portraiture
ˈpɔːtrɪtʃə/ noun
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A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person.
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The photographer Myra Greene creates portrait images of herself using traditional photographic processes. In the project character recognition she focusses on different parts of her face as a process of recognition and exploration.
Greene intended to define a character by their different, specific facial features. Her most recognisable prints focus on the mouth and lips. Greene considers racial classification in this body of work. This is shown by the self portraits she took of herself (a black woman) and the context surrounding the images: upon seeing the print develop she was overcome with shock that she thought she 'looked like a slave'. This prompted her to consider how others viewed her and explore the racial connotations that her images produced. The photographer wanted to explore discrimination, classification and specifically racial issues within America. When creating this piece of work Greene was also taking into account the shocking racial comments made on an article about hurricane Katrina, on the New York Times online. This is shown by the incorporation of blackness in the image alongside the colour of her skin. To create these photographs, Greene has used wet plate printing. This creates a defined focus on the small details of the features like imperfections. This helps to support the photographer's intention about categorisation and judgement being passed solely based on appearance. Greene used an old form of printing with 2 3000 watt flashes 9 inches away from her face, with the camera 14 inches from her face. This allows her to look closer at the physiology and phenology of her own features. This also helps to highlight how the historical photography techniques established in the 1850s/1860s link to the history of black people in the U.S i.e slavery which was also in the 1850s/60s. |
First response
As a response to Myra Greene's 'Character Recognition' series, we took photos of our classmates in the studio. We tried to recreate the close, bright lighting and focus in on facial features.
Instead of wet plate printing, we took the photos digitally and edited them in photoshop. By making the images black and white and then altering the individual colours within each picture, we found that you could almost change the race of the person and also make them look similar to Greene's collection. This was interesting as it raised questions about how appearance is judged, which links to the photographer's intentions; by 'changing' the race and the exposure of the models, a different meaning and mood were conveyed. |
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Second response
As a development, we photographed students and adults around school to get a wider subject range (as our class is very small). I then edited the chosen images the same way.
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In class we took a workshop given by our artist-in-residence Saya Sugawara. Drawing from memories of her own childhood, Sayako Sugawara's ongoing interest is the exploration of the liminal. She examines between memory and imagination, analysis and poetics, stillness and movement through her work. Sayako works predominantly in Photographic and moving images, but also uses a variety of other mediums from printmaking to sculpture installations to investigate the transient nature of her work. She showed us different techniques that we could use to develop some of our Myra Greene inspired portraits, including spraying and painting on the developer along with using tissue paper and oil & water to disrupt the exposure. Her blog whilst working at our school is: www.cyansummit.tumblr.com
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results:
On the right are further examples of experimental developing (of our myra greene inspired images) in the darkroom. One is painted on developer, one is with tissue paper on top of the photographic paper and another has been exposed to light underwater with oil droplets in. All of these produced interesting results; I especially like the oil and water technique as it produces an interesting effect. Depending on where you put the developer, different parts of the image would be exposed. This gave the results an element of chance. |
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Georgetown from lewis khan on Vimeo. |
Lewis Khan is a freelance photographer and videographer based in London. Georgetown is a video portrait of one South London resident - George, who, nostalgic for the past, decorates his surroundings with writing and symbolic objects.
Khan got to know George over a period of six years, through impromptu and informal meetings in the street, usually the same one. During a period of his adolescence that saw playing football in the street as a daily ritual, they often shared the same space. Frequently they would meet with a simple nod, more frequently a hello, and on occasion George would join in for a kick about. |
cellphone / (andrew curtis)
aura rosenberg (who am I?)
