Monday, May 7, 2012
Robert Frank
Book Design Project: Artist Research
From The Outside Looking In
Robert Frank was a legendary photographer
during his time. His background,
and personal experiences led him to reveal America from a new perspective never
seen before. The raw images that this photographer took would later be the most
iconic images of the American culture during the 1950s and 1960s.
Robert
Frank was born in Zurich Switzerland in 1924. He grew up under the World War II
threat of Nazis. At the age of 22 he became a professional photographer, and
eventually a fashion photographer for Harpers Bazaar. Frank soon lost interest in the fashion work he was doing,
and left it behind in 1948. He then moved to America to explore the
possibilities of a 35mm camera. Frank was one of the most influential photographers
of the mid-20th century.
Frank possessed qualities that
immediately set him apart from others. Being a native of Europe, he had a whole
new perspective of the American culture.
He took the American culture that we saw as wholesome, and turned it
into a reality check for most. Robert turned his camera the other direction and
photographed what the Americans choose not to see.
Walker Evans, a known photographer of the
depression, was a huge influence on Robert Frank. Evans wanted America to see
the depressed and deprived during the depression Frank showed the same qualities
in his work as well. For example
Frank’s From the American’s Parade,
also revealed to the public the social crisis at hand.
Robert Frank is best known for his book
titled The Americans. He spent 1955
and 1956 traveling the United States taking pictures of the American
culture. Frank’s earlier pictures
of Europe reveal the rich life of Europeans. When he was ready to publish the
pictures in his book, most people wouldn’t accept them. He had taken pictures
of our culture that no one had chosen to see. In his photograph From the American’s Parade, he reveals
a hidden, and almost speechless American. The way the flag is over the woman’s
head reveals that Americans are mindless. This photograph is significant
because of the way he chose to photograph these women in the shadows, as if
they are in the shadows of the American culture.
Robert Frank collectively provided just
what the American Society needed, to wake up. He chose to photograph what he
saw in the American society was important. Frank was an outsider looking into a
society that had been portrayed so well as glorious. Instead he showed a need for a reality check for our
culture. As a photographer he shaped the way that we view the 1950s and 1960s.
The photographs revealed the history of our culture before America even new
what hit them.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Vessel Final Box
I am very pleased with the way that my final box turned out. If I could do it over again I would, and I would try and design a better working lid. However overall I enjoyed the whole process.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Vessel Project Description
Design and build a vessel that holds something of special meaning to me. This box will symbolize the connection between the object and myself. It will be a lidded wooden box, that we construct by working with pieces of 8 x 5" wood.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Martin Puryear
To be completely honest, his work doesn’t really appeal to
me. However, I do relate to his organic forms, but that’s about as far as it
goes. To me this work doesn’t compare to that of Kendal Buster. I don’t
understand his work, nor does it speak to me. I guess the only thing that is interesting me is the mystery
in the objects. It makes me ask questions in what was the point of these
pieces. The forms an objects aren’t recognizable to the human eye, maybe that’s
what is so confusing about them. They cause a void between what my eyes sees,
and what my brain sees. It is hard for me to interpret what I think I am
seeing.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)