Reading for Thursday, September 9: Revised and Remade, Part II
From the entire reading, which artist, in your opinion, has the best concept? Why?
From the entire reading, which artist, in your opinion, has the most visually compelling project? Why? From the entire reading, which artist's work do you like the least, and why?
As stated in the article, "as soon as the first photographs were made, all photographic practice thereafter was created and understood in comparison with earlier images." The artists featured in this article all have taken an idea. photo or belief and replicated it into some type of photograph. In my opinion, Sherman's Untitled Stills are the most interesting and visually appealing. At first glance her works are simply portraits however, if a spectator looks closer at her props, details and clothing used, it is clear that images signify how the movies and hollywood successfully molded the image of a perfect female. Additionally, I really enjoy that fact that she is the subject and the creator. Without a doubt, Vibeke Tandberg, has the best concept. What she does in her images is a bit strange yet, I find her theory quite interesting. I do believe that every artist becomes apart of their work in some way. The artist that I am least fond of is Richard Prince. Anyone can do what he did. Yet his images are effective. His Marlboro ads prove that advertising is and always will be a part of our consumer world.
In my opinion the best concept and most visually compelling project is Cornelia Parker's Avoided Objects series. I am particularly interested in this series because it takes thought from the viewer to understand what they are looking at. The fact that Parker uses microphotography is what makes this series so captivating. While it would be interesting to see a photograph of a record of Hitler's, the relationship between the art and the observer becomes much more intimate when they can see the individual scratches on the record.
The work that I liked the least was the compilation of John Divola. It may just be that the image shown in the reading seemed boring to me but I think the concept described in the reading could be interesting if more visually stimulating scenes are available.
When reading the article Revived and Remade we are presented with many different concepts that try and convey a connection to something else. One of the concepts that I found compelling was Vera Lutter’s camera obscura photograph. Having never seen the original work, it is hard to imagine just how big the image is of the plane at the airport, but based on our experiments with the camera obscura it must be huge. I think taking the camera back to its simplest form, while still producing incredible images really pays respect to the evolution of photography and the photographer. When examining the photos from a visual standpoint John Divola’s photograph of old Hollywood film sets seem to standout in a way different from the other works in the book. Much like Cindy Sherman, Divola’s showcases perfection, in the standpoint of lighting, prop placement, and general cleanliness. When looking at his picture and seeing everything meticulously perfect it seems to reinforce the idea of just how fake Hollywood is. Oftentimes perfection can be an ideal that people try and reach but in my opinion Divola’s work has an eerie feel to it, and makes you want to avoid that absolute perfection. In the reading, my least liked artist was Marketa Othova and her picture of a room in a villa. Although I have not seen the entire series, the picture in the reading looks absolutely ordinary and to me reveals no real context at all. When reading about what she was trying to accomplish it certainly seems interesting, but I don’t find that it comes out in the work.
After reading the second part of the article, I would still stand by my choice in saying that Cindy Sherman is my favorite artist and the artist who has the best concept. There is something about recreating a scene from a movie that brings about significant discussion. The photographs of movie stills can be viewed with or without knowledge of the original scene, and this is what creates a dialogue and discussion for the style and approach of Sherman’s work. One viewer may compare her composition and portrayal to the film and another viewer may just see her photograph as a completely new and foreign idea. She is influenced by other sources, but she also influences debate about representation and character depiction.
The artist whose work I think is visually compelling and eye-catching is Joachim Schmid. In a way Schmid is not creating his own image, because he works with discarded photographs. However, the way he presents these photographs creates a new style of photography—instead of the act of taking photos, he utilizes what someone else once rejected and gives it new meaning. Visually, looking a ripped photograph that has been pieced together, invokes a sense of curiosity for the viewer. We see Schmid’s work and wonder, why did he want to tell the story of this photo? We question why someone else would damage and discard the photo in the first place. Overall, Schmid’s approach to revising and remaking is quite unique, and demonstrates his curiosity for understanding the photography and intent of others.
The work that I liked the least is that of Thomas Ruff, because I feel that his use of pornographic images is not done in such a way that re-presents it to a viewer with a fresh eye. His project aims to separate the actions occurring in the image with the connotation that people usually associated with porn, but I don’t understand his thinking about “idealization” of a subject. The concept of idealizing a subject makes me think of romanticizing the composition or character of the photo’s subject, but I feel that Ruff’s images are far from romanticized and I am not totally convinced of his perspective.
Throughout the entire reading I am still a fan of Cindy Sherman's concept. Women do play a certain role, and she makes it obvious that it isn't always who the woman actually is, and that they are playing a part. It is staged. I like that she over does it in some instances too with heavy makeup which makes fun of it in a way and brings attention to viewers just how ridiculous certain roles may be. Because she is not only the photographer but is the object too, focuses the attention on the viewer. Who are the women putting on the show for? Acting for? I think it is great that she raised these questions and brought this issue to attention because some women who are playing these roles without even realizing it.