For my second strand, I was interested in basic portrait photography with things written on the model. I was thinking of the different themes that could be written on the model and how this would alter both the intention and mood of the photograph. This image, from Aura Rosenberg's series "who am I?" particularly stood out to me. I found the 'character profile' an interesting choice to write on the model as it suggested a very detached, clinical and categorical meaning. It prompted further ideas of classification and personalisation. |
stephen j shanabrook (paper surgery)
Finally, after researching different artists, I came across Stephen Shanabrook and his series "Paper Surgery". I liked how he took generically beautiful photographs of models and distorted them into ugly, harsh shapes. The images produced were almost scary in how odd and subverted they were from the traditional beauty that they started with. My response:
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I have chosen to develop the second of my three strands (inspired by Aura Rosenberg). I felt that I could develop this one the furthest by experimenting with different techniques to write on the models' faces, and by changing the content of what will be written. I started the process by researching other artists that do similar things to draw inspiration from. I encountered Shirin Neshat's work and thought it was especially relevant and interesting to explore:
Keywords: monochrome, silence, conceptual, text, poetry
Mise en Scene: The image is black and white. In this photo there is a woman in the centre of the image, with inscribed iranian writing covering her face (except the eyes). She holds a stick that divides her face (and the image) in half. Process/technique: The photographer used a digital camera. Content: In 1993-97, Neshat produced her first body of work, a series of stark black-and-white photographs entitled Women of Allah, conceptual narratives on the subject of female warriors during the Iranian Islamic Revolution of 1979. On each photograph, she inscribed calligraphic Farsi text on the female body (eyes, face, hands, feet, and chest); the text is poetry by contemporary Iranian women poets who had written on the subject of martyrdom and the role of women in the Revolution. As the artist, she took on the role of performer, posing for the photographs. These photographs became iconic portraits of willfully armed Muslim women. Yet every image, every women’s submissive gaze, suggests a far more complex and paradoxical reality behind the surface. Neshat returned to Iran in 1990, eleven years after the Islamic Revolution, and was shocked by what she saw. That trip led to her first body of work, the photographic series Women of Allah, consisting of conceptual narratives on the subject of female warriors during the Revolution. |
first observations
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edits
I decided to edit my first set of observations digitally on photoshop. After giving the models a template of a face, I asked them to write whatever they wanted on their faces. Somewhat surprisingly, they all wrote negative things such as their bad qualities or bad things people had said to them. This proved interesting as it juxtaposed with them laughing but evoked a deeper, more serious feeling when written on their faces when they had a straight expression or them swearing. It felt like a response to the words/phrases. I liked this as it was almost the opposite: instead of the words degrading them, they empowered the models as a show of everything they weren't. Of course, some were nice and contrasted with the harsher phrases.
visual progress
I started with my chosen strand- inspired by aura rosenberg's image. I then responded to it by experimenting with physically writing on my brother's face. I then moved on to digitally editing the words on to the model's face, and changing the group of words to flaws/ things that people have said to them. This created a more personalised approach. I also switched to taking photos in the studio to create a more consistent and better composed/quality set of images. I plan to develop this further by taking more shots and then moving outside the studio and experimenting with other ways to write on the image. |
second observations
For my second set of observations, I continued with the above theme and photographed my friend Erika and asked her to write down some of her perceived flaws/ negative comments she's encountered. I then wrote on the image in the same way as before, but focused more on how the words were arranged on the face.
Georgina Westbrook is an ex-student who experimented with writing on her images manually. I liked this idea and want to apply it to my work to develop my project further.
I think it will be interesting to photograph people outside of the studio and alone, and then adding the annotations/doodles. I like the idea of the models providing their own phrases or drawings as it personalises the image and adds interest/realism. It would be interesting to explore the theme of 'flaws' still, and I think the models standing alone and almost contemplating the annotations would work well. I would experiment first with writing with chalk pens on acetate (on top of the image) and then move on to perspex. With the perspex layer, I would create a physical distance between the photo and perspex so that the place in which you viewed the photo would impact on what you see- you could either see the annotations 'on' the photo or the plain photo. This is another reason why I think it'd be better to take photos outside the studio; so that the images alone aren't so simple. |
third observations
fourth observations
After photographing my friend Anna, I particularly liked the landscape one of her against the brick wall. I then set out to photograph more of my friends to build up a photoset. I photographed them as they did everyday activities, trying to capture a moment of reflection. I also asked them to draw some small pictures and write down phrases specific to them. Some of them wrote the worst thing that someone has ever said to them. I plan to write these on acetate and layer that over the printed image.
development
To incorporate the theme of flaws in to my most recent observations, I put a clear acetate sheet on top of the photos and doodled/wrote on it with chalk pens. These were either things someone had said to them or their thoughts. I asked them to create a page specific to them where they could doodle and write whatever they wanted. I then took the strongest/most visually interesting elements and drew them on to their images. I wanted to link the images together in some way, so decided to put the text in white dots (referencing Georgina Westbrook). I also chose to use at least 2 colours when writing on each image to add more colour and interest. The drawings were deliberately childish/bad to reflect doodles rather than proper/crafted drawings. To arrive at this outcome, I drew inspiration from Westbrook and developed the style of portraiture until I was satisfied that they were interesting and good enough to draw over.
I am pleased with these images as I think the chalk pens worked well and the colours add further interest. To develop this, I'm going to research more artists that do the same thing to develop my own ideas for work. I also think the childish doodles work well with the slogans and personalise each portrait.
Clunie Reid is a contemporary artist that writes on her photographs- transforming them into different pieces of work. She comments that the text is like a psychotic voice addressing the image.
