Final

Artist Statement

Often times we overlook the human presence that surrounds us when we are completely alone. Even within this void, we can still feel the warmth of that presence that once inhabited the most common of places. We are so familiar with our surroundings and the objects that occupy them that we often pass by such places and things without giving them much thought.  My photographs force you to look at these universal places and objects much longer than you typically would, perhaps leaving you slightly uncomfortable around something so familiar. Whether it be personal items someone left behind, the seat someone sat in moments before, something someone built, or even the stone that marks the human presence that once was, we are reminded that we are never truly alone.

The images are black and white with a slight sepia tint to give them an aged timeless feel; time is not a concern in this series because regardless of how much time has passed we are still reminded of those that were there before us.  Rich in detail and high in contrast, these familiar images are able to make a more powerful and significant presence than they do in our typical encounters with them.  This group of photographs captures the warmth and alienation of the human presence while being free from any physical human in the frame.  My work offers an alternative way of seeing common situations and making them appear new and interesting; turning the mundane into something special. 

Critique 4

For this critique I focused on getting the images that I felt was missing from my portfolio options.  Last critique I had taken a picture that was of a larger scene and not such a close up which I liked and wanted to include a few of them in my final portfolio so I tried to take some like that.  I also was trying to think of some new ideas of places I could go to take some photographs.  I thought a cemetery would be a perfect idea since I am focusing on the overlooked human presence and to me a cemetery is perfect for this.  I liked the idea that the headstones are a reminder of the human that once was and also that the flowers and things that people leave behind are a reference to the human presence that still is (although not present) juxtaposed with the human that is gone.  After this week I feel very happy with the group of images that I have to choose from for my final portfolio.  I think the challenge for me now will be how to edit them down and sequence them so that I can make a strong and cohesive portfolio.  

Artist Statement Draft:
          The human presence is something we experience daily through all our senses.  However often times we overlook the human presence that is around us when we are completely alone. Even with this void, we can still feel the warmth of that presence that once was in the most common of places.

We are so familiar with our surroundings and the objects that occupy them that we often pass by such places and things without giving them much thought.  My photographs force you to look at these universal places and objects much longer than you typically would, leaving you slightly uncomfortable around something so comfortable and familiar.  Weather it be personal items someone left behind, something someone built, or even the stone that marks the human presence that once was, we are reminded that we are never truly alone.

The images are black and white with a slight sepia tint to it to give them an aged timeless feel; time is not a concern in this series.  Rich in detail and high in contrast, these familiar images are able to make a more powerful and significant presence.

This group of photographs captures the juxtaposition of warmth and alienation while being free from any physical human in the image.  My work offers and alternative way of seeing common situations and making them appear new and interesting; turning the mundane into something special.  

Critique 3

I wanted to try and capture the "overlooked human presence" again with this critique.  I want my images to have a timeless feel.  I like the idea of photographing places and/or things that are universally known and that everyone can recognize as familiar but that we often overlook and these photographs force us to view it much longer than we normally would.  I want the viewer to feel the presence of  a human without there actually being one visible in the image; or to feel the solidarity of the absence of the human.

 

I chose to do 2 different edited versions of the image of the glove (above).  I did one of them like I do the others by adding some warmth. For the second version I decided to make it cooler with a slight blue tint to see the different effect it could have.  I agree with the class that it definitely makes it eary and I don't think I want that.

Critique 2

After my second round of taking pictures I was feeling a little confused.  All of my images for the first critique were taken in one particular neighborhood and I felt I captured a certain look through a certain style.  I wanted to try and stick with the same feel from my previous photos but I found it very difficult to do while shooting in such a different location.  I ended up walking for awhile just waiting for something ordinary to pop out in a peculiar way, I even spent time shooting in a dog park I came across (no, i don't have a dog... one man thought I was some official trying to find evidence to shut them down).  When I was done photographing I sat and looked through my photos.  Although I felt I had some strong images, I wasn't quite sure if they fit in with what I had done previously.  I was still slightly unsure about what I wanted my photographs to convey and so I was hoping that my photos would basically speak to me.  Originally I was hoping to convey some aspect of American life from a different perspective and hold some social commentary on how we live.  However this turned out to be a little more difficult to get across in my photos than I thought.  The feedback I received in the critique today definitely helped me center my ideas.  I  want to show the world very matter-of-factly, but show things and spaces that are typically overlooked, a new perspective on the ordinary.  I am not  a fan of deadpan photography, to me it has little substance and meaning, so I am hoping that in the end my photographs don't completely fall in that category.  Christian had an interesting comment during the critique that I hope to base my final photographs around.  He said that my photographs seem to show a human presence without the actual presence of a human in the photograph. 

