Amber for Caution exhibition by Valerie Phillips

Title on the book caution? looking in to the reason why the title is called this, it may have something to do with amber traffic lights meaning there could be some danger in amber. The amber light is in the middle questioning if your unsure weather to go or stop? Description of the figure? This is a portrait shot, close up image of amber with a blank expression in the image, which shows me her natural side. She seems to look pure and natural by stripping away her clothes it shows me more of her inside. The location is bore not relevant to the image i feel as the other images are on location which is contrast to this photograph. looking at the composition of the image it is full frontal, straight image with the  composition to the left and main focal point is on her face with a slightly off centre. It seems that on one part of her face shows me more detail than the other this could mean she had two different sides?

By looking at the text given on the photograph it is a quote from amber describing herself its seems to me like its a kind of introduction of her self. Very straight to the point by saying "am pretty nice"which is like she putting ideas in to the viewers head before we have even meet her. I do feel the text doesn't really work as even though she says she is shy she also say "come talk to me" which is like the idea of two different sides to her. 

Paul Strand, Blind Women, 1961

This photograph of Paul Strands was a different approach to his normal work of New Yorks street figures. The women captured in this photograph was a beggar said to of been fully blind, Grahame Clarke says in capture 6 of "The portrait in photography" The subject has no name, merely a number registering her as an official beggar. This helps me to understand what kind of women were beggars in this period of time. By looking at the beggars appearance you don't nessarly no she is blind without the name tag over her neck. Grahame Clarke talks about this in capture 6 of "The portrait in photography" by saying "the blind women demands significance and status, if for no other reason than the fact of her existence, and the emotional resonance of her condition" The interesting thought about this photograph is the pure unknown that by the women being blind she may not even no her photo is being taken and a part of strands project.

Tina Modotti By Edward Weston 1923

This image of photographer Tina Modotti looks more to modernism, by photographing his lover in the daylight Edward Weston captures the photographers body in such detail to make the curves and features stand out. The photograph does make you wonder why Tina Modotti is not connecting with the photographer as they are romantically involved, it is as if he is looking past who she is and there relationship to keep the photograph purely focused on her body. Looking were this photograph might have been taken i no that by the sharp shadow underneath her, the sun was blazing down on to the nude body, giving us a bit more of an insight as to were this photograph was shot. Looking at the brick pattern on the floor it almost contrast with her silky smooth body making the textures of this photograph stand out even more to me. 

Surrealism Claude Cahun

Claude Cahun was a French artist, photography who looked at surrealism with in gender. These self portraits of her are a variation of feminine and masculine, she dramatically changes her appearance to make the viewers question the gender. For example her photographs show such a diverse range of sexual identity, on one image she appears to have short hair with a stubbed chin which is contrast to her other image appearing to be a doll like female with extravagant make up. However the interesting part of this work is on some images she shows androgyny within her photos looking past both genders.  

Constructivism/ Moholy Nagy

                                         
Moholy Nagy was a painter and photographer from Hungaria he was highly influenced by constructivism in his work. I deicide to look at his Photorames which is when a photographs is used without a camera it is made by placing objects onto photo sensitive paper then exposing it to light. The photograph is a negative shadow in different tones were the object has been exposed. Looking at this photograph used by a hand and a paintbrush Moholy is pushing  the idea that photography and painting are both incorporated with each other and  that paintings are a vital expression of the modern age.

Pictorialism/ Gertrude Käsebier

Gertrude Kasebier is a fascinating photographer from the early 20th century. Her work is powerful and inspirational, focusing on motherhood and portraits of the Native Army she captured the strength and the experiences of these people in her work.Frances Benjamin Johnston a famous photography said Gertrude Kasebiers photos were
"At once the inspiration and despair of the growing army of pictorial photographers".
 
Looking through Kasbiers photographs i noticed she uses natural lighting in a lot of her work with relaxed poses to make the viewer feel comfortably when looking at her photographs. In some of her work she used brushwork to manipulate the background, working with a variety of printing techniques. She didn't however retouch the subject in her photography as she quotes she says they make people "look like peeled onions". I find her photography to tell a story of these working men and women, looking at their lives and how the world is almost a different place to this day. 

Postmodernism

In 1936 Walker Evans photographed this women from Alabama she was a women in a state of the depression. In 1979 Sherrie Levine rephotographed the original image however Sherrie levine changed the context of Walkers image. People will argue that this is stealing another photographers work by reproducing it, other will say it is her image as she photographed something herself and changed the idea of the photograph.

This is the original photograph of Marilyn Monroe, Looking at the same idea as Sherrie Levine of reproducing photographs, Andy Warhol has done the same by using iconic images of famous people to create pop art. this still leaves us with the same question is it stealing or not? People say he is bringing iconic images to life so they don't think twice unlike Sherrie levin we do question her work a lot more as she hasn't really changed the photograph at all she has just changed the context its in. Two of the same ideas yet shown in very different way who is right?