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Response to Roland Barthes “Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography” II

Early in the second half of his book, Barthes describes his search for his deceased mother in the photographs left behind in her apartment. He finally “rediscover(s)” his mom in an image of her and her brother when they were young children. Barthes actually has not seen this version of his mother before, yet this is the image that calls to him. I think it reveals that he wanted to see his mom at the moment in her life when she was the most herself; she was as she was, simply and unobstructed. Barthes finally sees his mother’s “true face,” as he quoted Proust. I like how Barthes refuses to reproduce this image of his mother because it makes his thoughts seem more authentic and personalized to him. When Barthes talks about color, he says he does not really like it and what truly matters to him in a photograph is that it is able to make its own rays of light that affect him and not rely on the physical color of the image. I think that this stance probably has some origin in his discussion of “punctum” in that he wants a picture that will go beyond itself in the physical plane and interrupt his emotional field. Barthes also likens a photograph to a “certificate of presence,” which I believe is an entirely accurate description. In essence, I think Barthes’ book has given me more insight into the less obvious aspects of photography, which has helped me garner a more positive stance on the art.

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Response to Roland Barthes “Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography”

Early in his book, Barthes discusses photography as the combination of a chemical procedure and a physical one. I realized I have not thought much about the chemical and physical aspects of taking pictures after reading this; it seems as though I have focused on photography as an art and never considered its scientific properties. The author then describes the process of objectification of self in portrait photography and likens it to a minute type of death. I would also compare it to loss of perceived humanlike dimensionality: a person is compressed into his physical representation, which leaves no room for his intangible qualities, like the thoughts in his head or the depth of his voice.  Later Barthes explains his interest in certain pictures as stadium, and I realized that I had felt that way too but just never knew the word to define it. Barthes states that while painting is usually seen as the predecessor to photography, he believes that theater is a better fit for that role. Initially I felt as though that position was a stretch, but once the author went more into depth with his beliefs, I understood his reasoning and partially agreed with him. In essence, I really like how Barthes has broken down primarily the interpretation and impact of photographs instead of focusing on the actual photographic process. I think it is easy to forget that photography involves more than simply taking pictures of pretty scenes or items, especially in the current era with the popularity of selfies. The act of creating an image has artistic value that should be explored.

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Response to Adrian Piper’s Calling Cards

Honestly, on my first reading of this work I thought Piper was a black man, but after researching the artist, I found that Piper is a black and white woman, which helped  me put everything into perspective. I liked that each calling card responded to a different aspect of her identity: one to her biracialism and the other to her sex. The one about her race dealt with the racism but from a fresh perspective. I feel that often when people discuss race, the concept of being of more than one race is not mentioned, so to have a commentary on the topic from that perspective is eye-opening.  Piper’s discussion of her options was realistic and really helped to understand what her situation was like. The card was an unexpected way of not only obtaining the attention of the offender, but of the viewer as well. Piper’s second card involved her sex, and, just like her first card, provided a less prominent perspective on a situation. I feel like in total, her cards delivered a great social commentary on issues that need discussion.

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Response to Jenny Holzner’s Venice Installation and Diane Waldman’s The Language of Signs

Within Holzner’s Venice Installation lies a number of seemingly private and sensitive texts written in a number of eye-catching fonts. After reading her work, I liked the rawness of her words but did not understand the meaning behind the fonts and presentation of the words. Once I read Waldman’s essay on her, I finally understood, and I loved it. The jump from impersonal, corporate advertisements to flashy, viciously intimate text was a wonderful way for Holzner to spread her messages, in my opinion. Moreover, Holzern’s words sound like the thoughts that lie deep in our minds but rarely see the light of conversation, so her work is even more shocking to the reader. I liked that while her work definitely reminded me of Andy Warhol’s, she had a much more serious direction in mind. In essence, I think that Holzner’s art has shown the power of language and how the expectations of the viewer can bolster it tenfold.

