Artist 5: "Dioramas" (1976) by Hiroshi Sugimoto

       I find that I have a strong connection to the work of photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto, and find pleasure in that we share similar interests in dada and marcel duchamp. after reading a bit about his philosophy on photography and art, I can only draw similar conclusions about the medium; like sugimoto, I like to think of my artistic photography to be concerned with the transience of life and the human understanding of time, and a majority of my photographs seem to serve as capsules that neatly package emotional and physical memories into blocks of color and line, a physical means of storing thoughts and feelings that also relieves the artist of the burden of the vision.

       Other elements of Sugimoto's work that resonate with me is the variety of imagery in his body of work, organized by themed series, and his seeming technical mastery of large format photography; his long daylight exposures are a testament to his ability to photograph both the natural and mad-made world.

       Like the majority of his professional work, Sugimoto's Diorama photographs are carefully composed and extremely cinematic; instead of enhancing the artificiality of the museum display, the simple, hand-painted backdrops behind the figures serve to enhance the viewing experience, providing little-to-no distraction while gently guiding the viewers eye through the image and framing the subject(s) in their "natural" environment.

       Of the series i've been able to see (mostly on the internet), I find his 1976 series Dioramas to be one of my favorite; his use of pre-existing, carefully crafted and composed museum dioramas is brilliant and testament to the artist's creativity and resourcefulness, and his soft, emotive black-and-white imagery seems to remove the artificiality of these museum settings to create compelling glimpses into natural history as if the viewer were somehow able to witness them firsthand. I find this use of "found material" to be highly amusing, and a creative response to the need to create the specific image (and satisfy the artist's inner vision of the world), and serves to tie the related, but separate, disciplines of sculpture, history, and photography into a single, cohesive experience for the viewer, unencumbered by "facts" and the "impossible" feat of photographing early homonids walking across the Serengeti.

     Furthermore, the image of the polar bear and his freshly-killed seal is a captivating and compelling image that very few humans would be able to experience first hand, as the polar bear is one of the largest and most fearsome mammalian predators on the face of the earth, and even knowing that its a stuffed-and-mounted taxidermic specimen, i cant shake the level of hyper-realism and emotional/physical tension created by this image.
 

Personal Project 2: Visualizing Metaphors

tiny voids; the holes we rarely notice

Artist 4: the ethereal landscape photography of Todd Hido

Artist 4: the ethereal landscape photography of Todd Hido

       After looking at a few photo-188 blogs, it  would seem to me that Todd Hido's work is pretty popular amongst the class, and its no wonder why; the tasteful and emotive use of color and the painterly nature of Hido's photographs work to create cinematic and ethereal images, with a dream-like quality to them. The following images are all from his Landscapes series, although the dates are unknown to me. I'm going to try and find a book or two of his at the library, and will attempt to update this blog with pertinent information.

       After his obviously careful and considerate compositional skills and choice of subject matter (suggesting the artist's keen and observant nature), I really appreciate Hido's use of the rainy/wet windshield in many of his Landscape photographs; they add to the impressionistic quality that his photography often has.

       Tom E. Hinson, Cleveland Museum of Art curator of photography has stated that Hido's Landscape and Urban photography "reveal(s) isolation and anonymity in contemporary suburbia. Eerily lit rooms and suddenly abandoned homes increase the effect of loneliness and loss."

Tech 3: more fun with artificial lighting and long exposures

Tech 3: more fun with artificial lighting and long exposures

Tech 2: gruesome self portrait with photoshop layers

Tech 2: gruesome self portrait with photoshop layers

       man,  had a heck of a lot of fun on this project. well, i eventually did, at any rate. initially, i felt kinda stymied by this otherwise seemingly simple assignment. while i'm comfortable taking simple self-portraits with my cell phone (a legitimate camera in itself), it was an entirely different experience, training my DSLR on myself - especially using manual focus lenses. i had to set up a dummy to get my camera focused, was short on decent lighting, and found myself challenged by a number of other difficulties experienced while shooting alone. i thought about going somewhere else to shoot my portrait, but decided on staying at home- the load in my backpack was too great for me to want to bike it anywhere. while sitting alone in my room, watching walking dead, i realized that it might be fun to try my hand at making myself look like a zombie. although i had seen that AMC has an online application that allows one to "zombifie" themselves, i figured that this would be a good chance to apply my understanding of layer masks, the liquify tool, and other photoshop tricks i'd acquired previously. after several hours, a number of stock-image resources, and a six-pack of locally-brewed oat sodas, i think i did a decent job. but i'll you be the judge of that.

later this semester, i'll be giving a presentation on how to use photoshop and lightroom to produce a similar image. i can provide plenty of resource images for those interested in trying their hand at it as well.

Artist 3: the Self-Portraiture of John Coplans

Artist 3- The Self-Portraiture of John Coplans

       Visually stunning, these self-portraits of the artist are playful, honest, and compelling images of the human figure rendered in extreme detail. These photographs are a select few from a huge body (no pun intended) of work concerning the artist's own aging form. The way the artist captures every wrinkle and hair on his body in such sharp focus intrigues me as I have similar interests in portraiture. In addition to the artist's honesty, I really enjoy the fact that the Coplans does not seem to take himself too seriously, his body language in some suggest he is rather enjoying himself. Additionally, I am compelled by the artist's apparent lack of face; the anonymous nature of the figure in these images lends it an "everyman" appeal that, in conjunction with the quality and aesthetic of the image, make them seem less voyeuristic and "erotic" that other nude photographs, especially in an age inundated with sexual images.

Frieze No. 6 1994 Silbergelatinepapier Albertina, Wien

 Frieze No. 2 (four panels) 1994 Silbergelatinepapier Albertina, Wien

Self-Portrait: Three Times 1987 photograph gelatin silver transfer print © Estate of John Coplans

I really like Coplans' way of mounting multiple prints together, and his multiple exposures/overlays (as in the above image), as they seem to imply motion in the subject (himself). I can assume that the multiple prints no doubt assist in producing a larger image without the loss of detail... but the above image is by far one of my favorites in this series.

Back with Arms Above 1984 gelatin silver transfer print © The John Coplans Trust

Fantastic use of the human body, and in the case of the above image, not always immediately identifiable as the human figure. Suggestive of the notion that, as we age, we sometimes may not recognize our outward appearance... So funny and poignant!

Interlocking Fingers No 6 1999 gelatin silver transfer print, Albertina, Wien

Self-Portrait (Hands Spread on Knees) 1985 gelatin silver transfer print © The John Coplans Trust

      

More images from my last personal project