Art of Arrangement - Photography and the Still Life Tradition

   'Art of Arrangement' is an exhibition currently being held at 'The Holburne Museum' in Bath, it focuses on how photographers have explored the Still Life tradition which has captured photographer's and artist's imaginations form as early s the beginning of the 19th century, and often full of symbolic depth and meaning. Photographers have also used Still Life to capture and document scientific purposes and for the development of inventories and catalogues, as well as a channel for their own creative representation.
   The exhibition is split up in to seven sections of work, these are;

• 'On Close Inspection'
• 'Still Life in Camera'
• 'Reflection on Light and Dark'
• 'Order and Disorder'
• 'Still Life with Figure'
• 'The Submersive'
• 'Movement and Stillness'

 each of these sections hold works from relevant photographers ranging from William Henry Fox Talbot, Ansell Adams, Chris Killip, Philippe Halsman and many more photography geniuses.
   I felt very much in awe throughout this exhibition, as I was surrounded by some of the greatest photographers original prints, which doesn't happen often.

First view going in to the exhibition.

   There were two images that I found my self most drawn to were 'Insect wings, as seen under a solar microscope, c.1840' by William Henry Fox Talbot and 'Frosche in Bauch-und Ruckenlage' 1896 by Josef Maria Eder.

William Henry Fox Talbot - 'Insect wings, as seen under a solar microscope', c.1840

   I find the detailing captured in this image by Fox Talbot of the insect wing, to be truly stunning, how he has captured the intricate and delicate nature of each wing. I find it astonishing, considering that this image was taken during the early days of photography. I even went on to by a postcard depicting this particular image, and it is now proudly stuck on my wall.

Josef Maria Eder - 'Frosche in Bauch-und Ruckenlage' 1896

   I'm not sure what drew me to this image by Eder's image of the frog x-ray, I think maybe its my curiosity of what goes on underneath the surface, and how things look, beyond what you can actually see. Again like Fox Talbot's image to achieve something like this in the early years of photography is amazing, with the first x-ray being produce by Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen a year previous, and the first published in a newspaper in 1896, which is said to have shocked and fascinated the public.
   Eder's image reminds me of the work by Nick Veasey, and i will go in to more detail about him and his work in a later post, but for now here is one of his images to feast your eyes upon.
  

Nick Veasey - 'Fish'

   Overall I would highly recommend that you go and see this show, as it may be the only chance you get to, get up close and personal with these original prints. The show runs at The Holburne Museum Bath until the 7th March 2012, so get going!


Websites
www.holburne.org

A Day in The Life of a Superhero.

I love EVERYTHING superhero, from comics to the films. Even as a child I have had this obsession with superheros. I think it was an escape from reality, as they didn't really have to concern themselves with everyday life as much as the average person, they had bigger fish to fry. But photographer Gregg Segal has looked at the other side of the life as a superhero, in his series 'Super Heros at Home' 2006, where he takes great interest in the impersonators of the glamorous Hollywood Boulevard. Where he then follows them home, capturing them while still in costume showing the reality of things not actually being super at all, just highlighting how monotinus their home daily routine is in comparrison to that of a "superhero".

   By following the subjects home he unveils the true nature of these people and with them still in their costumes creates a contrast between the amazing and the mundane. Unmasking them through their homes and their chores. In that domestic context, the need to dress as comic book characters becomes more pronounced and obsessive, that on the street where it makes some sort of sense.

Gregg Segal - 'Captain America getting his mail' 2009

   Segall states, 'While I photographed Batman, a family pulled over to take his picture. He strode up to them with super hero confidence and the children approached him with awe. He was Batman because he was Batman to them. Then late, in his apartment, when he'd taken off his mask and cape and was reheating leftovers in the microwave, he was merely ordinary.' 

Gregg Segall - 'Spiderman hanging laundry' 2006

Gregg Segal - 'Spiderman drinking grape juice' 2006

    These vivid portraits succeed in both being funny and poignient, mixing the reality with humour produces what I feel a well rounded image. By following the "actors" home he looks beyond the obvious, giving the subject more of a sense of individuality and a voyeuristic look in to the real worlds of the people. Also i feel prehaps by masquerading themselves as these icons and posing for pictures with tourists, it allows them an illusory sense of stardom.

