Essay: Paul Strand

Paul Strand Essay
By Nadia Arnold

Paul Strand was a photography pioneer and was responsible for creating the genre straight photography. He broke away from the soft style of the Pictorialists and created a new genre that focused on everything in the image have a large amount of detail and deep depth of field. By breaking away from the norm he was able to the abstract objects and capture the hustle of the rising metropolis New York. His love for photography led to a career in film as well. He was interested in capturing the social problems of the time and highlighting the plight of the people who weren’t able to voice their plight. His work was based at a time of deep despair and depression and Strand was focused on creating work that was socially aware. It was very essential that people looked like they were unaware they were being photographed and he even used fake lens to capture the real essence of the people. By doing this he was able to capture the rawness and reality of these people.

Born in New York on the 16 October 1890 he began his love for photography when his father gave him a camera at age 12. He attended the Ethical Cultural School where he was influenced by one of his teachers Lewis Hine. (Oden, L, 2004) Lewis Hine had been photographing immigrants arriving at Ellis Island and Hine was inspired by this social project and instilled this social awareness into Strand. A field trip to the 291 art gallery which was owned by Alfred Stieglitz opened Strand eyes to the modernist painters and photographers such as Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Steichen who was part of the group called the Photo Secessionists. The exhibition made him realise that photography was not just a simple hobby and he could have a career from it. (Wikipedia contributors, 2009) Even though he wished to make a living from photography his father did not agree and when he finished school he went to work for his father as a clerk in the family enamel ware import business. He continued to do photography as a hobby until he finally he decided in 1911 to open up his own commercial photography business. (Oden, L, 2004)

During this time many photographers were inspired by the Pictorialist genre. Strand produced work that concentrated on the Pictorialist elements such soft focus and he did this by using gum bi chromate printing to capture the paint effect of the Impressionist. (Oden, L, 2004) With the help of his mentor Alfred Stieglitz he was able to break away from the current trends and focus on more sharp and crisp images. Stieglitz’s gallery was a platform for Strand to view the modern works of Europe such as Cézanne, Matisse and Picasso. These works inspired strand to focus on abstract everyday objects and capturing the shadows of that object in an innovative way. He focused on capturing the image as it was in the view finder and not manipulating the image in the dark room. With the use of a large format camera he was able to capture maximum detail by using a 64 aperture. The themes in Strand’s work changed drastically and he focused on movement in the city, abstractions and street portraits. (Department of photographs, 2004)

New York had become a vibrant city filled with different types of people jamming the streets with pedestrians, carriages and automobiles. New York became the new representation for transformation and modernity. At first Strand did not want to encapsulate the chaotic elements of the city he want to capture more slow movements usually using only one person. After some time his images became more complex and the tempo increased with his compositions featuring the crowds of downtown. (Department of photographs, 2004)

Strand said “how you build a picture, what a picture consists of, how shapes are related to each other, how spaces are filled, how the whole thing must have a kind of unity.” (Department of photographs, 2004) Strand focused on these points at his summer cottage in Connecticut. He used everyday items to experiment with framing and positioning the object in ways that they become abstract and you are no longer aware of what the object really is. Strand was the first to create abstract images with a camera.

Despite his love for photography Strand was also an avid film maker with the use of narrative he was able to tell the stories of the disadvantaged. In 1921 he collaborated with Charles Scheeler on his first documentary film called Manhatta. This film was silent but it was able to portray the everyday life in New York and it was very similar to his photograph “Wall Street” that illustrates the movement of the people. (Wikipedia contributors, 2009) During the years of the depression Strand became more involved in politics and was a socialist. He worked with the Group Theatre that was formed by Harold Clurman, Cheryl Crawford and Lee Strasberg in 1931.The members of the group did have left wing political views and wanted produce plays that dealt with these issues. In 1932 Strand decided to make film in Mexico which was based around Mexican fishermen called “The Wave”. He returned to America and worked on “The Plow that Broke the Plains” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2009)

Once World War II had finished Strand left the US and moved to France this was where he worked throughout Europe. He produced many books and this became his new forum of expression he enjoyed the narrative format of the books. He also utilised text with the images to expand on the narrative in the images, he wanted to mimic the narrative elements of film in his books. (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2009) Strand stayed in France till his death on March 31 1976. (Wikipedia contributors, 2009)




“Wall Street”
Strand was able to capture the morning mood of Wall Street. The city was known as a chaotic and crowded place but the opposite is achieved in this photograph. The long shadows of the people and how they are completely frozen in time gives the essence that these people are not in hurry at all. The scale of the people compared to the huge windows that are full of darkness creates a sense of abstraction. The flat shapes of the people and the square frames are so solid that the lines and shapes is all that is left.



