Justine Kurland

Justine Kurland was born in 1969 and is an American fine art photographer, based in New York City. She first gained public notice with her work in the group show, called Another Girl, Another Planet (1999), at New York’s Van Doren Waxter gallery.  The show included her large c-print staged tableaux pictures of landscapes inhabited by young adolescent girls, half-sprites, half juvenile delinquents. This was her first exhibition of a photographic interest that lasted from 1997, when she began taking pictures of her mentor Laurie Simmons’s babysitter and her friends, to 2002. Altogether, Kurland published 69 pictures of girls in a series called “Girl Pictures.” The staged photos take place in urban and wilderness settings, with girls depicted as though to imply they are runaways, hopeful and independent. As landscapes she chose the ‘secret places’ of late childhood; wasteland on the edges of suburbia, ‘owned’ only by a feral nature and unsupervised children. Her book Spirit West (2000) featured similar work on a more ambitious scale. In early 2001 Kurland spent several months in New Zealand, where she created similar work with school girls there.

About ‘Girl Pictures’

‘The girls were rebelling. The girls were acting out. The girls had run away from home, that much was clear. They were trying on a version of themselves that the world has thus far shown them was boy.’ Floating a raft down the Mississippi. Tucking smokes into the sleeve of a T-shirt. Having a rumble. Living off land. Cowboys, sailors, pirates, hitchhikers, hobos, train hoppers, explorers, catchers in the rye, lords of the flies- you name it, all the dominion of boys. If you wanted a place in the narrative, you had to imagine yourself inside of it. – Justine Kurland.

This is the first paragraph in Justine Kurland’s book, where she sets the narrative of her ‘Girl Pictures’ for the viewers. The narrative of this story is that these girls have ran away from home, so that they can explore and have fun and be whoever they wish to be. She sets this narrative in these tableaux images, by having the girls pose doing all these different activities, such as swimming in rivers, or camping in forests.

She also explains what she wants the viewers to take in from this book and from her images, which is that you too can be anything you dream of in your imagination. She states that they are pirates, cowboys etc, because in ‘Girl Pictures’ these girls aren’t just girls, they are whoever they want to be, as they are finding their true identity during their youth. She also states that they are trying on ‘boy,’ because in society standards it is more socially acceptable for boys to act in this rambunctious manor, rather than girls. This is due to gender stereotypes, which have been seen through many centuries. I feel like in this book ‘Girl Pictures’ she is trying to fight against these stereotypes of young girls, and this is an important matter to her and all other girls, because they have grown up being told what they should be or how they should behave a certain way due to their gender. She is fighting against these stereotypes, by having these young girls act in a way that is seen as more masculine and not socially acceptable for these girls.

Kurland also began dating women shortly after completing her ‘Girls’ series, working with an undercurrent of sex and female sexuality. As of 2018 she had been dating her current female partner for three years. I think that, because of her work fighting against stereotypes and researching identity, it has impacted her and also allowed her to fight stereotypes and socials norms in her own personal life and help her find her true identity.

‘Girl Pictures’ is also about finding your identity and exploring youth as ‘girls’, because during youth you do not know who you fully are yet and being able to explore every aspect of your youth, even if it does not comply with social ‘norms’ allows you get the truest sense of your identity possible. Justine Kurland presents the girls finding their identity throughout the the book, because she states and presents, ‘Cowboys, sailors, pirates, hitchhikers, hobos, train hoppers, explorers, catchers in the rye, lords of the flies- you name it, all the dominion of boys. If you wanted a place in the narrative, you had to imagine yourself inside of it.’ This quote states that the girls could be anything they wanted to be even if it was the boys ‘dominion.’

Importance of the Topic

This topic of girlhood is really important to me and all other girls, because it explores our identity and youth. The way Justine Kurland opposed social norms in this book is important for girls all over the world, especially young girls that are exploring their identity, because this may influence people to decide their own identity, instead of following social standards.