Joan Fontcuberta has very visually compelling photos of the landscapes on page 202. They are visually pleasing to me. I also like ALexandra Mir's concepts of making fun of stereotypes such as the "air stewardesses and wives of astronauts waving off their spouses, a cheerful version of the performance art of the late 1960s."
I wouldn't say that I like any the least. They are all intriguing in different ways.
After finishing the reading, I still like Yasumasa Morimura the best.The topic if identity and women is very interesting to me.
Cornelia Parker was definitely another interesting artist though.Some of the work in her series make you sit and think about what it possibly is (like the "Grooves in a Record that belonged to Hitler." If we aren't told that, we would not have known.
To me, people make very interesting subjects because there are so many interesting and hidden meanings.
I can't say that I liked an artist the least because they are all so different.
I think Cindy Sherman has the most conceptually pleasing images because she has taken film still, fashion photography, pornography, and painting to address a political or social message. While experimenting with technique and format Sherman uses the satire of her images as social and political commentary. The use of appropriation allows her to reinterpret the original messages and image while defining the importance and integrity of the artist.
Unfortunately Yasimasa Mormura's "Self-portrait as Art History is my least favorite because the image appears to be flat and simple in composition. Mormura's concept appears to be well developed and a critique of our understandings of beauty and femininity. While his theme is approachable and somewhat conceptually connected to Cindy Sherman,his images take on the standard appearance of portraiture paintings, which for men loses its photographic qualities that I enjoy in photographs.
However Zoe Leonard and Cheryl Dunye's "The Fae Richard's Photo Archive" is the most visually interesting because its technique and format. Leonard and Dunye's images has a three dimensional quality that allows the viewer to connect to each image individually without feeling overwhelmed or disconnected from the history. The effortless placing of the individual images conveys the messages of the artist; an important factor when considering the integrity of the art and artist. Although this image portrays several visually successful concepts the image is conceptually sounds and addresses a social and historic conflict.
I think the most visually compelling piece is the remade image of Jackson Pollack in chocolate syrup, both because of the complicated medium used, and also the subject matter, as one of the founding figures in the American abstract expressionist movement Pollack seems a particularly powerful subject to have in a postmodern revisionist artwork. As a history major I have to say the work of American photographer Susan Meiselas has the most interesting concept. The idea that there is the oppressed culture of the Kurdish people can be exposed through popular archive retrieval is incredibly powerful in addition to being a priceless section of middle eastern history, especially in the time we now live in, with such conflict in that region. The image I like the least is that of Vibeke Tandberg, I find the concept a bit too boring, and executed in a very unexciting fashion
As stated in the article, "as soon as the first photographs were made, all photographic practice thereafter was created and understood in comparison with earlier images." The artists featured in this article all have taken an idea. photo or belief and replicated it into some type of photograph. In my opinion, Sherman's Untitled Stills are the most interesting and visually appealing. At first glance her works are simply portraits however, if a spectator looks closer at her props, details and clothing used, it is clear that images signify how the movies and hollywood successfully molded the image of a perfect female. Additionally, I really enjoy that fact that she is the subject and the creator.
ReplyDeleteWithout a doubt, Vibeke Tandberg, has the best concept. What she does in her images is a bit strange yet, I find her theory quite interesting. I do believe that every artist becomes apart of their work in some way.
The artist that I am least fond of is Richard Prince. Anyone can do what he did. Yet his images are effective. His Marlboro ads prove that advertising is and always will be a part of our consumer world.
In my opinion the best concept and most visually compelling project is Cornelia Parker's Avoided Objects series. I am particularly interested in this series because it takes thought from the viewer to understand what they are looking at. The fact that Parker uses microphotography is what makes this series so captivating. While it would be interesting to see a photograph of a record of Hitler's, the relationship between the art and the observer becomes much more intimate when they can see the individual scratches on the record.
ReplyDeleteThe work that I liked the least was the compilation of John Divola. It may just be that the image shown in the reading seemed boring to me but I think the concept described in the reading could be interesting if more visually stimulating scenes are available.
When reading the article Revived and Remade we are presented with many different concepts that try and convey a connection to something else. One of the concepts that I found compelling was Vera Lutter’s camera obscura photograph. Having never seen the original work, it is hard to imagine just how big the image is of the plane at the airport, but based on our experiments with the camera obscura it must be huge. I think taking the camera back to its simplest form, while still producing incredible images really pays respect to the evolution of photography and the photographer.
ReplyDeleteWhen examining the photos from a visual standpoint John Divola’s photograph of old Hollywood film sets seem to standout in a way different from the other works in the book. Much like Cindy Sherman, Divola’s showcases perfection, in the standpoint of lighting, prop placement, and general cleanliness. When looking at his picture and seeing everything meticulously perfect it seems to reinforce the idea of just how fake Hollywood is. Oftentimes perfection can be an ideal that people try and reach but in my opinion Divola’s work has an eerie feel to it, and makes you want to avoid that absolute perfection.