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Response to Willie Doherty’s Ghost Story Excerpt

Doherty opens with a description of an unfamiliar path framed by trees on either side. Beyond one side is a river, and beyond the other is traffic. Doherty looks behind him, and in the figures he sees in the trees, he is reminded of an event earlier in his life. What Doherty saw made him realize that the remnants of tragedy are everywhere; in the corners and cracks of every building, he could sense the tomb of a calamity. The author says that regardless of what people think of the dead, they are beyond this world and difficult to understand. Doherty then recounts two instances in his life involving death or tragedy; he saw a picture of a dead man in a newspaper and a wrecked car. He explains how each interacted with him, almost as if the dead have beckoned him throughout his life. The author closes with a quick recollection of numerous deathly scenes from his life and warns of a wraith of daylight that foretells either the death of oneself or a close friend. This entire piece essentially discusses the awareness of death and its inevitability.

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frame.

This subject is framed vertically to encapsulate its height. The composition as a whole presents bold, dark lines on a grey, blurry sky. The nail pattern on the right exists as a less noticeable element and contributes a fraction of asymmetrical balance. With emphasis on height, the space seems vast and vertical.  

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frame.

The subject of this image is framed by two blurry figures pushed against the face of the lens. This scene can be split into three vertical slices that vary in width to create a sense that if just a little more of a slice was given, then the shot would have better balance. With no frame of reference, interpretation of the subject is purely dependent on the viewer. The bars help to disrupt the volume of space and create a duality of the depth of field with closeness against a distant subject. 

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frame.

The subjects of this image are framed not only by their position but by their color as well; as the only objects that are not green or brown, they naturally contrast with the other elements. In this scene there is a focus on a figure that is close to the eye but with the distant background a feeling of a deep space is elicited.

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frame.

The subject of this image is cast against a cloud. The eye is drawn to the orange light at the center which contrasts with the blue of the sky. With the tree covering most of the light, it seems as if the light is part of the tree; this union is the focus of the scene and is almost the only discernible figure. 

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frame.

This image has no frame of reference or symmetry. The focus of this piece is on the pattern and roughness of the subject and as such creates a shallow but consistently wide space.

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frame.

I chose to frame this shot vertically to accent the length of the board. The scene is symmetrical with rocks on either side of the board to allow for contrast of the wood with the stones. I partially hid a frame of reference so that the knowledge of the parts as a whole would not take away from the theme of wood against stone.

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frame.

The focus in this image is placed on a narrow slip at the center. The composition is neither balanced nor symmetrical. The background features a deep space but is not emphasized and exists only to contrast with the focal point.

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frame.

The subject of this is the group of rocks at the front and center. I chose to take this shot from the center of the train track to not only provide symmetry but also a frame of reference.

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frame.

The subject of this image, the ground, is centered. I chose to take this through an opening that resembles the shape of the human eye so it looks as though the viewer is looking through the eye, or the eye is looking at the viewer. The space of the shot is quite shallow as the ground and rim are close to the camera. 

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frame.

With this image, I focused on creating almost a physical frame with the leaves around the center of the shot. With leaves so close to the camera, it gives the sense that the viewer is peering through them into a space that seems almost surprisingly deep that is typically hidden by the plant.

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Response to Terry Barrett’s Criticizing Art

Barret begins this chapter with a discussion on the distinction between modernity and postmodernity, two words I have encountered many times but have never taken the time to research and understand. I find myself having a difficult time grasping the fact that the Age of Modernity started with the Enlightenment; in my head I have always related the word modern with the current day, but in the world of art, that is not the case. Modernity encapsulates such ideals as democracy, capitalism, urbanization, and science: ideals still held with value in today’s society. While modernity has its roots in rationalism, postmodernity comes from philosophy. Where modernity celebrates the logic and unity of the individual, postmodernity undervalues the ability of the self to cause change and instead posits that an individual is simply the result of his language, relationships, and unconscious. As Barrett continues with his differentiation of postmodernity from modernity, I cannot help but picture modernity as a middle aged adult with a rebellious, punk child that desires to create his own beliefs and opinions of the world almost through simple opposition of his parent’s. Barrett also discusses formalism and its relation to the two topics at hand. I especially like the author’s inclusion of criticism because of how alien yet significant a concept it seems to me. I also find the incorporation of feminist theory and its effects on art interesting; on hearing how much work feminists had put into making changes in the world of art, I feel surprised at how little I have heard of their efforts.