Firstly, we went to the studio with our props such as red lipstick and pearls as they are a large factor and characteristic of Marilyn. Monroe was known as a ” dumb blonde” and seen as the sex symbol in the 50s. People had eventually mistaken her and actually saw her as that role which eventually sadly got to Marilyn including personal problems. We decided she would be perfect inspiration as she is a female misunderstood before the women’s rights movement as unfortunately passed just before. If we highlighted her key features it could resemble her however in a more modern way. We then used a mirror as Claude Cahun and Cindy Sherman also used one to resemble in different ways femininity.
I firstly flagged and rejected all my images so I can easily organize the possibility of the images I may or may not use and edit. Roughly we created around 250 images.
PHOTOSHOOT
PLAN
My plan is to choose around 8 of my favourite images and edit them in light room first, then move on to photoshop and create some sort of creative collage with different aspects of femininity whilst still relating them to Monroe. My plan is to make my images look as vintage and nostalgic as much as possible as if they look old. This could resemble it a lot more as then it would resemble and highlight her characteristics a lot more.
IMAGE SELECTION
Furthermore, I picked my favourite 8 images and flagged them green so I can easily find and compare my favourite images to ensure they are my preferred ones.
for this photoshoot I wanted to show masculinity and femininity by bringing in props to make the models look more like the opposite gender while trying to make some photos that have links to Cindy Sherman and Claude Cahun. I accomplished this by bringing in props such as a women’s jacket and lipstick for the male model and I also brought in a chain, a men’s fragrance and beanie to make the female model look more feminine. however if I was to do the photoshoot again I think I would to try to take more photos and try and get different types of photos focusing on certain things.
4-5 stars (green coloured)
3 star photos (yellow coloured)
1-2 stars (red photos)
in conclusion I think I came out with a lot of photos that I think are appropriate for the project that I think fit the description of what I wanted.
This photoshoot is inspired by Marilyn Monroe, as she was an American actress, model and singer. Known for playing comic “blonde bombshell” characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s. We decided to explore the idea of Marilyn Monroe because she represents femininity and the idea of women being objectified. We incorporated little aspects such as making our blonde hair the main subject in some of the photos, and in some we emphasised pearls as they were an iconic symbol of feminism.
For our second photoshoot we portrayed similar ideas representing femininity. We took advantage of props such as the mirror in the studio, and we also brought our own props which we thought would portray a feminine mood; pearls, red lipstick and lots of other jewellery.
In this photoshoot, we knew we could resemble Marilyn Monroe by highlighting our hair throughout the photoshoot. We made this the focus in most of the images as it exhibits the feminine look, as well as incorporating the idea of Monroe being the “dumb blonde”.
Finally, for our last photoshoot, we made the mirror the subject of our images as this way the viewer will have something different to focus on. The use of red lipstick also symbolises Monroe as it is associated with confidence. “Red lips are universally appealing possibly due to the perceived association with sexual arousal”. We thought it was important to highlight this as it also tells a story on Marilyn Monroe being objectified throughout her life.
Here are all of my selected final images in Lightroom, before exporting them into a new folder in my documents. This way I will be able to edit them all separately
Francesca Stern Woodman was an American photographer best known for her black and white pictures featuring either herself or female models. Many of her photographs show women, naked or clothed, blurred, merging with their surroundings, or whose faces are obscured.
She was born April 3rd in 1958, in Denver, Colorado and died January 19th, 1981 at just 22 after taking her own life, this makes her art work not only more upsetting but also incredible impactful.
Art enthusiasts are inthralled with Woodman’s work and are convinced thats all of her work, self portrait or otherwise was in representation of her mind and experiences.
Woodman didn’t have many years of photography under her belt and most of her work was done as a student, despite this she was clearly one of the most promising artists of her time in both her innovation and her talent.
Ana Mendieta was a Cuban-American performance artist, sculptor, painter, and video artist who is best known for her “earth-body” artwork. She is considered one of the most influential Cuban-American artists of the post-World War II era. Born in Havana, Cuba, Mendieta left for the United States in 1961
she was born November 18th, 1948 in Havana Cuba and died September 8th 1985 at 38 in Greenwich village New York , her husband was accused of pushing her out of the 34th story apartment in Greenwich village but was acquitted of all murder charges.
As an immigrant Mendieta claimed she always felt a disconect to the US.
she created her work in the contemporary and modern art period and her work was revolutionary.
her sculptures were innovative and site specific, so the impact was intense along with her photography, it was challenging and controversial.
I particularly enjoy her series of images untitled ‘glass on body imprints’ they are a personal favourite because of the large range of photos each extremely individual and each convey a different emotional experience for the viewer, they all feel extremely intentional yet silly and unserious with a much darker undertone than apparent at first glance
This specific image is intended to convey violence but the whole series is intended to convey beauty and violence and when considering Ana Mendietas overall tendency to focus her photos intentions on feminism, it is not a stretch to consider whether these photos were taken in attempt to convey domestic violence. when considering this it is impossible not to take into account the accusations made towards her husband surrounding her death, although he was acquitted from charges relating her murder ( supposedly pushing her out of their apartment window ) it would not do her art justice not to speculate especially considering the nature of her photography and art.
when looking at this image it is impossible to ignore the way Mendieta has contorted her face against a sheet of glass, in doing this she was created so many interesting shapes as the focal point throughout this series of images.
Because Mendieta used glass in these photos it creates almost a 2D effect where her face meets the glass, this creates a sense of impact again linking back to her theme of violence, as if she’s been thrown and has collided with something.
her use of glass itself is an interesting choice especially considering the links back to domestic violence throughout her work.
in my personal opinion the use of glass is not as simple as the use of a clear surface, if that was the case plastic could be used. I believe the use of glass is a very clever metaphor from Mendieta. glass in itself is a strong substance and can be modified to protect from bullets, but when dropped at the wrong angle this supposedly strong substance can not only break but completely shatter.
it is also interesting to interpret this use of glass as symbolism for watching the world go by from an isolated position, using how people typically use glass for windows to create the thought provoking notion that she is watching from the inside and looking out unable to reach help with her personal situation despite the substance keeping her from it being completely see through, obvious when you look.
How does this relate to my work?
I decided to use Mendieta as a reference for my art because of the eccentric nature to her photography, she broke boundary’s during her time and was a force to be reckoned with in the art and photography world.
although her work is officially considered surrealism I believe her work leans towards the absurdist movement wit her being very ahead of her time in her beliefs and urgency in acting on her beliefs creating protest art that shook her generation and still effects us to this day, her images have not dulled with time and the impact of her work still holds strong and continues to be intense and insightful.
i want my images to hold that same intensity and they way she uses shapes, form and texture throughout all of her photography greatly inspires me, and I aim to do the same with my work in creating interesting shapes and use of form throughout my photo taking and editing process, along with this her beliefs and aims definitely align with mine when creating photos with intention.
