Starburst

PRESENTATION OF ART- ANALYSIS WORKSHEET

1. General Description of the Show

Starburst: Color Photography in America 1970-1980


A. The artists' name(s): This show was a compilation of multiple artists including Nan Goldin, Stephan Shore, Gary Winogrand, Cindy Sherman, Joel Meyerowitz, William Eggleston, Mitch Epstein, and Helen Levitt.

B. How many pieces are in the show: Each artists series of images ranged in size. Some artists such as Cindy Sherman only had one piece in the exhibit. Other artists had numerous images in the show.

C. Describe the location/context of the exhibition space: The show was set up in the Special Exhibition section on the 2nd floor of the Cincinnati Art Museum. Images were displayed on the walls and dividers throughout the space. You can see in the below image that the special exhibit section in at the very top:



D. Describe your perceptions on the content or idea behind the work:
After spending some time examining all the images that this show encompasses my perception of the idea behind the show is that is seems to be a pictorial journey though a period of time as well as through the development of color photography during the 70s and 80s.

2. Give Detailed Descriptions of the Following:

A. The method of presentation of artwork (media of artwork, size of artwork, and how it is presented- frames, mats, pushpins, pedestals, etc). The images shown are a very wide variety of sizes ranging from two inches by two inches all the way up to 3feet by 4 feet. The majority of the images are matted with white mats and framed in very simple off white or black frames. Some are hung directly on the walls while other are placed on shelf’s that line the walls. Types of prints include: Chomogenic prints, dye transfer prints, offset lithography on a magazine page Cibachrome prints, polaroids, inkjet prints, pigment print and ektacolor print. There is also one set of images that is shown on a looping projector that is projected onto the wall, as well as one instillation video pieces shown on a TV.

B. The nature of the exhibition space (size, shape, ceiling height, formal, informal, etc.) The exhibit is set up in an almost maze like format with dividers causing you to wind through the show in a very pre determined way. The ceilings are a slightly higher then normal height, the walls are white, and the floors are wood.


C. The type and nature of the lighting in the exhibition space. The room is very brightly lit with warm overhead lighting. There are rows of track lights that line the walls where work in hung but not individual spotlights for each piece.

D. The relationship of the art pieces to each other (physical and thematic). The works in this show are very much thematically related. While is possesses its own unique subject matter that may physically related to the others in its series each work as a whole carries the same theme as the others in the exhibit.

E. Other external factors (noise level, air currents, number of people in the space, etc.) The area is slightly crowded and warm with a good amount of foot traffic and ambient noise. Other than a small amount of chatter and the scuffle of feet on the floor you can also hear the instillation piece as well as the clicking of the projected piece as it moves from one image to the next.

3. How the Presentation Method Affects the Art (use the back, if necessary)
If you feel that the method used to present the work supports and enhances its meaning to the viewer, clarify the criteria upon which you are basing this opinion.If you feel that the method used to present the work detracts from and weakens its meaning to the viewer, clarify the criteria upon which you are basing this opinion. I believe the method used to present the work was very effective in supporting and enhancing the concept to the viewer. The way you had to go on a journey through the maze of images only helped to further push the concept of the images because a specific period of time. The way the images were framed helped to further show the images as a cohesive pieces and I enjoyed taking my time looking at each individually and then thinking about them as a whole later on.

Chewing Color

General Description of the Show

"Chewing Color"

A. The artists' name(s): Marilyn Minter

B. How many pieces are in the show: Ten pieces, altogether.

C. Describe the location/context of the exhibition space: Minter’s show was displayed on the 4th floor of Contemporary Art Center in Downtown Cincinnati. The video project, paintings, and one photograph were displayed in one large room right when you enter the 4th floor gallery. Photographs are then hung down a hallway and also in a smaller room at the end of that hallway.

D. Describe your perceptions on the content or idea behind the work: After taking some time to examine each piece of Minter’s work my perceptions are that her work is a commentary on the ugliness of glamour and beauty in today’s society. All of her images as well as her video piece depict very brightly colored, glittery, shiny, subject matter juxtaposed with very gritty, raw, almost grotesque aspects.


2. Give Detailed Descriptions of the Following:

A. The method of presentation of artwork (media of artwork, size of artwork, and how it is presented- frames, mats, pushpins, pedestals, etc.) This exhibit includes one very large projected video that almost completely encompasses a 60ft wide white wall. Two large (one 76 x 114 and the other 96 x 60), and one smaller painting (24 x 24) all three enamel on mental mounted on the wall with no framing. And lastly 6 photographs (four 40 x 30, one 30 x 40, and one 86 x 60) all simply printed on photographic paper, allowing the viewer to see the rough edge of the negative and hung loosely on the wall with a large black paper clip at each corner.

