André Kertész was a man ahead of his time in photography. His work was widely accepted in Europe, but when he moved to the United States in 1936, his work was harshly criticized. The American public did not understand Kertész’ larger goal though. He wanted to capture what was natural in people, even if that meant their expressions spoke entirely for them. He also found distortions interesting because they placed more focus on the subject. His portrayal of people revealed “the fragile, evolving nature of all human experience” and the life within them.
Kertész did not begin his career as a photographer. He began working for the Stock Exchange in Hungary, where he was born, and eventually taught himself the art of photography. His art began simply enough, taking pictures of Hungary and its people, but when he was recruited into the Austro-Hungarian army, during World War One, he began taking pictures of soldiers and his new surroundings.
He eventually moved to Paris in 1925 and worked for magazines, where he did some of his most controversial work. His work on Distortions placed a focus on the female nude, distorted by a fun-house mirror.
After his time in Paris, André Kertész and his wife Elizabeth moved to New York City, where his work was harshly criticized. His work with the female nude was called pornography, he was told his work spoke too much, and that he was too human. He continued with his work though, and after his wife’s death produced some of the most touching photographs. He used a glass bust, reminiscent of his wife, and photographed it every day with his Polaroid camera, allowing the background to affect the face of the bust.
André Kertész’ work in photography caught people in their most vulnerable state. His photographs were never staged, and because of this, the subjects were not overly posed or fake. Their expressions are their own, revealing their state of mind. To capture these raw emotions he would even sacrifice clarity and standard conventions in order to get the best picture.
Prompts:
• Was there anything in my presentation that was unclear or confusing? Is there anything about character issue that I need to add?
• Kismaric makes an argument, and uses the following quote, to articulate what photography was to Kertész and how that reflected in his work. Do you agree with what Kismaric has to say? Why or why not?
He [André Kertész] found no need to manufacture pictures or to force responses when the richness of the world was so plainly visible, and the camera so capable of capturing it. Thus his pictures began to take individual form, to record what his eye instinctively found to see. As such, they were not crystal-clear renditions of the world. Visually, abstractions began to take shape as photographic detail was sacrificed to capture the essence of a moment. These were the fruits not of happy accident, but of conscious choice, (Kismaric 8).
• Even though Kertész took pictures of glass busts during the last stages of his life do you think they can portray an emotion and a feeling to the audience? Why or why not?
• Out of his various photos and genres, which do you think show the most emotion and character of the subject? His early work, his photos from the war, his distortions, or his busts? Why? What makes the specific group of photos stand out the most to you?
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
A Woman's Struggle with Loss
Vreeland’s short story about Manet portrays his wife, Suzanne, as a very complex woman filled with many emotions about her dead husband. In this story Suzanne comes across as a caring widow who wishes to carry out her dead husband’s final wishes. She wants to keep the pictures that are important to her and asks Albert to copy some of Manet’s works that she loves the most. During this passage another aspect of her personality reveals itself with her special names for each of the paintings. With each name she reveals how she felt about each of the models and their relationship with her husband. She was clearly a jealous woman who was insecure in her relationship with her husband. Another interesting passage is when she recalls taking care of her husband in the last three years before his death. She just wanted to touch his skin and be close to him physically and he would not allow that. She longed for a closer relationship, the relationship he gave to his models. She was just a woman to care for him, to be his wife, and the woman he had Leon with. She wanted more from him, and this shows in her personality through that passage.
Suzanne’s character makes me feel as though she does not exert free will, but she lets herself be oppressed by the memory of her husband and his paintings. She allows her life to be run by these models and her husband. She could have created and kept the relationship she wanted with Manet, like she had with him for ten years, but she allowed herself to be cast aside. She reacts to the pain she feels by creating new titles for the paintings and by keeping track of everyone in Manet’s life. Vreeland shows Suzanne’s progression into someone different at the very end of the story. Suzanne tells Victorine about Suzanne and Manet’s relationship, trying to justify their marriage. Victorine offered Manet collaboration, but Suzanne tells Victorine the true Manet; sick, weak, and human. Suzanne finally stands up for herself in a situation, and while childish in many ways, it’s her ability to show how important she was to her husband, and to prove she has worth.
