Self Portrait

In this project of three A2 self portraits that change my appearance. Manipulating the drawings included wearing a hat, a fake moustache, and a different hairstyle. Using a sketchbook for initial sketches, I will compose a response provoking image.

Rembrandt in the 1960’s produced traditional self portraits. The majority use dark backgrounds with a high natural light highlighting the figure, however predictable I like the composition in this style. What interest me about Rembrandt are the paintings of him-self laughing, something I imagine was very contemporary and brave to produce at this time. These paintings include the observations of imperfections in the skin like the creased forehead. I have noticed the focus in these images is the face and expression which I find very appropriate.

Kathe Kolwitz approaches herself image in a completely different way to Rembrandt as she included a glum expression. This possibly represents a struggling woman who may be malnourished or lonely. The use of line is very expressive which gives life to the drawings; the media in some cases creates a harsh bold image making each mark purposeful. In some images it interests me that she has chosen to portray herself facing away, hiding or concealing herself. This position suggests keeping secrets of the unseen. I like how the life of the images is created through fixed yet careful mark making.

Jenny Saville gives a much more shocking image of the self, with a very strong message I see that of the body is beautiful. These portraits show the naked body in an imperfect and flawed sense, but they also demonstrate there is a strong personality behind the physical form. The paintings Jenny Saville have done use broad confident brushstrokes using shape and dynamic colour to produce an especially powerful image.

Tai chen schierenberg uses a great range of viewpoint with his portraits, occasionally showing two different perspectives in the same image. I like the combination of faces that gives a sense of movement in the image and showing strong emotion at the same time. I think his self portraits are an incredibly powerful collection of imagery. A lot of shadow is present on the face of his self-portraits contrasting with a paler background with no detail. This technique gives all focus onto the figure.

This research has taught me the mark making of an image is vital in how I wish to portray myself image. The emotion is also important, I will dramatically change the images appearance and appeal. An essential decision I will have to make is what media I choose to use, the background and composition, these will all change the finished look of the image.

The secret meaning of things – Deconstruction

To understand the meaning you need to be able to analyse the form and content.
Formal elements help to evaluate some of these could be the size, shape, colour scale, proportion media, materials or technology. The intended purpose or application is also vital in the understanding of things. The intended audience and distribution could be mass production or one off,
The content gives understanding of the meaning, language, philosophy/psychology (how we think and how we operate in the world). The content is usually taken for granted as we are bombarded with visual stimulus.

Contextual elements
The culture is the regional and cultural differences. The date and contemporary framework, like historical framework is affected by current date. The socio-economic conditions are the society in which it is produced, this could be restrictive, preindustrial or many other things it is also to do with how wealthy or poor. Political framework are both overtly and discrete or veiled. Variants are comparisons of other elements. The producer’s oeuvre is important, it is their general visual language that the producer chooses (e.g. an artist’s style). The producer’s cultural capital is also important this is their biography (e.g. location, family etc.) Cultural conventions are the visual language that is used in that culture (e.g. fashion, TV, food) these would be the accepted and common aspects.
Cultural Capital – Everyone acquires this and the visual knowledge
Your cultural capital varies and is dependent on:
Age – older means a person has seem more
Era raised – context of society
Education – opportunities which give power, from both formal and informal learning
Race/Culture – conventions differ with taste for example food/music/activities
Religion – effects the receive-ability of material
Gender – learn to be feminine/masculine through dress code and expectations, question of nature or nurture
Sexuality – can be political in the sense of acceptance of the world
Socio-economic position (class) – experiences
Location (geographically) – common occurrences, this has changed as internet makes this less important
Peer groups – influence, the pool intelligence make improvements
Political learning’s – young people are more educated in this
Grass roots politics/beliefs – environmentalism or local society in a more important in this view
Ethics or morals – can’t produce or appreciate because of these
Parental influence – I find this significant in my case but in society it may be the opposite

Deconstruction – to look with intent
Semiotics – the science of signs
Structuralism (this focuses mainly on words)
A sign is an object giving meaning. The label or the material object is known as the signifier. The meaning, concept or mental image is the signified. For example if the signifier Rose, the signified would be love and romance. These signs infer meaning from the way they look. This is vitally important as they can look similar but have completely different meanings.