B. The nature of the exhibition space (size, shape, ceiling height, formal, informal, etc.) The show is set up in a large room with high ceilings, which allows for the pieces to be spread out throughout the area with lots of white space in between each one. In the diagram below the lighter gray area is the space in which Minter’s show was set up:




C. The type and nature of the lighting in the exhibition space: Very low lighting. Spotlights were used to highlight each piece with a few overhead lights here and there. A small amount of natural light was also coming through the door that leads to the staircase.

D. The relationship of the art pieces to each other (physical and thematic). All of the pieces in Minter’s show are connected by their theme of the beautiful vs. the grotesque.

E. Other external factors (noise level, air currents, number of people in the space, etc.) The video has a looping soundtrack that can be heard throughout exhibit, other then this there is very little ambient sound. One noise I did notice to be very prevalent was footsteps. The air was very calm and cool and there were only a handful of people there at any given point in time.

3. How the Presentation Method Affects the Art (use the back, if necessary)
If you feel that the method used to present the work supports and enhances its meaning to the viewer, clarify the criteria upon which you are basing this opinion. If you feel that the method used to present the work detracts from and weakens its meaning to the viewer, clarify the criteria upon which you are basing this opinion.

I believe the method used to present the work was very effective in supporting and enhancing Minter’s concept to the viewer. The bare raw nature of the space the show was exhibited in only helps to focus the viewers attention. There are no lights, sounds, or images to distract the viewer from what they are supposed to be looking at and interpreting and because of this I think it makes Minter’s message much easier to interpret.

Continued Daily Shooting

Today i went out shooting and it went ok. I think with each experience i am getting a little closer to where i want to be. Here are some examples of what i came back with this time:




I think my next step is going to be to do some work in photoshop to see if i can push my idea a little further that way.

Robert Bengston

While looking into artist who used the art of depth of field i came across the work of Robert Bengston. Although his work may be a bit more commercial then what i intend to do i can still appreciate what he chooses in include and not include in his images. I really enjoy his shooting style and it is definitely something i will keep in mind while shooting. I cannot get the images off of his webpage to show as examples but his site is:

http://www.theartofdetail.com/gallery_dwellings.php?id=Ross

02/23/10 Shooting

Today i went out shooting again. I didn't come back with very much but i have realized that i really think the key to my success is going to be the amount i shoot. I am going to try to shoot at least a little bit everyday from now on. Even if it is only just 10 - 15 minutes a day i think a drastic increase is going to help achieve the results i am looking for.

Here is an one of the images i took today:



I don't think the subject matter in the images i have shot the last two times is exactly what i am going for, but i think shooting the way i am is a really good exercise to get me out of the funk i have been in so far. I plan to do a lot of shooting this weekend so i am hoping to be a little further on track after that.

02/19/10 Shooting

While i still didn't shoot anything i am happy with i could definitely tell i was shooting with a new attitude and i am somewhat optimistic it is going to take me in the right direction. Instead of just looking for details that i thought were "pretty" i would trying very hard to look for details that were not only interestingly beautiful but also stuck out amongst their surroundings. I wanted to pick things that i needed to use my camera functions correctly in order to highlight for the viewer and i although i still haven't quite gotten it i do think i am at least in the right mindset now. I think i just really need to increase the amount i am shooting and hopefully my success will increase as well.

Here is an example of what i shot:

Focusing

Once again i hit a wall. I am tired of feeling like i am taking the images i am because of what others are telling me in my critiques as opposed to what i am actually looking for. Every time i do this i go shot and come back with a bunch of images that i hate and feel no connection to because i am not doing them for me. I think i have finally come to the realization that just because i haven't quite gotten what i want to out of the images i am producing it doesn't mean i need to completely revamp my concept. I like my concept, i want to sick with my concept. I am curious about the details in the objects that surround me on a day to day basis. I want to explore them and look at them in new ways. I enjoy pointing out the beautiful details on objects that people might consider "ugly" or "boring" and using my camera to show them in a new and interesting and beautiful way. Thanks to both David and Janie i can now see that i am simply not accurately showing the viewer this. My passion for this ideas needs to come across to the viewer and at this point i'm not quite pushing it far enough to do so. Because i am using very short depth of field i have now come to realize that what is in focus need to be the most important thing and the images, shapes, forms etc that surround that tiny bit of clear information all needs to work to support it. I need to start being more aware on my picture frame and examine every aspect of what i am capturing and how i am doing so.

