Compare-and-contrast the relationship between painting and ... · Museum of Modern Art, Israel,...
Transcript of Compare-and-contrast the relationship between painting and ... · Museum of Modern Art, Israel,...
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Compare-and-contrasttherelationshipbetweenpaintingandphotography.What
commonalitiesoflanguagedothetwoformsemploy?Howdotheydiffer?
Sincethefirstdevelopmentsinphotography,therehasbeenanunsteadyrelationship
betweenphotographyandpaintedart.
Whilethehistoryofpaintingreachesbackintimetopre-historichumans,andspansall
culturesacrosstheglobe,photographyisasomewhatyoungart,withthefirstcommercial
photographicprocess‘daguerreotype’introducedbyLouis-Jacques-MandeDaguerre(1787-
1851)in1839.1
Itisnowbeingquestionsthough,bysomearthistoriansincludingDavidHockney,inhis
bookSecretKnowledge:RediscoveringtheLostTechniquesoftheOldMaster,iffamous
artistssuchasCaravaggio,VelázquezanddaVinci,mayhaveusedcameratechnologycalled
cameraobscura,amethodofusingacameralikelensestoreflectanimageontoacanvas,
toaidthemincreatingtheirrealisticmasterpieces.Hockneyspeculatedthatacamera
obscuracouldhavehelpedtheDutchpainterVermeerachievehisphoto-realisticeffectsin
the1600s,thisspeculationalthough,isnotwithoutcontroversy.2
JohnBerger(b.1926-2017,UnitedKingdom)statedinhisbookWaysofSeeingthatthe
adventofcameraschangedthewayartistspainted,butalsochangedthewaythatpeople
sawallimages,evenpaintingsthatweredonelongbeforecameraswereinvented.Berger
saidthatthecamerahastakenawaysomeimagination,aphotoisthatplace,atthattime,
whereasapaintingcanbeanyplaceinanytime.3Paintingsthatmayhaveoncebeenhung
inachurchorachapeladdedtothebuildingshistory,thepaintingsuniquenessaddedto
thebuildingsuniquenessandtoldastoryofthebuildingshistory,thisgavethepaintings
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semioticmeaningthatrelateddirectlytothebuilding.Theabilitytoreproducephoto
imagesandoriginalartshasdestroyedtheuniquenessoftheimage,Bergerstated:
Whenthecamerareproducesapainting,itdestroystheuniquenessofitsimage.As
aresult,itsmeaningchanges.Or,moreexactly,itsmeaningmultipliesandfragments
intomanymeanings.4
Photoscanprojectanepistemologicalrealism,aphotoisanimageofsomething,anobject,
aperson,aplaceintime.Paintingscannotcapturethisrealismbecauseapaintingisnot
instant,itisnotexact,itreliesontheartistinterpretationandabilitytoputthisontocanvas,
butthisdoesnotmeanthatitssemioticmeaningisnotapparentandthatitlackstheability
tobringonasurgeofhumanemotion.Bothphotographsandpaintingscanhavesemiotic
meaningsbutthesemeaningsmaybedifferentforeachofus,thesemioticsofaphotocan
beoftenmorebelievablethanthatofapainting.Bergersays,
Thephotographer’swayofseeingisreflectedinhischoiceofsubject.Thepainter’s
wayofseeingisreconstitutedbythemarkshemakesonthecanvas.Yet,although
everyimageembodiesawayofseeing,ourperceptionorappreciationofanimage
dependsalsouponourownwayofseeing.5
TurnerPrize-nomineeGeorgeShaw(b.1966,Coventry),inhislatestcollectioncalled‘My
BacktoNature’whichincludestheartworks:TheLivingDead(2015-2016)(figure1),The
Undercover(2015-2016)(figure2)andMöcht’ichzurückewiederwanken(2015-2016)
(figure3),takesyouonajourneyofhisearlyyearsgrowingupinCoventryasateenager.
ThiscollectionofpaintingsissetinasmallpatchofforestinaCoventrycouncilestate,a
placewhereteenagerswouldgetawayfromadultsupervision,smokecigarettes,andgetup
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tomischief,aplacewhereanythingwaspossible.Thiscollectionhasreceivedmuchacclaim,
butlookingattheseimages,itisdifficulttointerpretthesymbolicmeaningofthecollection,
nomeaningisimmediatelyapparent,orthemeaningisalmostsurelydifferentforeach
viewer,itistheaccompanyingtextthatspellsoutthestoryandputsitintoperspective
givingyouthatrecognition,maybefamiliarity.