“Porch Shadows”

This is another example of Strand use of abstraction where we are not even sure what this object is. The use of the shadows and the crisp diagonal lines generates a strong contrast between the light elements of the image and the dark. The sharp crisp nature of the photograph is nothing like the soft romantic images of the Pictorialists. There is so much detail captured in the image we are even able to see the cracks in the porch this element of deep depth field is what straight photography is based around.

Paul Strand was an innovative photography legend and the work he produced influenced many artists after his time. He was able to break away from the Pictorialists and create a genre of straight photography. By focusing on the city, street portraits and experimenting with abstraction he was able to be the first person to abstract with the use of a camera. His mentor Alfred Stieglitz is the person who influenced him the most and he encouraged Strand to break away from the norms of society. He used his photography to break into the film market and cater to a broader audience and educate them about the social problems of that time.





Bibliography

Online Resources:

1. Encyclopædia Britannica Online , Paul Strand, 2009, Available Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/568003/Paul-Strand, last cited 31 May 2009

2. Department of Photographs, 2004, Paul Strand (1890–1976), Available Online: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/pstd/hd_pstd.htm, last cited on 31 May 2009

3. Oden, L, 2004, Paul Strand (1890 – 1976), Available Online: http://iphf.org/Hall_Of_Fame/Inducties_Bios/Paul%20Strand_Bio.html, last cited on 31 May 2009

4. Schjeldahl, P, 2004, 20th-century strand, Available Online: http://www.artnet.com/Magazine/features/schjeldahl/schjeldahl4-3-98.asp, last cited on 31 May 2009

5. Simkin, J, Paul Strand, Available Online: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAPstrand.htm, last cited 31 May 2009,

6. Wikipedia contributors, 2009, Paul Strand, Available online: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paul_Strand&oldid=287834613, Last cited 31 May 31, 2009

Essay: Pieter Hugo

Pieter Hugo Nollywood
By Nadia Arnold

Pieter Hugo the controversial Cape Town based photographer has produced a series called Nollywood. Like all Hugo’s work he challenges the subject he is photographing and the way we as the viewer view his work. As with his other work he uses portraiture as a genre to portray his ‘models’, although in the Nollywood series he pushes the boundaries of a portrait and documentary photograph. He does this by constructing the actors in poses that each has an intention and purpose. At the same time he is documenting the actors as if they were portraying the character. The context of where it was shot is very important; the fact that these posed shots were shot in Nigeria play a role. This refers to the Nollywood industry but also commenting on Africa and the way Africa and people from Africa have been made as an ‘other’. He plays with these very issues in a dynamic way by linking the themes and underlying issues in the images. I did enjoy this exhibition I found that his work does push and challenge various boundaries. I think it is brilliant to be different but in the photography industry we have to decide how far is too far?

Hugo’s Nollywood series is a series of actors’ portraits but what makes the photographs so different is that they are Nollywood actors in full costume. He physically constructs the portraits of the actors by placing them in the clothing they would wear as that character. He arranges them in the centre of the image looking straight at the viewer with a specific background behind them. He plays around with the ideas of props either that the character would utilise in a film or a mask that communicates who this iconic character is in the Nollywood industry. These props and masks are very prominent in the photographs and they almost define and explain to the viewer that this is not a real person it is a portrayal of fictional character in very dramatic and exuberant industry.

Hugo has emphasised the gory and dramatic elements of the African film industry for a reason. By portraying the blood, guts and nudity so obviously, it demonstrates the culture and tastes of the people who watch Nollywood films. Hugo highlights that there is a major difference between Nollywood, which is a representation of Africa and Hollywood, which is a representation of the Western culture. Nollywood is the third largest film industry in the world, releasing between 500 and 1 000 movies each year. It produces movies on its own terms, telling stories that appeal to and reflect to the people of Nigeria. (Anon, 2009 No 3) It provides a way for Africa to demonstrate that they too have culture, tradition and certain ways of story telling. These films are a modern day way for them to convey the stories from the past and present. African traditions have always been rich in the act of story telling either orally or through written fiction. These stories have never been communicated through mass media before. Nollywood actors are local actors and the plots challenge the public with familiar situations of romance, comedy, witchcraft, bribery and prostitution. The narrative is over dramatic, refuse to end in a happy way and generally very tragic. The aesthetic is loud, violent, and excessive; nothing is said, everything is shouted. (Anon, 2009 No 3)