I felt the way Vreeland wrote this short story was more interesting than Yellow Jacket because it offered more with relation to human flaws. Suzanne, Manet, the models were all obviously very flawed in their personalities. Suzanne allowed herself to be taken advantage of and Victorine has immense pride. The clash of these two women was the most interesting to me because it made Suzanne step outside of her usual submissive self. The clash also showed how real relationships are seen. While Victorine was beautiful and young and offered Manet collaboration, she was not the woman taking care of him in his dying days. Even though Suzanne wanted more out of her relationship, she showed how marriage and love really works. You stick by the person you love and care about and she takes pride in being his wife. Victorine never had a real relationship with Manet because she was not part of the good and the bad. This insight into relationships and how women treat each other was very interesting to me.
Suzanne’s character makes me feel as though she does not exert free will, but she lets herself be oppressed by the memory of her husband and his paintings. She allows her life to be run by these models and her husband. She could have created and kept the relationship she wanted with Manet, like she had with him for ten years, but she allowed herself to be cast aside. She reacts to the pain she feels by creating new titles for the paintings and by keeping track of everyone in Manet’s life. Vreeland shows Suzanne’s progression into someone different at the very end of the story. Suzanne tells Victorine about Suzanne and Manet’s relationship, trying to justify their marriage. Victorine offered Manet collaboration, but Suzanne tells Victorine the true Manet; sick, weak, and human. Suzanne finally stands up for herself in a situation, and while childish in many ways, it’s her ability to show how important she was to her husband, and to prove she has worth.
I felt the way Vreeland wrote this short story was more interesting than Yellow Jacket because it offered more with relation to human flaws. Suzanne, Manet, the models were all obviously very flawed in their personalities. Suzanne allowed herself to be taken advantage of and Victorine has immense pride. The clash of these two women was the most interesting to me because it made Suzanne step outside of her usual submissive self. The clash also showed how real relationships are seen. While Victorine was beautiful and young and offered Manet collaboration, she was not the woman taking care of him in his dying days. Even though Suzanne wanted more out of her relationship, she showed how marriage and love really works. You stick by the person you love and care about and she takes pride in being his wife. Victorine never had a real relationship with Manet because she was not part of the good and the bad. This insight into relationships and how women treat each other was very interesting to me.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Who are Mr. and Mrs. Clark?
Annotated Bibliography
Pioch, Nicolas. “Hockney, David”. WebMuseum: Hockney, David. 2002. WebMuseum. 26 January 2009. http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/hockney/.
This article gave a brief overview of David Hockney’s life, including his transitions through various art movements and genres. He began in the “pop-art” genre, but by the time he painted this portrait, he was into a more traditional style. The article also dealt with his move to California and how this affected his art.
The portrait itself is more striking, according to the author, and done in a more traditionally representational manner. The author also commented on Hockney’s homo-erotic content, noticeable around this time in his art, but not necessarily noticeable here. The part of the article that showed some insight into the setting of the work was the author’s description of Hockney’s move to California. The move caused Hockney to “respond with such artistic depth to the sea, sun, sky, young men, and luxury that his art took on a wholly new, increasingly naturalistic dimension.” This was interesting because many of these elements are evident in the painting. There’s more detail in the setting, the colors and furnishing of the apartment is luxurious, something I had not noticed at first, and there is an unexplainable depth to Mr. Percy. He seems very pensive.
“Texts”. Mr. and Mrs. Clark and Percy by David Hockney. 2004. Tate Collection. 26 January 2009. http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?cgroupid=999999961&workid=6534&searchid=9399&tabview=text.
This article dealt more directly with the composition and background information of the portrait. The article mentioned the people involved in the painting, how it was painted, and some symbolism that also coincided with my interpretation of the painting.
This article reveals Mr. and Mrs. Clark as Hockney’s friends. It was also painted in their home in a style more realistic and simple than his previous works. Generally, his paintings have a cyclical movement in the eyes of the people. In this picture though, the couple both looks towards the viewer, creating a triangle. I thought the painting to the left was interesting to me, and I could not make out what it was, but this article says it’s the artists own work, A Rake’s Progress.
