Reading Group

This reading group was to help myself and Amelia in preparation for the essay that is required for this module, therefore these are the notes that I wrote down as the session took place, these notes may not seem coherent to others! But I know they will be invaluable to me in the future.

The four words that I relate to my practice at this moment in time.

 

Painterly Process

Deal with Identity

The imagery is expressive

Portrait Style

 

When writing about my work how I make a statement or a claim I have to be able to give an example.

For instance I began by stating that my portrait style is pushing the boundaries of traditional portraiture when really I should state that I am playing with the boundaries of traditional portraiture this statement allows some discussion within the context of an essay.

When looking at my work it is exploration, relentless, confrontational, disturbing, no escaping the visual impact, there is an undercurrent of unsettling emotions. There is a sense of voyeurism.

Angela suggested that the work of Nan Golding is someone I should be looking at as there are references to my work because there is no apology for her subject matter and her approach, she makes no attempt to neaten the image, the viewer can take it or leave it.

Angela also suggested the work of Holly Roberts because she takes portrait pictures of people and then paints into the images, almost removing the element of photography and creates a metamorphosis of some creature unrelated to the original image removing the identity of the original person within the photograph, there is a loss of evidence of the original layer so the final image is very ambiguous, her work is about introducing different layers through the material process. However my work does differ from the work of Holly Roberts because her work can be quaint.

When referring to another artist be very clear why they relate to your work and the differences.

Materials and processes

Themes and enquires in questions 

I suggested that the photographs of Lucien Freud working in his study are interesting to me and as we looked at the imagery the only relevance really was the atmosphere.

So when looking at artists look at what may be relevant or similar and/or different, learn by looking

My images are cropped the images of Freud are special – so what association do I actually have with Freud?

I also suggested the work of Frida Kahlo her work is reflective, interesting style, duality, alter ego. However Kahlo as an artist is over exposed and an obvious reference to use as she spent her life exploring identity in her representational paintings. This is the same issue when looking at the work of Jenny Saville, so Angela suggested that you can flag up that you know about their work, investigate how and whether they can relate more to the work you are producing but then stop.

I need to read around Nan Golding and when I have learnt all I need to know and which is relevant regarding my work stop.

Find two or three artists or movements that are in context for your work.

Furthermore regarding my work I need to constrain myself to keep working within the shower room, the room is my boundary.

Choose what to focus on now: Looking at Gaze, Ego, Feminism

 

Amelia suggested that I consider Anish Kapoor when thinking about the mirror:

Concave, top of orbit, positioning yourself of the viewer, formal qualities, fragmentation, disorientation, mirrors challenge representation, he disrupts the understanding of the viewer.

So Anish Kapoor could be someone I could associate with.

Helen Chadwick, Laura Knight are other artists which I should look at

Methods, Methodology – more into photography or mirrors.

So find another 4 words or next piece of work- keep researching and see what relates and does not relate keep a check against the lists.

For instance Kahlo do I need to use her or not?

Don’t package the essay with stuff that doesn’t matter

As look at German photographers regarding young people – there is a relationship with the camera and young people, teenage photography confrontational.

Also Hockney talks about photography regarding reality – so selective not reactive of life, the reality of who you are in a photograph.

Furthermore software is changing photography, there are now apps for hyper realistic and painterly interventions.