In the reading, my least liked artist was Marketa Othova and her picture of a room in a villa. Although I have not seen the entire series, the picture in the reading looks absolutely ordinary and to me reveals no real context at all. When reading about what she was trying to accomplish it certainly seems interesting, but I don’t find that it comes out in the work.
After reading the second part of the article, I would still stand by my choice in saying that Cindy Sherman is my favorite artist and the artist who has the best concept. There is something about recreating a scene from a movie that brings about significant discussion. The photographs of movie stills can be viewed with or without knowledge of the original scene, and this is what creates a dialogue and discussion for the style and approach of Sherman’s work. One viewer may compare her composition and portrayal to the film and another viewer may just see her photograph as a completely new and foreign idea. She is influenced by other sources, but she also influences debate about representation and character depiction.
ReplyDeleteThe artist whose work I think is visually compelling and eye-catching is Joachim Schmid. In a way Schmid is not creating his own image, because he works with discarded photographs. However, the way he presents these photographs creates a new style of photography—instead of the act of taking photos, he utilizes what someone else once rejected and gives it new meaning. Visually, looking a ripped photograph that has been pieced together, invokes a sense of curiosity for the viewer. We see Schmid’s work and wonder, why did he want to tell the story of this photo? We question why someone else would damage and discard the photo in the first place. Overall, Schmid’s approach to revising and remaking is quite unique, and demonstrates his curiosity for understanding the photography and intent of others.
The work that I liked the least is that of Thomas Ruff, because I feel that his use of pornographic images is not done in such a way that re-presents it to a viewer with a fresh eye. His project aims to separate the actions occurring in the image with the connotation that people usually associated with porn, but I don’t understand his thinking about “idealization” of a subject. The concept of idealizing a subject makes me think of romanticizing the composition or character of the photo’s subject, but I feel that Ruff’s images are far from romanticized and I am not totally convinced of his perspective.
Throughout the entire reading I am still a fan of Cindy Sherman's concept. Women do play a certain role, and she makes it obvious that it isn't always who the woman actually is, and that they are playing a part. It is staged. I like that she over does it in some instances too with heavy makeup which makes fun of it in a way and brings attention to viewers just how ridiculous certain roles may be. Because she is not only the photographer but is the object too, focuses the attention on the viewer. Who are the women putting on the show for? Acting for? I think it is great that she raised these questions and brought this issue to attention because some women who are playing these roles without even realizing it.
ReplyDeleteJoan Fontcuberta has very visually compelling photos of the landscapes on page 202. They are visually pleasing to me.
I also like ALexandra Mir's concepts of making fun of stereotypes such as the "air stewardesses and wives of astronauts waving off their spouses, a cheerful version of the performance art of the late 1960s."
I wouldn't say that I like any the least. They are all intriguing in different ways.
-Lisa
After finishing the reading, I still like Yasumasa Morimura the best.The topic if identity and women is very interesting to me.
ReplyDeleteCornelia Parker was definitely another interesting artist though.Some of the work in her series make you sit and think about what it possibly is (like the "Grooves in a Record that belonged to Hitler." If we aren't told that, we would not have known.
To me, people make very interesting subjects because there are so many interesting and hidden meanings.
I can't say that I liked an artist the least because they are all so different.
I think Cindy Sherman has the most conceptually pleasing images because she has taken film still, fashion photography, pornography, and painting to address a political or social message. While experimenting with technique and format Sherman uses the satire of her images as social and political commentary. The use of appropriation allows her to reinterpret the original messages and image while defining the importance and integrity of the artist.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately Yasimasa Mormura's "Self-portrait as Art History is my least favorite because the image appears to be flat and simple in composition. Mormura's concept appears to be well developed and a critique of our understandings of beauty and femininity. While his theme is approachable and somewhat conceptually connected to Cindy Sherman,his images take on the standard appearance of portraiture paintings, which for men loses its photographic qualities that I enjoy in photographs.
However Zoe Leonard and Cheryl Dunye's "The Fae Richard's Photo Archive" is the most visually interesting because its technique and format. Leonard and Dunye's images has a three dimensional quality that allows the viewer to connect to each image individually without feeling overwhelmed or disconnected from the history. The effortless placing of the individual images conveys the messages of the artist; an important factor when considering the integrity of the art and artist. Although this image portrays several visually successful concepts the image is conceptually sounds and addresses a social and historic conflict.
I think the most visually compelling piece is the remade image of Jackson Pollack in chocolate syrup, both because of the complicated medium used, and also the subject matter, as one of the founding figures in the American abstract expressionist movement Pollack seems a particularly powerful subject to have in a postmodern revisionist artwork.
ReplyDeleteAs a history major I have to say the work of American photographer Susan Meiselas has the most interesting concept. The idea that there is the oppressed culture of the Kurdish people can be exposed through popular archive retrieval is incredibly powerful in addition to being a priceless section of middle eastern history, especially in the time we now live in, with such conflict in that region.
The image I like the least is that of Vibeke Tandberg, I find the concept a bit too boring, and executed in a very unexciting fashion