The symbolism and pose of the work is interesting. The article mentions Mr. Clark being relaxed but having a watchful expression. This was done from a photograph of Mr. Clark, and took Hockney close to 12 times. Mrs. Clark has a more wistful expression. The lilies in the picture are associated with her and symbolize annunciation and feminine purity. The cat is more associated with Mr. Clark and symbolizes a libertine and someone who does as they please. This matched up with my interpretation of him being more aloof. The last part of the article that interested me was “Hockney has pointed out that his painting reversed one of the conventions of wedding portraiture, by seating the man while the woman stands. The gulf between the couple represented by the open window and the gaze of the third party (artist or viewer) turned out to be prophetic: the marriage did not last.” I thought there was a tiff in the relationship.
“Work”. Mr. and Mrs. Clark and Percy by David Hockney. 2004. Tate Collection. 26 January 2009. http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?cgroupid=999999961&workid=6534.
This article gave more background into who Mr. and Mrs. Clark were and how the portrait was painted by Hockney. They were his friends, fashion designer Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell. The portrait was done shortly after their marriage. Ossie’s pose was actually based off of a snapshot of him after he woke up and got out of bed, and before he put on his shoes. This is why Ossie looks more at ease and aloof because he did not actually pose for the picture.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Children of the Screen
Hannah Baylon’s article, Children of the Screen, poses an interesting point, that we as a society are heavily influenced by media. This causes an unnatural structure, leaving many people unsure of who they are and what they want. I agree with her statement, our environment is no longer natural, but highly dictated by magazines, movies, and television. While we are controlled in this way, not everyone in society is fully controlled by these boundaries. Many people can actually separate themselves slightly from the media, but to an extent, we are all influenced by the world around us, natural or unnatural.
I feel like I have adopted a screen-based environment to an extent. I cannot deny the influence of magazines and other media outlets in my life, but I do feel to a certain extent I know who I am and what I want. As a kid I don’t remember the movies I watched as much as the crazy car rides and adventures I took. I feel like although I watched Disney and Power Rangers, I also had a good dosage of reality and non-media influence in my life.
Without knowing the earth, as Thoreau put it, and Baylon points out, we do lose our true character. Seeing the natural world, going out in it, experiencing real emotion and loss, that is how we can keep our true nature. While screen reality can give us the occasional break from our lives, doing something productive, like going to the gym or going to the park, offer more enjoyment and relaxation. Screen reality can also keep us connected, but again, we lose that personal contact.
The lack of personal contact is something detrimental to our lives. Humans need contact, and by substituting emotions and love with our favorite TV shows, we lose something in ourselves and in our ability to connect to others. People become obsessed with the lives of the characters on their favorite TV shows and movies, they start to mimic them to a point they lose themselves. I feel grateful that while going to school, even though I watch TV and movies and read magazines, for the most part I have toned down the amount of media in my life. I have rediscovered the fun of sledding or simply walking around a town looking in antique shops. I’ve also gained amazing connections with people. While media can bring people together, it’s the basis of human compassion and connection and ties them for life. In my opinion, by becoming totally consumed with media, we lose that foundation necessary to make relationships last in our lives.
I feel like I have adopted a screen-based environment to an extent. I cannot deny the influence of magazines and other media outlets in my life, but I do feel to a certain extent I know who I am and what I want. As a kid I don’t remember the movies I watched as much as the crazy car rides and adventures I took. I feel like although I watched Disney and Power Rangers, I also had a good dosage of reality and non-media influence in my life.
Without knowing the earth, as Thoreau put it, and Baylon points out, we do lose our true character. Seeing the natural world, going out in it, experiencing real emotion and loss, that is how we can keep our true nature. While screen reality can give us the occasional break from our lives, doing something productive, like going to the gym or going to the park, offer more enjoyment and relaxation. Screen reality can also keep us connected, but again, we lose that personal contact.