Ifyouweretotakephotosinasimilarsetting,theymayhavebeenimmediatelymistaken
forenvironmental,antilitteringpropaganda,itisthetextureofthepaintoncanvas,the
effortoftheartist,thatleadstoayearningforadeepermeaning.
SallyMann(b.1951UnitedStates)isoneofAmerica’smostrenownedphotographers,her
collectioncalled‘ImmediateFamily’,whichwaspublishedinabookin1992,cameunder
immediatescrutiny.Herphotosofherthreechildrenweregritty,downtoearthand
showedtherealitiesofchildrengrowingintoteenagers,butnudityandimagesthatshowed
nosebleedsandswolleneyes,allnormalchildhoodevents,foundMannundertheradarof
producingchildpornography.TheemotionsgeneratedfromviewingMann’sphotosranged
fromadorationtodisgust,butfewcouldturnaway,manypeoplefounditdifficultto
recognizethat thephotoswereonlydepictingnormalchildhood.Regardlessofthisscrutiny
‘ImmediateFamily’sold10,000copiesinthefirstthreemonths,asalespatternthat
continued.6
ItwasnotjustthesubjectmatterinMann’sphotosthatmakethemsocaptivating,itisthe
cumbersomeprocessthatMannusestotakeherphotositgoesbacktothe1850sandis
calledcollodionwetplate,creatingalarge-formatnegativeimageonglass,notfilm.Itgives
Mann’sphotosthatuniquedeep,darkenedgrittytexturedfeeling.
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Mann’sphotoCandyCigarette(1989)(figure4),thefeaturedpieceinher‘Immediate
Family’collection,isonethemosticonicimagesof20thcenturyphotography.
Mannwentontoproduceacollectingofphotosofrottingcorpsesforhercollectioncalled
‘TheNakedandtheDead’,whichonceagaindrewscrutiny.Mann’sresponsetothiswas:
Deathmakesussad,butitcanalsomakeusfeelmorealive,Icouldn'twaittoget
there.Thesmelldidn'tbotherme.Andyoushouldseethecolours–they're
beautiful.AsWallaceStevenssays,deathisthemotherofbeauty.7
Artisthavebeenpaintingnudes,bothadultsandchildren,anddepictionsofmurderand
deathforcenturies,itwastherealityofMann’sphotosthatinvitesomuchscrutiny,
paintingscanbeproductsofone’simagination,aphotoisthoughtofasreality.
Technologycanchangethewaythatimages,bothphotographsandpaintings,arecreated.
The21stcenturyitisnowblurringthelinesofseparationandcontrastbetweenphotoand
images.Photosdon’talwaystellthetruth,photodoctoringandhoaxesdatebackasearly
asthe1860s,theiconicphotoofU.S.PresidentAbrahamLincoln(circa1860)(figure5)isa
compositeofLincoln’sheadandtheSouthernpoliticianJohnCalhoun’sbody.8
Digitaltechnologyisnowallowingustomanipulate,distort,andalterrealityinwaysthat
wereonce,simplyimpossible.
FamouscompositorphotographerAdrianSommeling(Netherlands)referstohimselfasa
conceptualphotographeranddigitalartist.Sommelingasachildwassurroundedbyartand
beganpaintingoncanvasattheageoffour,laterSommelingmovedtoothermediasuchas
airbrushing,butsincetheadventofcomputersasaphotographytool,Sommelinghas
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chosentopaintdigitallywiththephotosthathehastaken.Hisimagesareneverasingle
photo,butascenethatisstagedandcreatedusinganumberphotosthatarelaterbrought
togetherandmanipulatedinPhotoshop.PhotoslikeSommelingsParisMetro(Figure6)
changethewayphotosareperceived,weknowthecontentisrealperhapsevenlargerthan
life,butobviouslynotreality.Butnotallphotomanipulationorforgeriesisasinnocentas
Sommelingsconceptualartwork,photomanipulationintabloidmagazinesandphoto
forgeriesgivenasevidenceincriminalcasesarenowcommonplace.Withthecontinued
sophisticationofcomputermanipulatedimages,someUnitedStatesfederalcourtjudges
havequestionedtheabilityofevenexpertwitnessestodeterminebetweenrealand
manipulatedimages.