At the same time he is playing with documentation and blurring the lines of what is documentary and portrait photography. The questions that he poses the viewer is whether what we see in the photographs are reality or just a fictional character that an actor is portraying. This is demonstrated in the use of the titles, which are the actors’ names, but we are not sure whether this is their stage name or their real names. The fact that Hugo hasn’t chosen to photograph the actors when they are making a movie as that character is vital. Hugo has used the actors as if they were models for a portrait but at the same time he is playing with documenting them as this character. By doing this Hugo is blurring the lines of documentary and portrait photography and creating a new visual language. As Sean O’Toole said 'Instead of speaking in words that court emptiness and the void, Pieter Hugo's images confront viewers with the necessity of speaking in a new vocabulary, one that celebrates the fullness of being.' (Young, E, 2006)

Hugo was born in 1976 and grew up in Cape Town. He underwent a two-year residency in 2002-2003 at Fabrica in Treviso, Italy. He has won numerous photography awards and become a famous South African photographer who challenges the genres of photography and the subject matters such as race. He has held solo exhibitions at Michael Stevenson in Cape Town; Yossi Milo, New York; Extraspazio, Rome; the Museum of Modern Art, Rome and Fabrica Features; Lisbon. (Anon, 2008) Hugo stated himself 'I am six foot tall. I have blond hair and blue eyes. I stick out like a sore thumb in the locations I visit. I quickly realised that the traditional photojournalistic approach of capturing a fleeting moment wasn't going to work for me. Firstly, my reflexes are too slow, and secondly I am not a fly on the wall, I have a presence.’ ‘My work stretches, re-interprets and often subverts the traditions of documentary and portrait photography. My eye is drawn to the peripheral, particularly in Africa, and I negotiate contexts where the cultural nuances of our time are amplified.' (Young, E, 2006)

The 2 images I chose to discuss are Escort Kama and Gabazzini Zuo. I chose these two images because both images had something shocking in them but also something that made me look at the image for longer and really think about the underlying layers. The photograph of Escort Kama was my favourite image of the series because of how Hugo has used motion blur in the background to show the movement of the cars but the his model is frozen. The contrast between blurred and in focus heightens the drama and emphasises the actor dramatically. What he is wearing is also plays a vital role in why the image works. It seems that he is only wearing a black trench coat, his mask, fake pink ears and hat. His clothing heighten a certain fear in the viewer his clothing is very menacing and illustrates that the actor is portraying a serial killer character. The mask, hat and ears are an unusual combination. The hat is something unexpected but paired with the ears is almost comical. It is the mask that truly tells us that this is a menacing and dangerous character because from watching movies like The Silence of the Lambs we are able to identify with the symbol. The weapon an axe heightens the fear and drama in the photograph almost making the viewer feel like he might jump out of the photograph and kill you. 'Escort Kama'

The fact that the background is also very much in focus again heightens the contrast in movement. I think the reason why Hugo chose to keep his background in focus is because he wants the viewer to read the sign that is advertising a vacant board. Compositionally the board is very prominent part in the photograph, obviously the model is the most important part but the board has been placed there for a reason. This reason could be because Hugo wants to highlight the fact that the photo was taken in Nigeria. He wanted to show how something like a billboard is advertised in Nigeria. This vacant board could be a metaphor for Africa and how some way Africa is a vacant board full of potential for use. Like this vacant board that is ragged and not attractive to look at, Africa too has been neglected and damaged through history and most of the countries on the African country are still developing or still in third world states. This context is what Hugo alludes to he wants to challenge how people see Africa by still showing that Africa is struggling with terrible issues. The people are able to establish their own identity based on the cultures, traditions and this is why Nollywood is now the third biggest film industry.

The photograph entitled Gabazzini Zuo is one of the most gory and bloody of the images. I felt it was the most difficult photograph to look at because of the way Hugo has placed the bull in the foreground showing the violent way the bull legs have been tied together and the organs have been placed on the actor’s shoulders. The way the blood is pouring out the animal has also been considered in terms of composition. Hugo has utilised the brightness of the blood and repeated the colour at the open wound, the organs on the actor and even the blood placed on the actor’s face. Even the massive bones in the background bring a very sombre and element of death the very kinds that Nollywood films are based on.

'Gabazzini Zuo'

Hugo’s Nollywood series does challenge the ideas of what is documentary and what is portraiture? It also focuses on the various issues around Africa and especially the Nollywood film industry. He uses this industry and the actors to challenge the viewers’ idea of what is real and what is fiction. By challenging us as viewer he creates a new form of visual language that is full of complicated and overlaying issues. He is able to use the Nollywood actors to convey the same issues that the actors portray in their films. With such dramatic and some would even say offensive images Hugo work always with some air of controversy plays with what is acceptable and blurs the lines of the traditional portrait.