Today i spent some time looking at the images of both Keith Carter and Terri Weifenbach and i think it helped me a lot to see that my concept can be solid, i just need to get it to that point by pushing it a little further, being keenly aware or my surroundings to find these simply subtle beautiful details and being a little more aware of exactly what i am and am not including in my images.

Here are some of the images from Carter that i found most intriguing:


"Nine Moons"


"Lemon Moon"


"Black Eye and Moon"

I think is imagery is stunning and i can really see from these images the amount of decision making that went into deciding what would be included, what would not, what would be in focus, what would be blurred, and where things fell in the images space. The only thing that was hard for me to relate to was the fact that they were shot in black and white. In this regard Weifenbach's images really helped me to get a good grasp on how to effectively use all the above mentioned techniques while ALSO being aware of the color.

Here are some of Weifenbach's images that i founds most intriguing:


"XIII"


"Secret 2"


"Secret 26"

The vivid colors that she uses in her images only helps to further focus the viewers attention on exactly what she wants them to see. I think these to artists are the most helpful when it comes to having something to strive for and i know if i just keep trying i will arrive at the standard i have set for myself. I am going to shoot more and while it is hard for me to say that i am excited due to the way things have been going thus far and can say that i am really trying my hardest to be optimistic about it.

Diego Samper and Valeria Fuqua

While trying to further research the idea of representing the ideas of masculinity and femininity through non representational photographs i came across an artist named Diego Samper. Although he is an artist who uses a wide variety of mediums among his collection is a a photographic collection entitles "Earth Exhibition". When looking at the images in this collection there were a couple that immediately popped out at me as being feminine in appearance. This one in particular:



"Untitled"

Source: http://www.diegosamper.com/earthEx.html

While Samper's were show a much more literal depiction of feminine symbolism i found it very helpful to see the types of images that catch my eye s being feminine


In the opposite sence when looking at more masculine imagery i found mostly very rough, industrial looking images. For example i came across the artist Valerie Fuqua's image "Heavy Metal in Gray":




Source: http://fineartamerica.com/photographs/tag/military

Again while neither artist is working in the exact way i would like to, it is interesting to see the types of imagery that are connected to the idea of male and female.

New Concept

After sleeping on the new idea i expressed in my previous I feel as though i have come up with clearer concept and a cohesive direction to take my images in. I would like to use the lines, shapes, colors, and textures in my images to express the feeling or idea of either masculinity or femininity just as i had previously stated. However i believe that this idea interests me the most because i will be depicting these ideas through everyday objects that don't normally convey either feeling: For example (not that i will necessarily do this) a chair. By doing this i wany to express that people, just the same as my objects don't necessarily fit within one specific gender role (at least not the ones that our society has so clearly defined. Once again i feel as though i have the beginnings of an idea that will help to push my idea a little further, and i look forward to seeing how my images come out when i shoot this Tuesday with this idea in mind.

Thesis Meeting

After my thesis meeting today i am feeling slightly frustrated and a little overwhelmed. I feel like i a teetering on the edge of what i want my concept to be but I'm still not quite there. I know i need to push it a little further but i am just not sure what direction to go in. I feel like the idea and the images i am coming up with are still stuck in the realm of intermediate photography and i am just struggling to bring it into the advanced state i know that i need to get to. There are a couple different ideas that i am currently toying with as far as the direction i would like my images to go in for my next critique that i think might get me a little closer to where i want to be. One is the concept of masculinity vs. femininity. On more than one occasion these types of categorizing words were brought up pertaining to the feeling or idea that my images portray. For example today during my thesis meeting i had two rows of images: My initial images from my first shooting session on top and the images i most recently shot at the Krohn Conservatory on the bottom. When placed in this fashion they depicted a somewhat apparent juxtapositions of feminine and masculine non representational imagery. One idea that i got from this was the idea of finding and representing abstractly both the masculine features and feminine features in an object that isn't normally associated with either gender. In some ways Joseph Kosuth's "One and Three Chairs" is a good illustration of the type of thought process behind this idea.



source: http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/irvinem/CCT510/Statement-Representation-Reference-Sign.html


He is taking a well known, very recognizable item and exploring and depicting it in three different ways. I would also like to start with a very well known recognizable way and the explore it's lines, shapes, textures, and volumes and then be able to convey those things in two different ways that cause the viewer to see a hard masculine side, and a soft feminine side in a completely non representational form. I think that going in this direction may help make my idea a little more cohesive while still allowing me to strive to accomplish my original goal which was to make the function of the objects in my images to become unrecognizable

Midterm Critique

After my mid term critique i am excited to get back out shooting. Although all of the images i showed at my critique had a very organic floral feel (because i shot at the Krohn Conservatory ) that isn't the feeling that i want my entire series so i have spent some time thinking of other locations that would have a complete different array of subject matter. The next place i am going to shoot is a scrap/junk yard. I think this location will have a lot more inorganic subject matter with sharp lines, rough surfaces, and defined edges which will help to get away from the organic feeling that my last set of images give off.