The lack of personal contact is something detrimental to our lives. Humans need contact, and by substituting emotions and love with our favorite TV shows, we lose something in ourselves and in our ability to connect to others. People become obsessed with the lives of the characters on their favorite TV shows and movies, they start to mimic them to a point they lose themselves. I feel grateful that while going to school, even though I watch TV and movies and read magazines, for the most part I have toned down the amount of media in my life. I have rediscovered the fun of sledding or simply walking around a town looking in antique shops. I’ve also gained amazing connections with people. While media can bring people together, it’s the basis of human compassion and connection and ties them for life. In my opinion, by becoming totally consumed with media, we lose that foundation necessary to make relationships last in our lives.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Dorian Gray's Lack of Enlightenment
The Picture of Dorian Gray tells the story of a young man willing to sacrifice his soul to remain young forever, while a portrait of him ages. While sacrificing his soul, Dorian’s portrait does more than age; it becomes a manifestation of what his soul has become. In the beginning of the movie Dorian’s character is likable and well-tempered. After he wishes to remain young forever, in-exchange for his soul, his character begins to change, though not evident to those around him. The only indication of his changing personality is the portrait and a few choice scenes where he deeply affects those around him. His first love, Sybil, kills herself after Dorian snubs her and calls off their engagement. Shortly after that, other minor characters Dorian knows also kill themselves. Dorian even kills his old friend Basil, who painted the portrait of Dorian. No one puts all of these coincidences together because Dorian has always been the kind of man who is well respected and friendly, not the cause of someone’s angst. As the movie progresses, the picture becomes more and more disfigured and covered in blood as Dorian spills the blood of those around him. He even blames Basil for this change in the portrait and uses that as justification of killing Basil. In the end of the movie, Dorian attempts to destroy the portrait, but instead of destroying the portrait, he completes his downward spiral and destroys himself. Overall, the story is of a man who is willing to sacrifice his soul to retain eternal youth, but the message goes deeper than that. I believe the movie tries to convey the message that outward appearance and actions do not necessarily reflect the inner turmoil and ugliness of a person.
When Dorian kills Basil in the upstairs room, Dorian’s character and transformation become apparent. This scene happens closer to the end of the film, when the portrait of Dorian transforms into a disgusting and disturbing version of him. This scene was interesting to me because in it, Dorian blames Basil for the transformation of the painting and uses his logic to justify murdering his dear friend. After murdering Basil, there is a point when the swinging lamp illuminates Dorian off and on, and shows the stark change in Dorian. He went from being good and pure, the light, and transformed into the darkness. The lighting also makes him appear very ominous and frightening. This are all very different from the characteristics introduced in the beginning of the movie, when Dorian was well loved and respected, not feared. While Dorian appears to be friendly and kind on the outside, when posed with a situation, his inner turmoil and angst come out, again showing how physical appearance and attitude do not always dictate who a person truly is. This scene is an interesting point in Dorian’s life, because he still does not see his transformation being his own fault. He continues to blame other people’s actions for his portrait changing. He has not reached any enlightenment, and ultimately, I don’t think he really does.
He is given the opportunity to remain young, travel, learn, and yet he does none of this. He could gain insight into life and travel to faraway lands, but instead, he remains where he has always lived, becoming less and less wise. The reoccurring themes of Buddhism and Christianity and Egyptian religion offer many insights into life, and he takes on none of them. The constant reference to good men is lost on Dorian, who is more concerned with remaining young, than sacrificing anything to gain any true knowledge or wisdom.
When Dorian kills Basil in the upstairs room, Dorian’s character and transformation become apparent. This scene happens closer to the end of the film, when the portrait of Dorian transforms into a disgusting and disturbing version of him. This scene was interesting to me because in it, Dorian blames Basil for the transformation of the painting and uses his logic to justify murdering his dear friend. After murdering Basil, there is a point when the swinging lamp illuminates Dorian off and on, and shows the stark change in Dorian. He went from being good and pure, the light, and transformed into the darkness. The lighting also makes him appear very ominous and frightening. This are all very different from the characteristics introduced in the beginning of the movie, when Dorian was well loved and respected, not feared. While Dorian appears to be friendly and kind on the outside, when posed with a situation, his inner turmoil and angst come out, again showing how physical appearance and attitude do not always dictate who a person truly is. This scene is an interesting point in Dorian’s life, because he still does not see his transformation being his own fault. He continues to blame other people’s actions for his portrait changing. He has not reached any enlightenment, and ultimately, I don’t think he really does.