There’s an imperative in the way that the text works in relation to the image; the drawing is a continuity of the photograph. It’s all organised quite formally and done very quickly. There’s not a lot of time spent considering, and she does more than she uses- making and editing later. Each work is developed from a bank of association. It’s informed, but the connections come from the habit of making. Most of her work deals with the idea of absurdity and aims to shock the viewer. |
Keywords: dotted, busy, spread out, focussed, questioning
Mise en Scene: this image consists of a a woman looking directly into the camera with her face in focus. Holes have been poked and appear as white dots on the image, around her head and coming out of her mouth forming a rough speech bubble. Within the speech bubble is a question, partially visible in dots and partially visible from the lack of dots. Process/technique: Buetti finds fashion images and puts surreal tints on a black background, then places the photograph on an aluminium light box. He punctures thousands of holes through the image- sometimes adding speech bubbles and quotes with color transparencies behind the perforations. Content: Buetti makes use of advertising tools to expose the frailty of popular culture, explore our perceptions of beauty, and reveal the omnipotence of the media in our society. He does this by asking questions within speech bubbles that address psychological and philosophical issues like the one in the above image. He also intends to ask what function the role of media plays in the formation of identity, and question whether society can form identity without the media’s influence. He demonstrates this intention by using popular fashion adverts in his work. Buetti uses light to attract the viewer in the same seductive way that the media uses beauty, forcing us to realize the inherent manipulation. By taking the photographs away from their original context, the artist speaks about the emotional relationship between appearance and reality as well as the vulnerability of human nature. |
artist & me comparison
I chose to compare these two examples of each of our work as there are parallels and contrasting elements between both. For example, both images depict a model with a statement written in a 'bubble' of coloured dots above their heads. Also, they both use similar colours (yellow and white). However, the dots have been made by different processes: Buetti pokes holes in his image and places it on a lightbox to create them, whereas I have drawn them on with chalk pen. This difference is interesting as it explains the brightness, differing sizes and the placing of Buetti's dots in comparison to the fairly uniform ones on my photo. Another difference is evident in the actual photo: mine is in colour and I have taken it, whereas Buetti uses models' images from adverts or fashion campaigns, often in black and white. This creates the sense that the annotations are reflective of Buetti's views on the whole modelling/advertising industry, wheres my annotations (linked the the model themselves and their flaws) are informed by personal factors and thus are specific to each individual photo.
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To develop my project further, I am going to take inspiration from both Buetti and Reid and take more images in different settings where light depicts the mood/atmosphere. I will then continue drawing on them as before and possibly getting the models to write questions or deciding questions myself that link to the specific image. Also, I plan to change the medium upon which they'll be presented: substituting acetate for larger sheets of perspex plastic and enlarging the final images, leaving a space between the two when hung up.
To develop my project further, I am going to take inspiration from both Buetti and Reid and take more images in different settings where light depicts the mood/atmosphere. I will then continue drawing on them as before and possibly getting the models to write questions or deciding questions myself that link to the specific image. Also, I plan to change the medium upon which they'll be presented: substituting acetate for larger sheets of perspex plastic and enlarging the final images, leaving a space between the two when hung up.
attic
To develop the project further, I decided to take some more portraits in atmospheric places. I went to our school's disused attic to take a set of observations. This was interesting as it presented unique lighting and an old, mysterious feel to the images. I asked the model to look at her phone for some of the images as I liked this element and think it will present more opportunities for annotations later.
I liked how this set of observations provided more atmospheric feeling through the revised setting choice- the attic and it's varying states of decay added a darker and more mysterious feel. However, something about them didn't seem right- it seemed too staged and unnatural for the model to be in this attic as an everyday occurrence. I am going to bring forward the idea of having an interestingly lit setting but experiment with different types of lighting in my next set of observations.
development - lighting / setting change
RED
ELLA
DIEGO
DYLAN
I chose to photograph the models in settings with red and neon light. I'm pleased with the outcome of these images as the lighting provides a visually interesting mood and atmosphere. I also chose the selected images from each set to include ones in which the models were looking at their phones. I did this as I liked the previous observations when they were doing this as it implied the annotations were from the phone / texts they were receiving. Also, in the dark I liked the light that was reflected on their faces from the phone: linking back to one of the earlier artists- Andrew Curtis. I plan to take further sets of observations of people in other locations with interesting lighting, then choose my best 3 or 4 images to enlarge and annotate over.
I printed out my favourite image from this set to experiment with annotating over. I wanted to draw inspiration from Buetti's work and experiment with the style of writing; bubble writing surrounded by coloured dots and a combination of line letters.
I printed out my favourite image from this set to experiment with annotating over. I wanted to draw inspiration from Buetti's work and experiment with the style of writing; bubble writing surrounded by coloured dots and a combination of line letters.
final development
I liked the coloured, neon lights in the previous set of observations and how the light played a significant role in the atmosphere of the portraits. I think this idea is strong enough to bring in to my final piece, but I want each model to be in a different location. For my next set of observations I tried to recreate this with different models in different settings- in front of interesting lights and colours. I also continued the phone light motif running through the different sets.
final images
For my final piece, I plan to print them out A3 and annotate with chalk pens on A3 pieces of clear acrylic that will be a few inches in front of the image. This will mean that they are slightly separated but implied to be part of the original image. I chose these images as they encompassed the best elements of all my previous observations; the lighting was a prominent part of the image and the phones were used to provide further ambiance or suggest another meaning, similar to Andrew Curtis' ideas. The annotations will be drawn in different colours, with the white dotted bubble linking them together.