Bibliography

Online Resources:

1. Anon, 2008, Nollywood (Nigerian-Hollywood) Captured By Pieter Hugo, Available Online: http://slamxhype.com/art-design/pieter-hugos-nollywood-nigerian-hollywood-photography/ [Last cited on 2 March 2, 2009]

2. Anon, 2009, Pieter Hugo Nollywood, Available Online: http://www.michealstevenson.com/contemporary/exhibitions/hugo/nollywood_index.htm [Last cited on 26 February]

3. Anon, 2009, Pieter Hugo: Nollywood, Available Online: http://www.whatson.co.za/details.php?id=11772 [Last cited on 2 March 2009]

4. Ben, 2008, Pieter Hugo’s “Nollywood”, Available Online: http://www.snappertalk.com/index.php/20080811/pieter-hugos-nollywood/

5. Fell, S, 2009, Pieter Hugo Nollywood and the death of photography, In One small seed, (14), pp. 32-37

6. Kimberly, Pieter Hugo, Nollywood, Available Online: http://www.photographyboard.net/pieter-hugo-nollywood-176.html [Last cited 2 March 2009]

7. Mcintosh, T, ‘Disguise’ at Michael Stevenson, Available Online: http://www.artthrob.co.za/08jun/reviews/stevenson.html [Last cited on 26 February 2009]

8. Raul, 2009, Pieter Hugo’s Nollywood, Available Online: http://www.mexicanpictures.com/headingeast/2009/01/pieter-hugos-nollywood.html [Last cited 2 March 2007]

9. Young, E, 2006, Pieter Hugo, Available Online at: http://www.artthrob.co.za/06apr/artbio.html [Last cited on 2 March 2009]

Newspaper:
10. Angelucci, F, 2008, Blood and guts in Nollywood, Mail & Guardian, 16 May pp. 3

It has been ages

Haven't posted anything in a long while June has been such a busy busy month it was just crazy.
Been on holiday for quite some time so now that I have cap I will post some more stuff up pics from the exhibition, some more of my work. Seeing so much movies so time to review some things..

Spirit of Movement

This project is capturing the spirit of something so I focused on memory and how many are forgotten and become disintegrated

some shots from the studio

This was a project where we had to shoot our fellow students in the studio here is a couoke photos of me striking a pose

The top 10 galleries in Cape Town

1. Goodman Gallery
3rd Floor, Fairweather House, 176 Sir Lowry RoadBetween Lewin and Nelson Streets, Woodstock, Cape Town
http://www.goodmangallerycape.com/

2. Micheal stevenson
Buchanan Building, 160 Sir Lowry Road, Woodstock, 7925, Cape Town
http://www.michaelstevenson.com/

3. South African National Gallery
Government Avenue, Company Gardens, Cape Town
http://www.iziko.org.za/sang/index.html

4. Iart Gallery
71 LOOP STREET
http://www.iart.co.za/

5. AVA
ASSOCIATION FOR VISUAL ARTS
35 Church Street, Cape Town
http://www.ava.co.za/docs/docredir.asp

6. Bell Roberts
Ground Floor, Fairweather House176 Sir Lowry RoadWoodstock,
http://www.bell-roberts.com/

7. Michealis Gallery
Hiddingh Campus, 31-37 Orange Street, Cape Town
http://www.michaelis.uct.ac.za/

8. Joao ferrira
80 Hout Street, Cape Town
http://www.joaoferreiragallery.com/

9. Art.B

Library Centre, Carel van Aswegen Street, Bellville, Cape Town

http://www.artb.co.za/

10. Irma Stern Museum
Cecil Road, Rosebank, Cape Town
http://www.irmastern.co.za/

The Standard Bank Young Artist 2008 Nontsikelelo Velelko

This is the image I really liked especially because it was a self portrait but I felt this was the only really interesting image and it wasn't really the photograph that was beautiful it was the graffitti element.

We went to the National Gallery to see the Standbank Young Artist for 2008. Nontsikelelo Veleko, the second photographer to win the award. Many of the artists that win this award become the artists to watch in the future. What we saw was not the whole exhibition because apparently the air conditioner was damaging the works and most of the works were taken down. What I did see did not impress me at all it actually really disappointed me and actually wonder if this is really the best photographic talent we have which I know that can't be true. The exhibition looked at the new type of youth culture in South Africa. She looked at the fashion of the youth and elements that play a role in this culture. I did like the concept but I thought the execution in the photographs was not achieved at all. I think she didn't grasp the culture as a group and the exhibition was more about where she fits in the culture. There was one images I did like it was image of a girl and it had graffiti written over it the labels that people have used for her. That was all I liked and I left very puzzled???