Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces
“I wanted my photographs to be as powerful as the last thing a person sees or remembers before death" Joel-Peter Witkin (Marino, Joel-Peter Witkin: An Objective Eye).
Joel-Peter Witkin is one of the most controversial modern contemporary photographers of our time, so much so that a warning is appropriate to open with. Please do not view Witkin’s work if you are easily offended; there are photographs that you may find obscene and offensive. Many people may view his photography as perverted and repulsive. However, with an open mind, you can find the true beauty in the photographs. Witkin has photographed transsexuals, dwarves, intersex people, corpses, and people with severe disabilities. Without his photography, many people may never have had an opportunity to see what people with certain conditions look like or even know that those people are unashamed to show their bodies. Some subjects just wanted to be photographed as what they were, human, such as the case of thalidomide victim Witkin photographed. He had no eyelids or ears, and he had to live with drug addicts to survive. Each day his drug addict roommates would have to wrap his skin to protect him. The
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Witkin does not use computer generated graphics in any of his works. He uses only traditional methods of photography. Witkin works heavily on film negatives. He makes photographs even more distinct by scratching the negatives in expressive patterns, staining the prints with toners and displaying them in elaborate frames (Hagen). His works have inspired many other artists and continues to do so to this day. His works also seems to pay tribute to prior artists that came before him as well as many religious depictions. Harvest (Figure 1), seems to be his own version of Giuseppe Arcimboldos Summer, a painting from 1563 and Penitente in which he recreates his own version of the
Johnson, Brooks. Photography Speaks: 150 Photographers on their Art.” New York: Aperture Foundation Inc., 2004. Print.
Having such an image before our eyes, often we fail to recognize the message it is trying to display from a certain point of view. Through Clark’s statement, it is evident that a photograph holds a graphic message, which mirrors the representation of our way of thinking with the world sights, which therefore engages other
Richards focus is that of the ignored; a people that otherwise have been forgotten. It’s his compassion to his subjects and his commitment to them that surpasses the act of making a pretty picture. Spending days with his subjects in the slums of Harlem or the hardly developed mountains of West Virginia he immerses himself into the frequently bitter life of his next award-winning photo. Often including word for word text of testimonials recorded by junkies and destitute farmers, Richards is able to provide an unbiased portrayal. All he has done is to select and make us look at the faces of the ignored, opinions and reactions are left to be made by the viewer.
The role of photography is questioned; he asks, what about photography makes it a valid medium? We read about the operator (the photographer), spectrum (the subject) and spectator (the viewer), also about the stimulus (what we see in the photograph) and the punctum (the unclassifiable, the thing that makes the photograph important to the viewer). According to Barthes, the photograph is an adventure for the viewer, but it is ultimately death, the recording of something that will be dead after the picture is taken. This idea is the main focus of Barthes’ writing, the photograph “that-has-been”, in Latin “interfuit: what I see has been here, in this place which extends between infinity and the subject; it has been here, and yet immediately separated; it has been absolutely, irrefutably present, and yet already deferred” (Barthes, 76).... ...
In other words, photography can be used to present objectivity, to facilitate treatment and for future re-admissions of the insane. With his presentation Diamond’s application of photography to the insane in asylums became widespread. Just a few years later in 1858 British psychiatrist John Conolly published, “The Physiognomy of Insanity,” in The Medical Times and Gazette. In this series of essays Conolly reproduces photos taken by Diamond and provides a detail of each photo selected. I have included four of the plates Conolly used in his essay below.
"Giving a camera to Diane Arbus is like putting a live grenade in the hands of a child" (Lubow). However, unfortunate to some and lucky to others, a camera was always in the hands of Diane Arbus, even when she was stark nude. What she brought to the photography world was something no one had ever seen before and it appalled many people. Shocking images stare back at the viewer from her photographs; a man’s face entirely covered in hair, faces of identical twins so similar you can’t tell them apart, a transvestite’s face with large curlers in his hair, and a face completely covered in tattoos. These are only a few of subjects Diane Arbus photographed during her career. The following will discuss Diane’s childhood and upbringing, how she got her start in the photography world, her very interesting choice of subjects, the relationships and sense of community she developed with these “freaks”, and her severe battle with depression that led to her suicide at the age of 48. (Bosworth)
Zanele muholi is a visual photographer and an activist of Black lesbian community. Using photography she addresses the challenges being faced by black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people in both townships and communities. These people are vulnerable and they cannot speak for themselves but, through the pictures they are able to raise their concerns. Most of Zanele pictures are in black and white because according to her, one is able to concentrate in the message than the colour. This essay will therefore, discuss the significance of Zanele’s choice of photographic portraits as a medium to raise the concerns of LGBI community by using some of her images.
Photography and portraiture is a powerful medium for art. Through photography and portraiture we are able to capture the essence and being of individuals and moments. Many artists that primarily work within these genres do so for that very reason. Famous photographer Robert Mapplethorpe was no different, using his photographs to capture portraits of the various characters that made up the fabric of his social existence as a gay white male living in New York City. Robert Mapplethorpe, as a member of a fringe lifestyle and culture within America, wanted to utilize his work to bring to the public conscious, recognition and appreciation of these fringe groups and cultures, even if it required shocking depictions and imagery.
Most photographers have a statement in mind and look for a picture that expresses it. Erwitt observes what life wants to say and then records it so others can hear. For me this is what photography is about. I believe a scene should inspire you not be staged. Like Erwitt’s work I try to take pic...
Vision and lines of sight in literary texts not only serve as a guide for the journey the reader is going to take but also as a barrier in which directs the lives of the characters in the story. In this essay I will be discussing two novels ‘’the turning Tim Winton’’ and ‘’Carpentaria Alexis Wright’’ and the vision theme that is involved within them. Vision as a theme in novels gives the reader an opportunity to create their own image giving a deeper understanding of what the scenery is like and how the people act and do. The vision in the two novels were to me considered important parts of them. They gave me the opportunity to think deeper and use my wider imagination when reading them. The signs of vision are important when reading the novel
“The painter paints his pictures with paint, and I do it with photographs.”- John Heartfield, 1967
The desire to stop time and preserve the way things were are the primary reasons why the majority of photography in the late nineteenth century focused on documenting dying traditions, practices, and ways of life...
“Some photographs are destined to be ruined or forgotten. Some photographs are destined to be remembered and cherished. Such as his infamous portrait which almost did not make it.” (1946) Life Magazine.
Double Take is about a man, Kevin Michael Connolly, who was born without legs; “doctors said it was bilateral amelia.” He grew up in Montana with his two sisters, and was raised just like any other kid by his parents. He competed in the X games and took home a silver medal. With the winnings from the X games, he decided to travel the world to create collection of photos, called “The Rolling Exhibition.” This collection of photos included people’s reactions to his situation from all over the world. The most important premise of this book is how we judge others. While Kevin backpacked around the world, he was faced with a variety of different looks; ranging from pain, to curiosity, to pity. Our cultural differences reflect our outlook on the
Photojournalism plays a critical role in the way we capture and understand the reality of a particular moment in time. As a way of documenting history, the ability to create meaning through images contributes to a transparent media through exacting the truth of a moment. By capturing the surreal world and presenting it in a narrative that is relatable to its audience, allows the image to create a fair and accurate representation of reality.