Edward Burra

Edward Burra

 Compositional college, 1929, college and ink on paper. 47.63 x 39.37 cm. Private collection.
Originally from Sussex Burra main style was watercolour on a large scale, but then due to WII he began designing scenery ad costume. He is most famous not for college but for his pieces that were unconventional and uncategorisable. Like many artists his work was really something of interest until later in his life and shortly after. This piece in particular is full of depth as within, it tells stories from many different points of view. Using the heads of people from photographs with book pages and newspaper the piece has a juvenile  feel, however is extremely complex and shows a time of war and struggle. There is an image of general and a soldier both grasping onto a women. this image relates to our theme as it shows a memory of a scene a long time ago and a trace of the attitudes many people had in that time. Within this piece I like how different expressions are caught on the subjects faces, and how these are the only aspects of the  image that are detailed, as the rest is mainly made from smaller pieces of other materials.


http://arttattler.com/archiveshockofthenews.html

Maurizio Anzeri

Maurizio Anzeri

 I will be with you on your wedding night. Embroidery on a photograph, 2013. 21 x 15.5 cm.


Anzeri creates his photos by sewing directly onto vintage photographs. The stiches in effect mimic a item of clothing or to sow a photographic aura of the subject of image. His photos fabricate a visual juxtaposition as the faded, worn and monochromatic antique photos highly contrast with the sharp and colourful lines created by the intricate embroidery on the photograph. The use of mixed media links with the themes that we are studying as it shows how the faded past is now colliding with the future.  Anzeri said that he takes from personal experience to add the patterns and textures to his images thus showing a personal connection with the images that he choses to re-contextualise.
I am particularly drawn to his images as each piece is so different form the previous. By re-contextualising the images you have the possibility to go anywhere with a single photo and that really interests me. From the old photos that I have found from my family I have many opportunity's to re create or do my own interpretation of his style.


http://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/maurizio_anzeri.htm?section_name=photography

Sarah Padbury

Sarah Padbury

Padbury was an artist that studied at this college, a few years prior to my self. Her work shown on her blog shows a very faded nature with muted colours and pale subjects. The people within her images look to be drawn and not from an external photograph. She favours the style of ripping the pieces into strips and then adding more detail to her pieces. Her work links mainly to the themes we are studying with the word trace and faded, as  due to the muted nature of her images you only develop a trace of the original picture she would have been studying from, maybe not in full colour or detail, as this matches her style. Her work also have faded pieces of old photos and magazines.


http://sarahpad93.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/blog-post.html

John Stezaker

John Stezaker.


                                                                                            Marriage VIII

Stezaker was born in 1949 in Worcester, UK, and Is now living and working in London.


Stezaker takes images from magazines, books and postcards and uses them as 'readymade' images which he bases his pieces on. By examining the chosen pictures he evaluates the truth behind the image and the way an image may have been staged for the photograph. Stezaker is known for his humorous images which tend to create a juxtaposition between the original meaning of the piece and his own interpretation of the piece.
Within his work there are common themes of the original subjects face being covered with either a piece of architecture, or landscape. By doing this his work fabricates an air of mystery due to what would have been the focal point of the image covered in this piece of foreign imagery.
I was particularly drawn to the work by Stezaker due to use of old movie stills and photographs as I find it really interesting to think why that photo was originally taken. His work also strongly relates to the themes that we are studying as he likes to look at the memories  within a piece and try to give them a whole new meaning, only leaving a trace of the image that was originally there. many of the photos and postcards taken look old and worn showing how over time the style of photography has changed and how many of the pieces of architecture has changed in the time since those postcards were printed.


http://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/artpages/john_stezaker_2.htm
http://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/artpages/john_stezaker_2.htm

Refined four photographs.

These four photos are the pictures that I

believe best convey the idea of good composistion. 