Justine Kurland also explores opposing female stereotypes, which is really important to women and girls all around the world, because this will allow and influence other women and girls to oppose these stereotypes as well, so that they can be anything they want to be, instead of just confined to a certain range of lifestyles and careers.

The importance of this topic for me during my personal study, is that I can relate to Justine Kurland’s work, as well as adding my own experience, as I have experienced girlhood and youth. This will allow to me explore my youth and see how my identity has changed through the course of my life. I really want to explore this, so that I can figure out my own identity.

Girl Pictures

Composition

Justine Kurland carefully composes all her tableaux images, as she manipulated the narrative to be whatever she desires. She manipulates the position and distance of the girls and herself, to create a good composition.

Justine Kurland borrowed ideas, concepts and compositions from old historical paintings (masters/ famous paintings). An example of her borrowing from a master is ‘Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe’ by Edouard Manet, which was created in 1862-63.

This painting includes a nude women in the foreground of the painting, who is lunching with two fully dressed men, who are in the middle ground of the painting. They also seem to be having a picnic in a woods, which is presented by the setting of the painting and the picnic basket containing fruit. This suggests they are lunching, as the title of the painting states. ‘Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe’ is French and states ‘Lunch on the grass.’ There is also a half dressed women in the background of this painting, who is washing herself/ swimming in the lake. This painting was a very scandalous back in the 1800, as public nudity was seen as vulgar and frowned upon by society. This was because nudity was a very private concept back in that time, so the models for this painting would have most likely been prostitutes, as a respectable women would not have done this, or been allowed to in this time period.

Justine Kurland borrowed the concept and the composition from this famous painting. As seen in the painting and the photograph, the settings are quite similar, as they are both scenic landscapes, which are wooded, with trees in the distance, as well as the lake in the background. She has also borrowed the nudity concept from the painting, as she has a young girl life her top in the photograph, as if she is undressing to get in the lake. She has also borrowed the composition from the this photo, as well as other visual elements. Justine Kurland has used the same layout of having the ‘nude’ girl in the foreground, with people in the middle ground, as well as more people in the background down near the lake.

Analysis of one image

The lighting used in this image is artificial lighting, because the image is taken inside. The image also has a high level of control, because it is a staged tableaux image, where the girls position, distance and location was manipulated the way Justine Kurland thought best fitted. This image is a colour image and has quite warm tones throughout out, because of the warmness of the light (not a harsh florescent light). The layout of these girls was manipulated, so that there was a foreground, middle ground, and background, which leads the viewers eye around the page from front to back. This make the girls the main viewpoint of this image.

This photograph displays ‘run away’ girls living out of public restrooms, as they are exploring their sexuality and ‘trying on boy.’ This photo is largely about fighting against stereotypes, as they are acting in a way that is seen as more masculine. These images are also about exploring identity, because in these images the girls can be anything they want and desire, from princesses to cowboys and more.

What I am taking Inspiration from

I am taking inspiration from the way Justine Kurland takes her images. She takes tableaux staged images, that look like candid shots, which is what I am going to replicate for my own personal study. She also takes pictures of young girls doing a range of activities, ranging from camping to shooting. I am also going to be taking pictures of a group of young girls (my friends) doing a range of similar activities, but I am also going to include a few different activities that are feminine according to society, because Justine Kurland only explored the girls ‘trying on boy,‘ so she only explored opposing female stereotypes. In my study I am also going to explore opposing female stereotypes, but I am also going to present female stereotypes, so I can present a larger range of identity in my study. Justine Kurland also has a distinctive outdoor settings in her images, including places such as the woods, rivers or roads, which I am also going to use for the setting of my images. However, I may take a few images inside, as a few of my youth memories were inside and I also want to explore these.

I also want to take inspiration from her carefully thought out compositions, that she took inspiration from old historical paintings. Not only do I want to replicate some of her compositions, as well as creating my own compositions to suit the setting an activities that are being done. I may also try and take inspiration from old famous historical paintings, just like she has, so that I can really stretch myself further and challenge myself. Some ideas of masters that I could recreate the composition of are below:

My first artist : Ansel Adams, Mood board

Why I chose Ansel Adams ?