Another aspect that my critique has lead me to focus on more is the use of color in my images. Although color is not the driving force or idea behind my images, because i am shooting in color as opposed to black and white it is important for me to pay attention to my use of color in general. In order to get a better idea of, as well as inspiration for how, to use use color in my images i spent some time looking at some other photographers who have developed amazing skill when it comes to their use of color. Below are some examples of the images that i studied:

Pete Turner:







Terri Weifenbach:

Although Weifenbach's images were also very unique and very effectively used color i am unable to display his images because of they way they are set up on the site i was at. The site i saw the images is:

href="http://http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=T89&resnum=0&q=terri+weifenbach&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=E-RuS8GJDZzk8AaRy62sBQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CCUQsAQwAw">

Visual Research Project #3

Because this project yielded the creation of so many unique ways of presenting our work i think it was by far the most informative. It really gave everyone a chance to try something new, see how far they could push it, how far was too far, and get and give feed back about what was working and what was not. There are limitless ways to present your work and it was really nice to get to see such a wide variety. When it came to the non traditional framing i don't think there were two images framed in the same manner. It was also really interesting to get to see how two different images can work so differently with the same exact color of matt paper behind it. It was just one more thing to think about when it comes to the final presentation of your work and how what you surround your image with can also drastically change the meaning and the message that the viewer gets from it. The single most important thing I learned from this latest Visual Research exercise is not to go to far when it comes to you framing. By cutting my images into individual squares i completely changed my image to the point where the pieces didn't work cohesively together. While this is definitely an extreme i think it is important to keep in mind that you do not want how you are displaying your images to overshadow the actual image and detract from what you want the viewer to see.

Jennifer Martin

While doing some research on the internet to find some inspirtation for my thesis i came across the photographer Jennifer Martin. She describes her work as, "abstract nonrepresentational photographs, comfortable in their ambiguity". I believe this sentence really speaks to my own work as well. Here are some examples of her work:





While the subjects in her work are not quite as unrecognizable as i am striving for mine to be i can definitely appreciate the idea behind her work and it is my goal to push that concept a little further.

Source: www.jennifermartinphotography.com

Visual Research Project #2

While i do think they was a good exercise to get everyone thinking, i think it was pretty obvious that the consensus in class was that for the most part generic boarder look tacky. In my opinion it is very hard to make an image that doesn't originally natural posses some type of boarder, add a border and have it not turn out looking tacky or kitschy. The single most important thing I learned from this latest Visual Research exercise is that not all boarders are lines that directly follow the outside of the image. When it was brought up that a vignette was a type of boarder it really opened my mind to other possible forms or boarder that are not so generic looking. However i do think that for the most part, at least of what i saw from my own work and the rest of the class, it is hard to ass a tasteful boarder that doesn't distract from the image.

More Shooting

Today i set out to shoot with the intent of experimenting with the focus of my camera. I did all of my shooting using a magnifying lens cover and set my camera to the manual setting as well as manual focus. While i still did not come up with anything that i am completely blown away by i think that i am one step closer to producing some images that will represent what i am trying to depict and there are a couple that I am really happy with. Here are some examples of what i came up with this time.







I think the key to my success if definitely going to be the number of images i produce. The more i shoot the more i realize what exactly it is i am striving for and in turn i am able to produce more satisfactory images. I am spending the day this coming friday shooting again so i can't wait to see what i come up with then.

Visual Research Project #1

It was really interesting to see my work on different types of paper. Experimenting with different types of paper isn't something i have a lot of experience with and it was truly informative to see how each type effected my image it its own way. I have never been one to like glossy photo paper and have, for most of my college career, done what i can to avoid it. However, in the image that i printed out for this exercise i enjoyed the range of colors that the glossy paper was able to display. I was also very intrigued by what using a textured paper did to my image, making it much more painterly in appearance. I definitely need to take all of these things into account when deciding how to print my final series, and without having done this project i don't know if i would have been thinking about that soon enough. The single most important thing I learned from this latest Visual Research exercise is to be aware of things outside of just my shooting and photoshop that can completely change the meaning of your images and the feelings that are evoked from them.

