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Cotton Chapter 7 Summary

In chapter 7 of Charlotte Cotton’s The Photograph as Contemporary Art, entitled “Revived and Remade,” the author explores the idea of postmodernism within photography. This idea presents photographs as images that are dependent on the viewer’s previous understanding of social and cultural symbols. These photographers rely on a context much bigger than the photograph itself—the images created by these photographers acquire significance from external sources. In this way, the photograph acts as a mediator between viewer and culture, enabling the viewer to expand what he/she sees to include their knowledge of cultural coding and signs. Cotton provides examples of how postmodern photographers have revived historical photographic techniques or created archives of photographs. In doing this, the photographers allow the viewer to gaze into the past as well as connect history to the present. One photographer mentioned includes American artist Cindy Sherman, whose photographs appropriate and speak about various generic types of visual images. An example of archival photography is The Atlas Project made by Lebanese artist Walid Ra’ad, in which a fictionalized account of a historian is presented as real.

On Photography Summary

        In Susan Sontag’s “On Photography,” the author examines photography as an art form, as well as the various places and roles it has taken up throughout its history. At first, photography belonged only to a select few—those inventors and experts who could operate the unusual contraptions that were the first cameras. However, technology has evolved in such a way that now photography has come into its own as an art form, but also has become something practiced by the masses as a social tool. In the latter area, Sontag describes how photography is used in tourism, as well as within the familial setting, as a way of memorializing and chronicling life and experience. Sontag writes on the power of photography, of how it provides most of the knowledge people have of the past and the present, acting as slices of time and space that are miniatures of reality. Photographs, while on the one hand are seen to be accurate portrayals of reality, still maintain an ability to act as interpretations of the world, the same as paintings and drawings. The world has become crowded with images—of suffering, horror, momentous events, or everyday life—and in the process, the world seems far more accessible than it truly is.

Slanted light

Lights

Row of colors

Blinds

Green

Through the windshield

Charlotte's web

Project #3

The Self Portrait

The Non-Self Portrait

Aftermath of a rainy day

Rainy day

Old flowers

Mmm.

Cotton Chapter 4 Summary

In chapter 4 of her book, entitled “Something and Nothing,” author Charlotte Cotton presents a group of photographs that, in depicting ordinary, everyday things, turns these unassuming objects into something extraordinary, something with significance. The photographer, then, has the power to transform what most people would call mundane into works of art, by seeing the potential in objects to be art. In doing so, these objects obtain the attention of the viewer in a way they never would in the “real world.” Some examples provided by Cotton include photographers such as Peter Fischli and David Weiss, who worked together to create their series entitled Quiet Afternoon. In this series, they photographed images of ordinary objects that have been stacked into interesting sculptural forms. Another photographer interested in delving into the conceptual meanings of ordinary objects is Peter Fraser. In his Materials series, Fraser asks the viewer to reconsider how he/she perceives the everyday world around him/her. All of the photographers in this chapter maintain that everything around us, even (or perhaps especially) those things that may seem unimportant—a drain, a sewing kit, a bow, a mop, a window—have deep significance, indeed can be given an imaginative meaning by presenting such objects to be worthy of our contemplation.

Bells

Color Ring Around

Magnificence

Project #3 Proposal

            For my Self Portrait Portrait, I plan to capture an image that emphasizes my hands. I want to include in the photograph my head, face, and shoulders, but my hair would conceal parts of my face and leave much in shadow. I plan to avert my eyes from the camera, and cover my mouth with my fingers. When I’m imagining this image, I see myself leaning on my elbows on a surface (a desk or tabletop, or something like that), hunched over it. I also picture this image being in black and white, but this is not set in stone; I am open to having a color image for a finished product.

            When considering my Not Self Portrait Portrait, I picture an image of a drawing tacked to a wall, and beside it an open window. Below the window is an old desk strewn with objects such as pencils and erasers. Within the drawing are a few figures, some of which have come to life and are escaping from the paper. There is a pencil leaning up against the window, and these escaped figures are using it to climb up and out of the window. I plan to cut out the images of these figures, so they will still be two dimensional drawings, but it is implied within the photograph that they are alive. This idea interests me because as I am traditionally a drawer/painter, I am wondering how drawing and photography can work together.

Tea for two

Nighttime library

Cotton Chapter 1 Summary

Chapter 1 of Charlotte Cotton’s The Photograph of Contemporary Art, entitled “If This is Art,” explores different ways photographers have molded the world around them intentionally to create a piece of art designed for the camera; in doing so, these photographers have challenged the traditional ideas of the ways a photographer creates work. Here, the artist strategically manipulates an event specifically for the camera, instead of grasping at an image in a moment of passing. The piece of work begins not as an image is taken, but long before, as the artist plans his or her idea. Such plans include capturing performance, creating alternate realities, or simply photographing everyday life. Instead of searching and waiting for the perfect moment of profundity to photograph, the artist’s work is highly preconceived. The photograph functions not as a means of documentation of past actions, but as the product of the artist’s planning.

Ashes, ashes...

Leftover rain

Round we go...