The photograph I probably spent the most time editing was the photograph of the sunglasses on the street.  However I spent  a fair amount of time on all of them because I wanted to try and make them all have the same warm feel.  I discovered that even though my images are black and white, I am still able to adjust the temperature and saturation and vibrancy.  I adjusted these all equally on each of the photos so they all had that warmth. Below is my original, un-edited photograph of the sunglasses.

Jeanne Dunning

Jeanne Dunning has focused her photography career on the body (the female body in particular) and food since the late 80’s.   She creates color photographs that “questions issues of identity, sexuality, and the interior and exterior self”(MOCP).  Her photographs force the viewer to look at something that is taboo in our society or consistently overlooked. “In particular, she explores the boundaries that distinguish male from female, normal from abnormal, and erotic from grotesque. Central to her work is perception. Dunning's photographs present unusual, often very close-up views of familiar subjects, ranging from fruit and vegetables to human body parts. In many of her works, first impressions do not add up, and viewers find that the image they are looking at depicts something quite different from what it at first appeared to be”(Jacobson).  Dunning’s work would fall under the genres of landscape, still life, and portraiture.  However, the approach that Dunning takes with these genres is not the traditional one.  Her “landscapes” are extreme close-ups of body parts in a way that resembles a landscape.  Dunning’s portraits are also taken with a different approach, photographing the backs of the heads of the subjects rather than the front.  In a separate series, Dunning has photographed her subjects, as you would see in the traditional passport photo.  Probably one of Dunning’s most recognized series is the “blob”.  In these photographs, as well as in some of her other photographs of women, Dunning has added something unexpected, a large flesh colored sac attached to its subject, and faint mustaches on the faces of other women.  Through doing this, “Dunning explores notions of female beauty and physical identity”(Jacobson). 

Untitled with Food,  1996

In the Bathtub 2,  1999

Neck (+ Detail no. 16), 1992

Study After Red Detail,  1994

Detailed 1 (+ Untitled body),  1997

Hand Cavern, 1997

Untitled, 2001

The Blob 4, 1999

Hand Hole, 1994

Double Mustache, 1992

Photographs courtesy of MOMA, MOCP, and Artnet

I have mixed feelings about Jeanne’s work.  I applaud her for trying to turn the familiar into something unexpected by adding in a foreign prop or by shooting shockingly close up and that her photographs have a very deep underlying meaning.  However, I find her work almost irritating that certain photographs, like the “blob”, appear so unnatural looking.  I had the same feeling looking at Jeanne Dunnings “Double Moustache” as I did when I saw Kiki Smith’s “Wolf Girl”; unmoved.  Although I find Dunning’s photographs interesting, they just seem flat to me and don’t really set off a strong positive emotion.  I think that to know Dunning’s intentions helps make her photographs stronger because then you can think about why she chose to do what she did to express what she wanted.  Without knowing the meaning when I first viewed Dunning’s work I felt frustrated and this frustration seemed to grow after each image.  I attribute this frustration to the repetition within the images.  Each series seems like different version of not just the same idea but also the same execution of that idea with a slight variety. Seeing 5 separate photographs of the back of women’s heads and still not knowing completely what the artist is getting at feels like Dunning is saying “see what I did? Do you get it? Oh, well look at this version of it. Still no? Okay what about this one?”

In my opinion, an artist’s intent and their execution of their intent are weighted fairly equally.  I think Dunning has strong intent that drives her work and she definitely executes the idea in unique ways.  However, I think her execution, although unique, does not reach the full potential that such a deep theme has.  

Critique 1