The first image displays a large depth field with many focal points within the image. By creating depth within the picture, it fabricates a story and adds character to the subjects within the scene. The form of this image is a 2d photograph. Many tones are explored throughout the piece with darker tone towards the top left corner, which conceals an object, highlighting the centre of the image and emphasising the focal point of the metal tin. Within the photograph there is a range of contrasting textures such as the moss on the wall, and the reflective surface of the inner tin. This piece strongly displays the compositional values of the rules of thirds, with many focal points crossing the points of intersection of the line of thirds, such as the different vertexes of the tin.

The second image displays the formal element of line due to the directions of the panels of wood in the bench. Due to them converging and the perpendicular nature of the slates it leads the eye into the subject. There is a large amount of depth created due to a vanishing point at the left of the image creating a path of view from the distance behind the photo to the subject, in this way the image is composed to follow the natural tendencies of following a picture left to right. The use of low aperture creates a crazed and blurred background while keeping the foreground sharp.

The third image portrays stage effect of time on both the subject and the background. Both objects within the piece are made of metal however they have contrasting textures, with the smooth surface of the tin and rusted texture of the old gate. With the combined use of low aperture and converging lines the tin is emphasized as it the sharpest point in the image. The piece is balanced due to many recurring shapes on opposite sides of the image. 

The last photograph shows the use of light and shadow. This emphasises the curved nature of the pot, showing the formal element of shape and form. This image isn't balanced but illustrates a surreal tone due to the distortion of the subject. The image has a central focus which emphasises the distortion due to the enlargement of the centre of the pot. 

Expanded definition of composition.

As one of my peers mentioned my definition of composition was sparse and needed expanding.

Composition

Noun -
The harmonious arrangement of the parts of a work of art in relation to each other and to the whole.


There are many aspects that go into making something a well composed image. All of these things to together to make the picture aesthetically pleasing and well thought out.


Balance - Having balance within a photo or a painting allows for it to look pleasing on the eye. Unbalanced imagery draws the audience in, attracting their attention. An unbalanced image can be created as easily as placing an object in an unusual setting which we as an audience aren't used to. However whether a piece is balanced or unbalanced essentially is down to the viewer of the picture their own opinion on the piece may have been different to the creator.
Rule of thirds - The general idea behind the rule of thirds is that you imagine a grid on you image and the points of intersection with the lines of the grid are the focal points of the image, also the aspects of the image you want the viewer to be drawn to. Following this rule it makes for a balanced image.
Difference - Within a picture an artist should aim for variety, by doing this the image is more complex, adding depth and dimension to an image. Whether this is by showing contrasting textures or unusual viewpoints, it fabricates a generally more pleasing image to look at it. By adding unexpected and unusual backgrounds to your piece will also allow for a better image, this is especially useful in a series of images.












Reference links- http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/composition , http://expertphotography.com/basic-composition-techniques-balance/ , http://digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds/

Evaluation of the composition of my still life images.

When taking the images I didn't take into consideration the format of the image. As the setting of my phone camera is normally in a rectangle, this was the shape of image I was used to. I could have considered changing the format of the image to a square. However writhing a traditional rectangular format the images are easier to balance, as within squares sections of cluster make the image look awkward due to the shape, a rectangle is more flexible which worked to my advantage when using this format. As one of my images is a long pot a square format may have also made it appear stocky and not add to it length like it would with a portrait format. 

Within my images not much variety is shown, in the classroom I had the habit of taking photos of the subjects at the same angles and with the same perspective which created a boring and reptative nature to my pieces. However when we left the studio and went outside the different surroundings and textures made me experient with viewpoints adding variety to the style of image comparing textures of the pot and tin from different angles.

For example here showing the smooth metallic surface of the tin with the old rusted metal of the gate. 

Before taking the images I wasn't aware of the rules of thirds in order to balance the images so my images look awkward and in turn making them unsuccessful. There are a few images which work with the rule of thirds and I feel this makes for a more successful image. 

Here the subject of the image (the tin) is to the far right of the image making it the focus, it is also in the most light of the image which draws more attention to the subject making it a focal point. 

In an attempt to not make the images the same I added depth to the images in the classroom by adding different textures and creasing the fabrics to make the backgrounds different.