Practices of Looking Summary

            The article lays out several ways in which a viewer may look at an image. The first of these is representation which can be defined as the use of language and image in order to create meaning; two ideas of the nature of representation debate whether it reflects meaning inherent in an object, or it produces meanings about that object. This is followed by a discussion of the “myth of photographic truth,” which contemplates the tension between subjectivity and objectivity—both of which are present within photography. Denotative and connotative meaning are two separate levels of meaning found within an image; the former refers to its literal, descriptive meaning, while the latter refers to an implied, additional meaning, one that may be achieved through the image’s cultural and historical context, and the viewer’s individual perspective. The meanings found within images depend on the cultural meanings they invoke, as well as the social, political, and cultural contexts in which they are viewed; in other words, meaning is not inherent in the image elements alone, but are built when the image is viewed and interpreted. Similarly, images have no inherent value, but are given value depending on their authenticity, uniqueness, and aesthetic style, as well as the social mythology surrounding the work and the artist. Finally, the article discusses image as icon, as referring to something outside of its individual components that holds a greater symbolic meaning for many people.

Yellow tree

Tangled

Project #2: Little Things

1. Harmonic Color: Complementary

2. Dominant Color

3. Isolated Color

4. Personal Choice: Analogous Color (cool)

Gandalf reads a book

Bird of prey

Dappled shoes

At the library

A precarious place to read

Lightroom and Bridge

Lightroom is designed for efficiency and ease-of-use, simplifying the photographic workflow while maintaining a high quality, non-destructive image processor. Bridge is a file browser, and acts as “the bridge” between Adobe’s Creative Suite applications. Bridge can be used across a variety of businesses, and its abundance of features makes it seem overly complex. However, Lightroom, as it is meant to cater specifically to photographers’ needs, removes this complexity while at the same time maintains power, flexibility, and quality. Another disadvantage of Bridge is its inability to view images that are not located on a local drive. Lightroom again makes up for this; since it is database driven, it is able to work with such “off-line” files. Being a database gives Lightroom other advantages. Accessing and searching for information about images is faster, and the creation of multiple databases is supported. 

Tall boats

Light

Project #1: Old Work/New Ideas

Old Work

This is one of the drawings I created for my Junior IS last semester. It is part of a series entitled "Unsaid," in which I investigated the concept of story and storytelling. In creating this series, I examined the art of illustration, and looked at illustrators Chris van Allsburg and Shaun Tan, as well as contemporary artist Robyn O'Neil. I sought to create story through image alone, and in doing so explored the power of a single image to stir thought and emotion without the accompaniment of text. The images I created were isolated windows through which a fragment of story could be glimpsed. Neither a beginning nor an end was given, and thus the story was dependent upon the imagination of the viewer. Within these fragments, I sought to explore the idea of introspection, using perceived depth in space as character and setting solitary figures within empty rooms and landscapes. I wished to express these stories in a quiet way, and so made small, intimate pieces that required close viewing for their effects to be fully felt. Notions of loneliness, sadness, and nostalgia are suggested in each piece. I hoped to tell stories that resonated with the individual viewer and left space for contemplation. From here, I will be entering into Senior IS. I would like to continue working in this basic theme, of storytelling through image, but I want to switch from drawing to painting. I plan on working in acrylic, and of the images themselves, I think I will move away from depicting solitary figures and more toward groups of figures in space while still retaining the important role that space played in my Junior IS.

New Ideas

This is an illustration done by Arthur Rackham, a British illustrator of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, entitled A Fairy. Many of Rackham's other illustrations are for well-known literary works, such as those of Shakespeare and various fairy tales. He dealt often with such fantastical subjects as fairies, goblins, and mermaids. Rackham exhibits incredible detail within his work, which I would like to carry into my own. I enjoy finding little things within the illustrations that may escape notice at first glance, but that contribute to the work as a whole. I believe this pulls the viewer deeper into the image, forcing him or her to look closely and therefore form an intimate connection with it. Rackham's use of color also serves as an inspiration to me; his illustrations range from having a more muted palette to being quite colorful. There is something deep and haunting about Rackham's work, and this tone is clear in this Fairy example. Rackham's illustrations draw out a narrative, something that I find important in my own work. His way of telling story through image inspires me; within this Fairy image, there is a narrative being expressed, yet it is not quite clear what this narrative is, exactly. The viewer, then, must put together the pieces of the story provided and try to understand what story is being conveyed. One thing that I will do differently than Rackham is keep my own pieces apart from text; while many of his works are meant to literally "illustrate" a story told through words, I want my paintings to tell a story on their own.

Cotton Introduction Summary

The purpose of the book The Photograph as Contemporary Art by Charlotte Cotton is to present the range of motivations and expressions within the field of photography. The book is divided into eight chapters, each of which examines different categories of contemporary art photography. However, the photographs within each chapter do not necessarily belong exclusively to the category defined by that chapter; rather, the photographs may cover a broad range of themes that stretch over several chapters. Cotton then goes on to give a brief description of many photographers who have had an impact on contemporary art photography. These artists include William Eggleston, Stephen Shore, Alec Soth, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Seydou Keïta, David Goldblatt, and Ralph Eugene Meatyard. Eggleston and Shore have contributed greatly to the shift to color in art photography, and the Bechers sought to connect history and the everyday within photography. Keïta’s work, as well as Goldblatt’s, draw attention to social and cultural imagery.

When the light shines