Carl Chiarenza

I spent some time this afternoon looking for inspiration for my topic in the work of photographer who have experimented with this idea. Janie recommended that i look at the site www.luminous-lint.com to see the work of other artists who have worked with the concept of unrecognizable subject matter. While clicking through multiple artists i came across the work of Carl Chiarenza. While his more abstract work was photographs of his own collage work there were certain aspects of it that, especially after our first WIP critique, i felt pertained to the next step i would like to take with my own work. After discussing my work with the group it was obvious that i needed to do more experimentation. Experimentation with depth of field, light, distortion, post shoot manipulation, and much much more. Below are some of Chiarenza's images that i believe show this type of experimentation.


Chelsea Junkcar
1961-1964 (ca)

This image has a beautiful and intriguing depth of field. It pulls your eye into the image and directs it throughout the entire image all the while being completely ambiguous to what exactly you are looking at.


West End, Boston (bat window),
1958

This image, while a little more obvious as to what the subject matter is, show the importance and impact of negative space and light. Although i was able to determine what the form in the image was the angle and way it was shot at such a short distance from the actual object definitely helped to distort it.


This image was untitled and had not artist information. It was simply stated as a homage to Chiarenza.

This image i think definitely expressed the importance and usefulness of light in photographs. In this image i believe it creates a sense of depth in a relatively flat space and i think that will be very important for me to experiment with.

First shooting experience

During this Tuesday's workday i experienced my first day of shooting with my new topic finally solidified in my mind. For the first time in a while i feel like i have broken out of my funk and i am ready, excited, and determined to start experimenting. While this shooting session my not have been extremely successful as far a ending up with images that i was happy with, i think it was very informative and helpful to show me very basic things that worked (or that could work eventually with a little more experimentation) and things that did not work. Where as with my old topic when i came up with something that didn't work i felt stuck at a dead end, this topic is allowing me to learn from techniques that might not work so well and tailor them to be more appropriate to what i am trying to depict. The major problem that i ran into with this set of images was that although i came up with some images that really popped, were visually appealing, and esthetically pleasing the objects within them were still somewhat identifiable. I need to find ways to come up with the same attention getting images while also finding a way to completely abstract the subject matter. Although i do feel like this will present somewhat of a challenge i am definitely excited and ready to dive in.

Below are a selection of images that i shot during this session:







Again while i was happy about the framing and depth of field in these images i don't think that most of them reach the level of abstraction i am going for.

Thesis Synopsis

The beginning of my thesis project has already been quite a roller coaster ride. During my first quarter of research I started off on a project that I began to realize would not only fall outside my financial means but also require much more time then simply two more quarters of school. Because I was excited about the project initially it unfortunately took me until the end of the first quarter to admit this to myself and thus I am now practically back a square one. Over winter break I was able to spend a little more time shooting freely, which I believed helped me to see more clearly what my new path will be. I started off shooting colors. That was it. Plain and simple. I wanted to show the viewer the multitude of color that surround us on a day to day basis that we often times overlook because it is always present. Through the shooting I did for this idea I began to realize that the images I found most interesting were the ones that completely abstracted the object I was shooting making it hard for the viewer to recognize not only the function of the object but even as far as making the object itself unrecognizable. I began then, to connect my fascination with these images to the fascination I have with photography's place in the Fine Art world in general. Coming from a background of practically zero Fine Art classes and rather one of specifically photography classes, my transition into art school was in some senses a slap in the face. To me photography was always something that represented the "real" and showed you what your eye would see if you were there in that exact moment. Coming into art school I began to realize the many different ways the camera can be used and that it doesn't always have to show you an exact replication of a person, place, or thing. It is this idea that I plan on examining through my thesis project. I would like to shoot images that not only make the function of the subject and the object itself unrecognizable but also images that might make the end result unrecognizable as a photograph. Because my new idea has completely shifted and has 100% nothing to do with what I spent last quarter shooting I will have to start my research from scratch. I plan to first spend time researching the work of other artist both photographers and painters, and arts who use other mediums and choose to work by abstracting their images. I also plan on doing a lot of reading about photography’s place in the Fine Art world, how it fits, how it doesn’t, criticisms against it, and arguments for it. Shooting a lot of images will be another form of research that I will need to concentrate on heavily, as I am pretty much a full quarter behind as of now.
While the pictures below are not an exact representation of the kinds of images I would like to produce they are the ones that caught my eye while taking my initial "color" photos and i think they best exemplify the direction i would like to go in.