Paintingsalsoarechangingwiththeuseoftechnology,YigalOzeri(b.1958,Israel)hasspent
thelast30yearscreatingauniquestyleofPhotorealistfigurativepainting,Ozeriexhibits
internationallyandhaspaintingsheldinmanyprestigiouscollectionsworldwideincluding
MuseumofModernArt,Israel,MuseumofContemporaryArtandtheWhitneyMuseumof
AmericanArt.
Ozeriinsiststhathispaintingsoffemaleswithdreamy,pensiveexpressionsarereality
becausetheyarebasedon photographshetakesofhissubjectsandsuccinctlysummarizes
hiscurrentpracticeas;
Ipaintwomeninnature.9
Ozeri’spaintingsaresoultra-realisticthatyouwouldnotbealonemistakinghisphotossuch
asLizzieintheSnow(2010)(Figure7)andPriscillalyinginthewoods(2010)(Figure7)for
photographs.Ozeriusesatechniquewherefirstheshootsphotographsandvideosofhis
modelsanddigitallymanipulatesthemusingPhotoshop,hethenprintsthephotosanduses
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themasaguidetopaintwithoilonlargecanvas.Somemaycallthispaintingbynumbers
butitisaverysimilartechniquetocameraobscura,justmoreadvance.
Whereoncephotoswereappreciatedasrealityandpaintingsasimaginativeanduniquewe
arenowfeelingtheimpactoftechnologyinnearlyeverycornerofourlives,thecontrast
betweenthephotographyandpaintingisbecomingincreasinglymurkyandblurred.
Technologywillalmostcertainlycontinuetoevolveinwaysthatwecannotevenimagine
todayandwiththisweastheviewerwillneedtodevelopdifferentrelationshipswithboth
photographyandpaintings.
1Dinius,MarcyJ.TheCameraandThePress.(1sted.Philadelphia,Pa.:UniversityofPennsylvaniaPress,2012)12.
2Hockney, David. 2006. Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of The Old Masters. (1st ed. London: Thames & Hudson, 2006).
3Berger,John.WaysofSeeing.(1sted.London:Penguin,2008)11.
4Berger,John.WaysofSeeing.(1sted.London:Penguin,2008)19.
5Berger,John.WaysofSeeing.(1sted.London:Penguin,2008)
6Woodward,Richard."TheDisturbingPhotographyofSallyMann".Nytimes.Com,(2015).https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/19/magazine/the-disturbing-photography-of-sally-mann.html
7Morrison,Blake."SallyMann:TheNakedAndTheDead".TheGuardian,(2010).https://
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2010/may/29/sally-mann-naked-dead.
8Farid,Hany.“DigitalDoctoring:canwetrustphotographs?”DartmouthCollege(2009)http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/farid/downloads/publications/deception09.pdf
9YigalOzeri.http://www.yigalozeriartist.com.
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Figure1
GeorgeShaw,TheLivingandTheDead,2015-2016Enameloncanvas178.5x198cm
TheNationalGallery,TrafalgarSquare,LondonUnitedKingdom.
Figure2
GeorgeShaw,TheUndercover,2015-2016Enameloncanvas178.5x198cm
TheNationalGallery,TrafalgarSquare,LondonUnitedKingdom.
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GeorgeShaw,Möcht’ichzurückewiederwanken,2015-2016Enameloncanvas178.5x198cm
TheNationalGallery,TrafalgarSquare,LondonUnitedKingdom.
Figure4
Figure 3
SallyMann,CandyCigarette,1989Gelatinsilverprint.
183/8x223/4in.(46.7x57.8cm)
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PresidentAbrahamLincoln(circa1860)acompositeofPresidentAbrahamLincoln’sheadandtheSouthernpoliticianJohnCalhoun’sbody
composedintoonephoto.
Figure6
Figure 5
Adrian Sommeling Perth Metro (circa 2012)
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YigalOzeri,LizzieintheSnow,2010,Oilonpaper,42x60
MikeWeissGallery,NewYork.
Figure8
Figure 7
YigalOzeri,Priscillalyinginthewoods,2010oiloncanvas,54x36in,2010
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