I chose Ansel Adams as my first artist because he photographs the beauty of nature and life. His work looks at high contrast black and white images of the American west specifically showcasing the natural beauty of trees. His tree photographs almost give a new life to the images and show the trees in a different light making them look much more appealing than how they looked before they were edited to be high resolution black and white images.

Ansel Adams Photography

Ansel Adams photography is of lots of living nature such as trees and flowers and the beauty of life which contrasts against my theme for my book which was about one of my grandparents life. I chose to combine these two themes because I wanted to get images of the nature and plants and put them with pictures of my grandads life to show how precious his life was and to celebrate his life. The bright white in this image of a flower shows the purity and preciousness of the flower and almost shows how special and sacred the flower is.

What inspired Ansel Adams ?

Ansel Adams was strongly influenced by Alfred Stieglitz whom he met in 1933 at an American Place gallery in New York City. He was given his first camera at 14 during his first visit to Yosemite national park where he discovered his love for nature and how to show the purity of inanimate objects.

Photoshoot plan

I’m going to take images of flowers up close and then trees from far away. In photoshop I’m going to change the images to black and white and increase the whites in the images to make them appear very clean, pure and positive compared to the dark blacks in the images which makes them come across as very dull and negative.

Artist Study 2 : Mark Forbes

What kind of photography does Mark Forbes do?

Mark Forbes collects memories that are important to him it might be a building like a house or a specific place he always went as a child or a specific restaurant that my hold certain memories for him. Mark Forbes also took images of places where important people in his life would be or where their favourite place to sit was inside the house.

What inspired Mark Forbes?

Mark Forbes approach came from an underlying fascination with people and their interaction with the environment. He has an uncanny knack of capturing the layers of beauty that exist everywhere around us.

Mark Forbes Image Analysis

I chose this image because it looks like a waiting room and has an old persons shopping bag in the middle of the room suggesting that this is a memory from someone elderly that was important to him. The Colour in this image shows bright and vibrant colours with the blue on the wall and the light browns on the seats and the shopper. This makes me think that it was a happy memory for him and the place was meaningful.

What kind of photos did Mark Forbes take for hid projects?

Mark Forbes is best known for his contemplative and atmospheric documentary photography of street scenes, urban landscapes and structures.

What was Mark Forbes photography for?

Mark Forbes photography was done for people who wanted personal documentary photo shoots which used predominantly traditional medium format cameras.

Handmade lenses

Gernhardt created her own handmade lenses as she found standard lenses felt wrong. She created these lenses out of various different materials, such as toy kaleidoscopes, prisms, pieces of scratched plastic, fluid colours, and handmade tools which create reflections and mirroring. Her proper journey in photography began when she first created these lenses, she enjoys using these handmade lenses as it creates a surreal look to her images. However around 12 years ago she discovered Lensbaby Muse, which she found to be life changing in her photography. She then began to combine her handmade tools with her Lensbaby Muse, she then later found that she didn’t need to use her old handmade tools and that the Muse was perfect for her photography.

Witchcraft in Photography

Simone Gernhardt was inspired to create this project by her love for halloween time, as she says “Although I almost never dress up for Halloween myself, I absolutely love this time of the year. The days are getting darker, the colors outside are moody & dull, and for me it is the best time to walk through beautiful, dark forests.” Her photoshoot for this project was done in a dark woodland area, one of her interests. She says that during Halloween time forests remind her of witches and witchcraft, as well as their bond to nature that surrounds them. She took these images in a forest located near her home on Halloween.

“…she is floating, leaving her body…. transforming the reality around her.” – Simone Gernhardt

Gernhardt’s model fulfilled her ideas for this photoshoot as the model reflects a natural, earthbound look of witches, according to the photographer. Her camera lens created a surreal look without using too much makeup and just using a standard halloween costume. After taking the photos she goes in with Edge 35 to add a blurriness to the images to make them appear more spooky.