Signs can also be brands a famous example of this is Coca-Cola which has become an iconic sign which has even influenced the image of Father Christmas. Functional objects show a different significance. Signs can mutate over time, for example Levi jeans.
Post-structuralism – Everything visual is a sign
Signs can be contradictory, evolving, and transferable. They are dependent on context and the cultural capital, the taste is individual but it is very possible to fine someone with similar taste. Gilssement means a sign can be slightly different in a few years. A sign is a message.

The photograph

How many have you seen? Millions and even more constantly
How many of them can you remember?
1826 was the year of the 1st photograph is an 8 hour exposure made with a pin-hole camera. Only 4 years later was the 1st photograph with people in. This photograph is made with a process called Daguerreotype using a polished metal plate and a lens, also to process these photographs mercury is used making this a hazardous technique.
In 1835 a negative/positive approach to photography was developed, the famous ‘Latticed Window’ is an example of this. A process like this gives the means of mass production in coping multiples of the positive. This process raised the debate of weather photography can be art when it is not an original.
Photography is becoming a fast and cheap accessible. It is an accurate ‘representation of reality’; making art becomes an interpretation not to represent reality (artistic licence).
What Do Photographs Do?
Record, inform, entertain, influence.
Photographs are powerful as it can be different from what we see through our eyes from what the lens captures. August Sander’s photograph ‘Young Soldier’ (1945) shows contrast between the humanity of the face and army uniform, the face and expression makes this relatable.
What is a Photograph?
Visual image, frozen in time, conveys information, two dimensional, static, subject selected by photographer, composed. An objective photograph is unbiased and representation.
What is the difference between film/TV and photography?
Photographs are still, viewed as long as the audience wanted. Film or TV must have a beginning middle and end.
The Decisive moment is a photography captured at the most important split second.
Iconic Images
The widespread exposure to a mass audience leads to familiarity and iconic status. Most well known could easily religious. Che Guevara – Alberto Korda, This image became a symbol of rebellion and free going, this image has lost its original anchor over time. Marilyn Diptych – Warhol, This image is a combination of prints all with light imperfections taken from the original photograph in 1953. Another iconic image is on abbey road – Beatles LP making it a famous crossing taken by Ian Macmillan in 1969. One of the best selling posters is ‘Athena tennis girl’ by Martin Elliot, it is a negative representation of women. The famous photograph of ‘Dorothea Lange migrant worker, during the great depression’ this is a metaphor of agony of motherhood in poverty.
Historical Opinion
There was an apparent closeness to reality which was accurate, realistic and truthful. Photography is a power for social change, social documentary and propaganda.
Contemporary Opinion
Things have changed, there is now an awareness of the potential for manipulation, technology trickery, deliberate fakery and a dishonest and untrustworthy manipulation.
Who is the photographer? Who is more trustworthy as a photographer, the paparazzi, journalists or an amateur? When money is involved it gives the photographer a commercial interest.
What is the truth? In ‘Lunch on 69th Floor’ from 1932 there is a strong sense of manipulation with the photograph when studying the feet of the workers. Some truths are more acceptable than others, where the meaning of things can change.
How do we know what things mean? We can use what we know to interpret photographs and their meaning. We read the form (what), the context (where) and the genre. A genre could be domestic, portrait, commercial or media. Even when you don’t know the terminology your thought processes pick up on these things.
The meaning of a photograph is not fixed.
The context is crucial, if it changes so does the meaning.
The text can lend significance, even when photographers have other intentions.
The reality is not captured it is transformed and mediated.