Blogs

Here is a list of interesting blogs everyone needs to check out...

 

Cup Of Pea

 

LITTLE BROWN MUSHROOM

 

1000 Words Photography

 

LENSCRATCH

 

HOTShoe

 

Love and Folly 

 

A World of Art 

 

Visual Exploration 

 

 

Wish you were here!

Horizon #01, Tropical Islands, Germany, 2007, from the seeries 'Fake Holidays'

   'Fake Holidays' is a series of images that I found to be quite interesting. The series is created by Austrian Photographer Reiner Riedler, who shot all these images on 6x7, and explode with primary colours from the artificial beaches, golf courses, as well as the doomed kingdoms of centreparcs. The colours are very similar to Martin Parr's territory, but without the up close and personal, fill in flash effect, as Riedler's photos have a sense of distance which gives a more voyeristic approach to his images, yet still having the sense of engagement between the audience and the subjects.
   This work shows the power of make believe giving the project a psycological dimension amoung these wonderlands.


  The image 'Horizon #01, Tropical Islands, Germany' 2007 reminds me of the Jim Carrey film 'The Truman Show' where the main character Truman lives in a make believe world, which he believes to be true, similar to that of a soap opera, people on the outside world watch the dramas of his life unfold via the television screen. With Truman's hometown of Seahaven is a complete set built under a giant arcological dome, populated by the show's actors and crew.

  


On Riedler's website Jens Linworksky states;
   "When wishes are out of reach, simulation is taking over our leisure time and our holidays. Imaginary worlds are created, often under massive technological exertion, in order to offer us experience as reproducible merchandise. Although the quality of these adventures on demand sometimes proves to be rather dubious, the boom does shed light on one thing: the yearnings and dreams underlying people’s daily lives."


Websites
Reiner Riedler

The Ambassadors

  

'The Ambassadors' 1533 - Hans Holbein

    The Image of Hans Holbein’s ‘The Ambassadors’ was painted in 1533, and depicts two men who both appear to be wealthy, educated and powerful with two shelves between them baring a variety of objects and instruments. The upper shelf consists of a celestrial globe, a portable sundial and various other objects that were used for the understanding the skies and heavens. Within the objects on the lower shelf is a lute, flutes, a terrestrial globe and a variety of books, which could be representing the living.

   Certain parts of this painting could be showing the religious division during this period, due to both men standing either end of the shelves, while the instruments and objects upon the shelf separate them as people but maybe each of their beliefs.

   In the foreground of the piece there is an anamorphic skull, which to me represents both men’s distorted views of death and mortality, due to both having less understanding of death and what happens when someone dies causing controversy between both men, compared to the skies and life, which could be why the skull is not on the shelf with the other objects and is on the floor and a very prominent part of this painting, with more attention and focus needed on the subject, which could be why the skull appears in anamorphic form, as much focus and knowledge is needed to decipher that the object is in fact a skull.

   The meaning of ‘The Ambassadors’ often causes much debate and controversy, with the only real person to know the true meaning behind the piece is Holbein, so all I can do is project my views and opinions of the piece like everyone else.