What I want to explore:

My intention is to explore the major social issues within gender, specifically women. I want to explore the themes of misogyny and stereotypes mainly, but also patriarchy, expectations of women and power dynamics while executing the female gaze. I want to execute the change of stereotypes throughout the years and the growth through each factor of the feminism waves.

Why it matters to me:

I would say, this topic matters to me because I realise as a female that women like Cindy Sherman and Nan Goldin portrayed the social issues within gender in the 1970’s but Sherman was portraying the traditional stereotype in the 1950’s. This is important to me because, although stereotypes have changed in a way, women are still expected to be a certain way even in the 21st century. This subject matters to me as there is still a significant power dynamics within gender. Women feel the pressure a lot more than men within beauty standards, and feeling the need to be a service to men still to this day, especially including the change in beauty expectations throughout the years.

How I wish to develop your project:

I wish to develop my project by taking images fitting the traditional stereotype similar to Cindy Sherman in the kitchen and other traditional settings. For example, I plan to take images of a female dressed up for the man meanwhile doing household work for the man. Within Cindy Sherman’s images she uses the female gaze which is a very important element that sticks out to me. This is because the ‘ female gaze’ adds a slight sexual and objectification element to her images which is to present the representations of a woman. To emphasize this, she uses a heavy amount of eye makeup so it cannot be missed. Sherman focuses on to ‘ Deconstruct a woman’. Sherman’s objective really stood out to me as she is attempting to deconstruct and portray how woman really felt in the 50’s. Not only this, posing is a very important factor such as possibly doing poses to show an element of motherhood and nurturing which is a typical stereotype of women. To develop my project, I will also be purposely setting up props such as kitchenware to emphasize my images like Sherman. However, I also plan to take images next to a book shelf like Sherman as this links to the second wave feminism as women were not seen to be educated. Instead they were only seen to be a nurturing mother and look after the household. Overall, in my opinion setting is almost the most important factor and will be very thought through as I personally believe it is what makes the image understandable. I plan to successfully execute this through using props etc and placing them in the correct areas to make the image the most interesting and eye catching.

Which form I wish to present your study (photobook, film, prints etc)

I wish to present my study in a photobook, I think this will suit my project best as I want to present the different types of traditional stereotypes in different settings, clothing etc which I can execute as my images are purposely suppose to look planned and thought out, rather than natural. This takes the sense of reality away which is what I aim to do so. In my photobook, I wish to show the different stereotypes throughout the years. My first set of images would start around the 1950’s and end in modern days around this century. This would mean I would be able to show the growth in stereotypes women face which is relevant as second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in the early 1960s and lasted roughly two decades, ending with the feminist sex wars in the early 1980s and being replaced by third-wave feminism in the early 1990s. Therefore, the traditional ‘housewife’ stereotype has significantly changed throughout the years yet there are still expectations. This stands out to me and I wish to show this change successfully as you turn the pages.

When and where you intend to begin your study?

1st wave-

I aim to begin this study this week in my household or in a library. This is to purposely signify the 1st wave of feminism which was the suffrage movement aiming for voting and equal rights. I aim to take some images of the subject picking out a book from a bookshelf, portraying the female gaze. The reason this is my idea I wish to execute is because this makes me think of women gaining the rights of education and voting. This links to the Cindy Sherman concept of ‘ Deconstructing a woman’ as it was a typical stereotype that women should not be educated, and were only needed for motherhood and for the male in the looked after household. This is the starting point as this was in the late 19th century to early 20th century. The first ever movement females had gained. The female gaze is suppose to add a significant photography feature as the purpose of the ‘female gaze’ becomes to connect with the female viewer via the female creator, coming together in a way that serves them, and upholding the idea that women are powerful and can control their own destiny. That is why one of the most notable differences between the male and the female gaze is intent. First-wave feminists argued that women were only “inferior” because of their inferior education. If they were educated at the same level and to the same standards as men, they would be able to exercise their reason at the same level as well, and would hence deserve to be treated as full equals by the law. This is why I think my images will be relevant to this timeline.