Gregg Segal - 'Batman on his bike' 2006

    Whilst looking at Segal's work I came across the works of photographer Agan Harahap, and his series 'Super Hero' which looks at memorable black and white political and war time scenes, and then placed with in these scenes are superheros, as if there to hel the situation, much like in the superhero films.

Agan Harahap - 'Greenham Air Field, June 5th 1944' 2009

Agan Harahap - 'A Camp Near Minsk, 1941' 2009

Agan Harahap - 'Cherbourg Normandy 1944' 2009

 Websites
www.greggsegal.com 
www.behance.net/aganharahap
www.melmanandthehippo.blogspot.co.uk

War Games

        June-July 2011 issue 172 pages 16-23

While flicking through this particular Hotshoe magazine I came across the works of photographer Arpad Kurucz and his series 'Military Camp' 

'Military Camp'

   

In 2004 army conscription ended after a 135 year tradition, so the images have a sense of nostalgic indoctrination in to the history of the Hungarian military traditions, where children can learn whats it like to be soldiers. The military camps for the children ('Military Traditional Association in Moguorod) aim to let the children know how soldiers passed their week days decades ago, allowing them to acquire the knowledge which was taught to the soldiers in their month long basic training.

'Military Camp'

Some members call themselves National  Socialists (which can almost be interpreted in to Nazi's seeing as the images are reminiscent of the Hitler youth).

   The military style is not just about the fashion and grandeur as for the extreme right 

wing sees it more as a part of mental and physical training.

'Military Camp'

    These images are disturbing scenes innocence and indoctrination, disguised in a form of military nationalism which masquerades as a nostalgic play, with the over sized rifles and helmets which puts in to perspective just a young and small these children our, you can see this most prominently in this in the picture above., not because of the rifles or helmets, but because of the towel hanging on the washing line with the dolphin on it, showing the young impressionable nature of the children, as you wouldn't really see a grown macho soldier with a towel of the same nature, because of this fact i find it rather worrying that children are exposed to such things.

   Another photographer who has looked at a similar subject is Craig F. Walker (photojournalist) Walker won the Pukitzer Prize for Feature Photography for his intimate portraiture of teenager Ian Fisher who joins the Army at the height of insurgent violence in Iraq, who poignantly searches for meaning and manhood, and I would highly recomend that you all go and check out his work.

Craig F. Walker - 'Ian Fisher'

Websites

www.arpadkurucz.com

www.pulitzer.org/works/2010-Feature-Photography

www.nocaptionneeded.com/2010/04/a-second-look-the-warrior-child

Pencil vs Camera

Not many people seem to combine disciplines, often it's one or the other, drawing/painting or photography. Which is similar to the way I think, I have a big passion for fine art and even graphic art (I studied GCSE art again taking it up at A Level) yet I never seem combine my two passions, and I don't have a clue why, I guess it has just never really occurred to me, until now. I stumbled upon the works of multidisciplinary visual artist Ben Heine, and in particular his series 'Pencil vs Camera' which mixes drawing and photography, imagination and photography. His first image from this series that was published in April 2010. The main themes approached in this series are; love, freedom, the after life, friendship and nature. Heine states on his website "I just make art for people. I want them to dream and forget their daily troubles. I used to write poems many years ago, I want to convey a poetic and philosophical meaning into my pictures, each new creation should tell a story and generate an intense emotion, like a poem, like a melody".

Ben Heine - #12

Ben Heine - #57

 There is no real boundary in Heine's work, the majority of the work in this series, the drawings are done in black and white yet the background is very colourful, which creates between the two disciplines. I feel that the drawings represent tradition and fantasy while the photographs represent modernity and reality.

Ben Heine - #41

Ben Heine - #61

  
 'Things happening in my daily life are a big stimulation for me. I think sources of inspiration are everywhere; most people just don’t want to see them or they perceive and interpret them differently. Ideas often come to my mind at random moments.' - Quote from Heine taken from an interview for 'Something We Like'

Websites
www.benheine.com
www.somethingwelike.com

To New Beginnings

    This is the start of a new chapter, and I have been asked to create a blog for my Visual Exploration unit  (part of my University Degree). It shall consist of all things art and photography, things that i find visually interesting, meaningful, and inspiring.
   So here it goes... I hope you enjoy reading my thoughts and opinions.