He is given the opportunity to remain young, travel, learn, and yet he does none of this. He could gain insight into life and travel to faraway lands, but instead, he remains where he has always lived, becoming less and less wise. The reoccurring themes of Buddhism and Christianity and Egyptian religion offer many insights into life, and he takes on none of them. The constant reference to good men is lost on Dorian, who is more concerned with remaining young, than sacrificing anything to gain any true knowledge or wisdom.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Image 18
In this portrait, a man sits with a white cat on his lap, smoking a cigarette, while a woman stands with her hand on her hip. The man’s position in the chair, arms and legs more spread, makes him seem more at ease, suggesting this room is a part of his home or his life. The cat also sits on his lap, showing his attachment to the house. He seems a bit unkempt, potentially Italian. His openness conveys a sense of belonging to the house or room, but his position is slightly awkward, suggesting this situation or house may be new to him. The furnishing of the house also suggests this. He seems to be a wealthy man, who recently bought a home and placed a few objects in this living room, but he has not committed to the house, or, it seems, the relationship with the woman.
The woman stands with a look on her face of questioning or pleading about the situation. She also seems pregnant to me. Something about her body proportion, clothing, and stance suggests she’s hiding something, and the pleading of her face led me to believe she was pregnant. She does not seem to feel the connection to the man, even though he seems to have bought the house for their potential family or relationship.
Both seem to be beckoning to the audience with their eyes, and the doors behind them led me to believe they were beckoning them into their world and relationship. They are bringing people into their world, and the doorway behind them also signifies their relationship. The door behind her is closed, while the door behind him is still open. This signifies her closing of the relationship to something steady or simply giving up on the relationship. His door being open signifies his being open to the relationship and making the situation work. I think he bought the house to establish their family, with the sparse furnishings showing a new situation, but she does not seem very receptive to the changes or her pregnancy.
The texture and coloring of the picture also adds to their hectic life. The textures and colors of the clothing the couple wear are very vivid and solid. The solidness of their dress seems to represent them being the only solid thing in their life. Nothing else seems as concrete. The walls behind them are full of more colors and the objects in the room show their confusion as well. She wears purple, signifying a higher stature in society, while he wears cooler colors, suggesting more of a tranquility. Throughout the picture, he seems more at ease than she does, and this shows through his more casual clothing and body language.
Overall, they seem like a couple on the brink of something new in their relationship. Whether an ending, pregnancy, or simply moving in, their surroundings are not as solid as they are individually.
The woman stands with a look on her face of questioning or pleading about the situation. She also seems pregnant to me. Something about her body proportion, clothing, and stance suggests she’s hiding something, and the pleading of her face led me to believe she was pregnant. She does not seem to feel the connection to the man, even though he seems to have bought the house for their potential family or relationship.
Both seem to be beckoning to the audience with their eyes, and the doors behind them led me to believe they were beckoning them into their world and relationship. They are bringing people into their world, and the doorway behind them also signifies their relationship. The door behind her is closed, while the door behind him is still open. This signifies her closing of the relationship to something steady or simply giving up on the relationship. His door being open signifies his being open to the relationship and making the situation work. I think he bought the house to establish their family, with the sparse furnishings showing a new situation, but she does not seem very receptive to the changes or her pregnancy.
The texture and coloring of the picture also adds to their hectic life. The textures and colors of the clothing the couple wear are very vivid and solid. The solidness of their dress seems to represent them being the only solid thing in their life. Nothing else seems as concrete. The walls behind them are full of more colors and the objects in the room show their confusion as well. She wears purple, signifying a higher stature in society, while he wears cooler colors, suggesting more of a tranquility. Throughout the picture, he seems more at ease than she does, and this shows through his more casual clothing and body language.
Overall, they seem like a couple on the brink of something new in their relationship. Whether an ending, pregnancy, or simply moving in, their surroundings are not as solid as they are individually.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
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