeing this photo, Alfred Krupp was furious as he was just asking for a regular self portrait.

Contextual

In 1963, Newsweek magazine wanted to commission Arnold Newman to take a photograph of Alfred Krupp, a German industrialist who was a convicted war criminal for helping the Nazis, however, he was later pardoned. Arnold Newman originally declined this offer as he was Jewish, therefore didn’t want to be involved with him, but then changed his mind and wanted to backstab Alfred Krupp so he went and proceeded with the job.