2nd wave–

My objective within the second wave is to take images in my kitchen, with the subject female dressed up for the male in the ‘household’. This is because this portrays a factor of the power dynamics within gender. Because of this, I aim to portray the ‘traditional housewife’ as this stereotype began in the 2nd wave. To do this successfully, I aim to have my subject in the kitchen doing chores, such as cleaning and cooking. Things to emphasize this could be the subject in an apron, hair rollers, heels and a significant amount of makeup to portray the female gaze. Another factor that I was inspired by was Cindy Sherman’s posing such as her arm around her lower tummy. This signifies the nurturing mother stereotype as well.

3rd wave–

My objective within this photoshoot is too take images of a women of colour with more freedom such as in a club, party etc. This is because I was also inspired by Nan Goldin’s work which she still portrays an element of feminism yet a lot of her work is not entirely focused on it. She has this famous image in a nightclub during the 80’s.

Therefore, I will take images of a woman of colour potentially drinking or at a free place because it represents the growth in equality within woman. I hope to keep the subject formal and feminine such as dressing her such as a long dress and potentially heels and heavy makeup meanwhile maintaining the theme of the female gaze. The third wave of feminism, which began in the mid-1990s, is generally regarded as more inclusive of women of colour than previous waves and is credited with bringing the notion of intersectionality to the forefront of mainstream feminist activism. The third wave broadened the agenda of women of colour so I am to merge Cindy Sherman’s and Nan Goldin’s work to make my own pieces.

4th wave–

Within this photoshoot, my main aim is to take images of a female looking at the expectations within social media or comparing herself to social media in the mirror. I am inspired by Cindy Sherman in these images

I think these photos have such an impactful message which I am mine to do so too. I aim to take images mainly in a mirror of a woman doing ‘stereotypical’ things such as makeup and crying as a women are seen as sensitive. However, at the same time I aim to show the impact of social media and although it signifies the freedom and equality rights of women, it has a very impact of teenagers and even women. This will be aimed for 2010’s to 2024 which is the present. Not only this, I will make my subject to dress up to still show the feminine side and how the dressing up from the man in the household has switched to social media. I think this will successfully show the growth and impact of feminism and I aim to put it in order in my book to emphasize it. All my images I am to be mirrors and staged as I think this will suit my ideas the best.

What I want to explore:

Within my personal study, my main themes are femininity and youth. I want to explore these themes because feminism is a movement to put an end to sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression and to achieve full gender equality in law and in practice. I feel passionately about the role of women and how society has shaped stereotypes surrounding them, as well as looking into how women have overcome these stereotypes since the 1950s. In addition, I chose youth as one of my main themes because youthhood is the time in our lives that teaches us how to make decisions and start making reasonable choices. This is an element that I relate to as I am currently in my teenage years and learning how to make important decisions for my future, therefore this topic is something I can apply my own experiences to which will give my work a more realistic approach. From my artist inspiration I gathered that Kurland depicts a dream landscape, and a world where even imaginations of resistance are misshapen by white supremacy. These two themes also link to women stereotypes and gender roles, which are two other specific topics I will be diving into. The main issue I will be researching is women stereotypes, where I have looked at Cindy Sherman as well as Justine Kurland. Sherman is a photographer who probed the construction of identity, playing with the visual and cultural codes of art, celebrity and gender. I took inspiration from these two artists specifically because I feel that they take their own unique approach to the social issues and portray their work in contrasting ways.

Why it matters to me:

“Your identity plays an important role in how you treat others and how you carry yourself in the world.”

The major issue of adolescence and emerging adulthood is identity construction. This proceeds from a sentiment of identity that develops over time through interaction with important others in diverse contexts. However, this anticipated identity must still be completed, transformed, and developed. Identity construction is not “monolithic.” First, it can fluctuate significantly from one domain of life to another. Thus, the notion of “achieved identity” appears to be challenged. Second, processes mobilized in the construction of identity appear much more complex than a certain combination of exploration and commitment.

How I wish to develop my project:

Which form I wish to present my study as:

Where and when I intend to begin my study: