Earthworks

We set out create an image of a figure who looked very natural, was bound, and appeared to be in distress. This figure was to represent mother nature bound and dragged down by progress and urbanization. The idea of mother nature being the subject of the photo was influenced by the Native American past of the site where we shot. By the end of shooting our vision had morphed a into something slightly different but the idea and representation remained the same. We had intended to process the image to make the figure bound by vines or branches but after shooting the image that we got came out with our mother nature looking beat down and oppressed without much image processing. I think this was effective because the image is more raw and the emotion is more authentic.

Our historical reference is Donatello's statue of Mary Magdelene is the wilderness. We took inspiration from this piece when considering how we wanted to portray our mother nature. Donatello's Mary Magdelene is disheveled and clothed in hair. She appears grimy and a bit crazed. Drawing on these elements we made our figure disheveled by messing up her hair, and covering her with dirt and mud. She is dressed in a garment made of leaves because she in a way is the personification of nature.

We worked in group of four and each member served a different role. Despina was the model for the photograph. I created the garment. Glori shot the pictures. Leanna helped shoot and wrote up our earthwork proposal. We all worked to contribute ideas, feedback, and developed the concept together.

Final Movie

I am very pleased with the final result of our film. We were able to be minimalistic but to still convey the story clearly enough. The lighting and atmosphere worked with the mood we were trying to convey. We could have made the part set in the underworld more fiery which would have helped both differentiate it from the other scenes and create a better mood for the intended emotion. Obviously we are not professional actresses but I feel that considering our capacities in that area we did a good job.

I enjoyed working with this group and we were able to distribute the work evenly. Glori did all of the filming, Despina, Leanna, and I each had an acting role in the movie and when we were not on camera we operating lights or playing the piano for background music.

Mask

The focal point of the picture is the mask even though it is set further back in the depth of the photo. The figure, though the subject, is off to the side of the and the face of the subject is completely unrecognizable. The figure is holding the mask gingerly and examining it. The values around the edges of the picture are burned while the values in the center of the shot are much lighter. The highlights on the figure's hair reference the highlights in the backdrop. The position in which the figure in the photo is holding the mask forms a triangle. This draws the eyes from the figure to the mask.

In this particular photo the mask is a representation of identity. The figure has taken the mask off of her face and is gazing at what she has been portraying to the world. She holds it with care. Why is the mask scared? Why is that the image she is trying to portray? There must be a story behind the mysteries. On another note the photo bears resemblance to the looking into a magic mirror.  

Portraits

I would say that these photos are portraits and I can identify the subject of the portrait easily as Abby. The real portrait does give you some sense of who she is while the ideal portrait is much more superficial but that is what makes it an idealized image. It does not show true emotion and reality but rather strives for perfection, void of the unwanted traits and emotions that mare reality. Because portraits are posed it is difficult to truly capture reality but what is actually captured is a performance of a perceived reality. In both the real and the ideal portraits the subject is wearing the same outfit. It is a simple solid red/pink shirt but it is removed of its color in the ideal portrait due to the black and white effect on the photo. The lighting in the real portrait is bright and broad. The lighting in the ideal portrait is narrow which adds to the idilic quality of the photo because it a more flattering light. I think the camera is female because both portraits are taken straight on and portray the subject simply. I think that true self is incredibly difficult to capture in a portrait. I think that it requires that the subject be totally comfortable in front of the camera and that the photographer know the subject's true self. A false self is much easier to portray because while true self is the one thing that the person is the false self can be anything the person is not. I captured what I perceived to be Abby's true self in the real portrait but only she knows whether that is in fact her true self.     

I am easily identifiable as the subject of both of the portraits. As far as a depiction of my personality each portrait captures a small part of me. In this portrait a bit of intensity comes through. The real portrait captures a more athletic side of me while the ideal portrait shows a friendly outgoing side that is dressed more formally. The portraits convey a social designation as a typical college student. In the ideal portrait I am standing in front of academic looking building in preppy clothes. I am also laughing and socializing which also contribute to my appearance as a college student. Athletics also contribute to the idea of a typical college student and the real picture captures that. I think that each of these photos shows a bit of reality along with a bit of fantasy. The black and white effect of the ideal photo adds to the ideal quality of it because it smooths everything over and makes it seem much less natural. The coloring and lighting of the real portrait make it believable and tangible. Also the wardrobe is in the real portrait is thrown together and the outfit is not dressy making it feel more real. I do not think that these portraits connote a gender of the camera. True self and false self cannot be fully portrayed in a single portrait but pieces of each can be conveyed. As I said previously each portrait has a little bit of my true self as well as a little bit of my false, or ideal, self.    

Depicting God

The mosaic at the front of Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe was consecrated in 549. It was created during the period of 6^th century Byzantine art. It depict the transfiguration of Jesus Christ. In the scene the hand of God can be seen reaching down from heaven, Christ is represented by the jeweled cross. Under the cross Saint Apollinare is seen praying with out-stretched arms. There are three sheep by the horizon, eyes fixed on the jeweled cross who symbolize John, Peter, and James. The twelve sheep looking on from the bottom of the mosaic represent the community of believers and more specifically the disciples. The whole scene takes place in a pastural area with vegetation. Byzantine art often dealt with Christianity or Christian themes and the basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe is no exception. In the 6^th century the medium of mosaics was adapted from primarily floor decoration to wall art. The semi-dome of an apse is also common for the 6^th century. Another characteristic of Byzantine art that utilized in the basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe is the frontal presentation of main figures such as Saint Apollinare.

This picture was an alternative image for God for me because it summarizes the work of God through Jesus Christ in his time on earth and depicts the three persons of God. For me this image also spoke to the immensity of God. He is vast in love, size, and knowledge. It reminds me that God created all things, both natural and intellectual, from his nature and by his words. I chose to take my image of God in the library because it represented to me the omniscience of God. In one of my classes we discussed the idea of learning about God and growing in him through the study of all disciplines because the all originated from His mind. In thinking about these ideas I came up with depicting God through the vastness of the knowledge that he created. 

For my second picture of God I chose a photograph of a snowflake. Like a snowflake at first glance God can seem simple and flat. I recognize that this sounds rather horrible to say but I often find myself making assumptions about God or value judgement that when I actually reflect and consider are quickly overturned. For example, when something in my life goes south I often pity myself because I am a victim of unfortunate circumstances rather than recognizing that everything occurs according to God's perfect plan. At first glance a snowflake just looks it a white speck, but upon further examination a structure and complexity is recognized. I also have always been drawn to the idea that no two snowflakes are the same. To me, this points out that God is infinitely more capable than what I can even imagine. 

The image of God that I made for class was taken to capture the vastness and omniscience of God. A library of books is vast. It contains more facts, knowledge, and words than anyone can condense into their brains and understand. This, to me, reflects God both the art historical and contemporary images that I chose to portray God. The mind, nature, and acts of God are vast like the scope of the dome and so complex that we as humans can't even imagine his thoughts because we can't even fathom how every single snowflake could be unique.   

Celebrating the Less than Peachy

The most pronounced line in this photo is the line of the river traveling off into the distance. The dead trees also make a line that matches with the horizon. The river forms a triangle. The contrast in the shadows and highlights of the grass add to the sense of deadness that it gives off. The point of view is straight on and distant which is typical to a landscape.

This picture is celebrating the earth. Even though the trees are dead and skeleton they are still beautiful. The photo conveys a certain solemn are similar to Vincent Van Gogh's painting Olive Trees with the Alpilles in the Background. Van Gogh painted this piece in 1889. Van Gogh uses dark, muted colors and the picture has a gloomy mood, but that is part of what makes it beautiful. The tan, dying long grass is found in both images and help to convey the gloomy solemn tone that links the images. These images are a reminder that even in mourning and solemn times there can be beauty and that is worthy of celebrating.

Earthworks manipulate nature. It is changed in what ever way the artist sees fit. Earthworks are humans creating based on the within nature while landscapes are just capturing nature in its true, original, and unadulterated beauty. When making an earthwork the artist often tries to push boundaries in their work done in part by the manipulation, but while a landscape can be controversial, it is often much more tame and straight forward.

Getting Lost Slideshow

All of the pictures are in black and white. There is a consistent value and lighting throughout the collection. The pictures play with depth and layers. Some create the illusion that the subject is coming out of the frame. The pictures are light weight, carefree, and natural.

The photos of Elie Saab's textiles mimic the feel and texture of the photos in the collection. It shows the original and a recreation, quite literally a fabrication of what God first created. The media quote relates the beauty of nature with beauty in another, manmade way. For me the quote takes the same beauty out of nature and applies it in a formal, stiff environment. If nature is embodied by soft blowing breezes the fabric of the fashion show is reminiscent of starch.

The scope of all of the pictures is close up and the field of view is narrow and up-close. Each picture, as mentioned before, has layers despite the small scope of the photo. The black and white and the shared values of the pictures help add to their cohesion. The progression of the pictures almost come to a point. At the start of the they are softer and end in the spider picture which is more severe.

I think one thing that works in the collection is the use of black and white. Also the media quote resembles the photos nicely while also bringing a different angle and connotation to the them. On the negative side not all of the photos fit together as seamlessly as the rest. For this reason I removed one photo of a vine climbing up tree bark. To improve the collection further I would crop in the photos of the fashion models to emphasize the textile because the background and model's faces are not contributing to the collection.

The photos and the media quotes within this collection speak to both the way of media and the way of culture. Nature is the only thing that is truly original. Culture draws from that and recreates and manipulates it for its purposes. In his clothing Elie Saab draws his inspiration from nature but drags it into the context of culture. Nature has the power to change culture but while culture can manipulate and destroy nature it can not affect actual, original change to it.    

The Body 2013

The focal point of the picture is the figure to the left side of the frame. From the figure the sidewalk creates two distinct lines that stand in contrast to the dark paved street. The dashed crosswalk also creates a line the travels in a different direction from the other two lines of the sidewalk. The lines created by the street signs mimic the lines of the street and the sidewalk. The figure is much darker than the rest of the shot making her stand out. The picture was composed with a lot of things going on and a lot of lines to lead your eye around the picture. The point of view is at eye level and because it is from the back of the figure it gives the impression that the viewer is seeing what the figure is seeing.

My art historical is a statue of a greek goddess looking out across the ocean. The statue has no head. She is poised forward as if she is about to travel into the ocean and beyond. The statue being headless makes her anonymous; she could be anyone. Her body is poised for motion and the endless possibilities of the ocean stretch out in from of her.

This photograph represents the body in 2013 because to me the body takes you were you want to go. Physically the body is literally what allows one to move forward and take which ever path you choose but it also it also gets you where you want to go in other ways. I was reading an article that discussed the correlation between being perceived as attractive the ability of the person to get hired. The article noted that “attractive” people were more likely to get chosen for a position over a more average looking person and that “attractive” people are generally perceived as more friendly. In this sense the body or physical appearance is what gets people where they want to go. The figure in the picture is poised forward, much like the statue, and she is looking up at the road signs trying to determine where her body will take her.