Task 1

Alan Smith

Experimental Photographers

An experimental photography technique can be defined as anything that one uses to alter or otherwise change a photograph. (http://photography.lovetoknow.com/Experimental_Photography_Techniques)

Photography and all art can be divided into four categories with two purposes. There is ,Historical (Older traditional methods used) and contemporary (Modern methods used that can use both traditional and non-traditional.

When looking at traditional methods and relating it to photography in particular, it refers to old ways before digital technology and how the procedures were done.Cyanotypes, dark room techniques and paper collage were the common methods, these took much longer then today and required more technical skill hen just pressing buttons.

Non- Traditional methods include digital methods, using cameras and editing on computer software. Photoshop is heavily used in this.

Fine Art and Commercial use are the two purposes of photography. Fine Art can be defined as anything that shows the artists expressions and emotions. This is almost the opposite to what commercial use is. Commercial is that of working to brief given and to produce what a client wants. Whereas Fine Art has more freedom and the artist can sell or display this.

Commercial photography will be found in the media industry a lot. Adverts in magazines is a popular form, it is mainly used to promote.

John HeartfieldJohn Heartfield (19 June 1891 – 26 April 1968) was an artist best known for his political montages to expose Hitler's Nazi regime.

Helmut Herzfeld (His birth name) studied Art at the Royal Bavarian Arts and Crafts School in Munich 1908. His influences when looking at Art were Albert Weisgerber and Ludwig Hohlwein.

Heartfield’s views were strong and he decided the best way to get his view across and get others to understand was through the work of Art.

His most famous montages were created during the 1930’s and 1940’s. His work included ‘Adolf, the Superman’, ‘’In Göring: The Executioner of the Third Reich’ and ‘The Meaning of Geneva, Where Capital Lives, There Can Be No Peace’

When considering where the work can be seen in, Heartfield's work did appear as covers for the Arbeiter Illustrierte Zeitung (AIZ, Workers' Illustrated Newspaper) In 1931 his work was starting to appear in each monthly copy and started to become posters. The work eventually got greater and the posters were seen on each street in Berlin, Germany.

His work not only put his own point across, but made sure to undermine Hitler and their propaganda message, with many pieces taking the swastika.

Here is the piece of work that featured on the AIZ Workers newspaper cover.

This has to be one of Heatfields most iconic pieces. Not only because of the obvious creative edited version of Hitler but due to being a form of a poster it was seen by many thousand people.

His work did not have colour due to the date, but the use of expression made up for it.

Never before had anyone seen such a thing before Heartfields work was seen in 1931. As said before, the Swastika is a popular feature in the montages, it is always incorporated to bring the message out further and to make sure people would understand his views.

Here on the right is yet another example of Heartfields work. All the images are very deep and not for the faint hearted. The contain brutal yet eye catching images put together.

His work was Traditional and did use the older methods to construct the montages. His work used a variety of media which made it more interesting to look at.

The work was and still can be seen on many forms of media, It was originally a Fine Art idea and a way to get his view across, however as the opportunity arose, Heartfield used his work on a magazine as a platform to get his work noticed. It can be argued that as he went on making the posters and front covers, it was part of a commercial use.

This would be put into the Historical category as not only does it share the traditional aspects and date but it is part of history itself and the work was made to stay in it, and prevent such a thing from happening. In the Museum of Modern Art in New York hangs a Montage entitled, "The Engineer Heartfield."

His work can now be seen on the internet and his posters can be sold to collectors for a large fee.

This work above is particularly eye catching due to the shades of colour and the obvious dead male hanging within the swastika.

Being dead and hanging from the symbol itself is giving the impression of what it represented and how many more would come to the same fait.

Man Ray

Man Ray was an American modernist artist. Emmanuel Radnitzky (Birth Name) was born in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. in 1890 and died in November 1976.

He was raised in Brooklyn, New York by newly immigrated Russian-Jewish parents.Due to ethnic discrimination at that time, Man Ray’s creative side came out very early in life

He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements. He believed that he was the greatest artist and above all, this was later seen more by the name he called photogram's.

He was a Fashion and Portrait photographer and called the photogram’s that he made, ‘Rayographs’. These Rayographs were made them by placing objects directly on light-sensitive paper, which he exposed to light and then developed.

From this is was clear that Man Ray had confidence in his work and some may say arrogance.

Ray was quoted to have said many things however some stood out from the rest, for example. "I do not photograph nature. I photograph my visions. This suggests that his work was all exactly how he wanted them and not copying a certain place or subject, everything was thought well through.

"I paint what cannot be photographed, that which comes from the imagination or from dreams, or from an unconscious drive. I photograph the things that I do not wish to paint, the things which already have an existence.“ This was from an interview in 1970.

Again he suggests that everything that comes to his head is of his own original ideas and not looking at any other artists or photographers.

When looking at examples of Man Rays work a few pieces are looked at in particular. The woman with the Glass tears and many Photogram's such as the one made in 1922.

This was made by Man Ray in the 1920’s and i chose this example because i believed it shows what exactly his work is in general.

This is a unique piece that uses old traditional techniques to make an image that, to the normal eye does not look right.

This was a similar pattern in most of Man Rays work and his goal was to do just that and shock.

The way in which the piece contains a negative film and an image looks very strange yet pleasing to look at.

Man ray must have considered this piece to be one of his most finest photographs made.

‘Tears’ as it is known was featured in his book of Photographs in 1934

The Tears on the woman were seen to represent the break up in his relationship and was picturing his life in the image.

The photograph is very emotional and the close up is looking on the glass tears in particular. The black and white colour only enhances the mood portrayed in the image

Man rays work is seen in many aspects of media. This image on the right is in fact seen in The J. Paul Getty Museum in America. His work is mostly seen in Galleries such as in 1967 the 'Salute to Man Ray' exhibition at the American Centre, Paris.

Man ray’s work can be seen as contemporary but still used older traditional ways of photography.

His work shared themes of History and celebrities as well some strange individual ones.

Man Ray’s work has to be seen as Fine Art rather than any commercial pieces as he did his work for the love and to get his expression out. This was seen through the glass tears piece.

The black and white was a colour scheme wanted by Man Ray as it exposed the images and made people look at what they meant instead of what they looked like.

Man Ray tried to take his images without the use of a camera.

He instead placed objects and other materials on photosensitive paper before exposing them to light.

Man Ray was an Artist not afraid to try something new and after taking many photographs he came up with a very good and unique style

Using thumbtacks, coil of wire, and other circular shapes on a sheet of photosensitive paper and exposing to light produced images such as the ones seen.

This abstract work is what made Man Ray so famous and made his Rayographs very popular in the Art industry.

Definitions of Photograms-

A picture, usually abstract, produced on a photographic material without the use of a camera, as by placing an object on the material and exposing to light. (Collins English Dictionary)

A picture produced with photographic materials, such as light-sensitive paper, but without a camera. (Oxford English Dictionary)

Jerry UelsmannJerry N. Uelsmann (born June 11, 1934) is an American photographer, and was the forerunner of photomontage in the 20th century in America. He pioneered the art of multi layered imagery years before anybody else.

Jerry is best known for his in black and white images that he layered skilfully without the use of Photoshop. He used traditional methods such as the Dark Room to put his pieces together.

Jerry Uelsmann was influenced early in his life by Harry Callahan, Frederic Sommer, Wynn Bullock and Edward Western. They gave him visions to explore.

When considering his photomontages, some pieces of his work come to mind. The surrealism made by hand on the work is quite amazing. Looking at his work of the hands coming out of the pavement holding a birds nest is very fascinating to look at.

His way of multiple printing to produce these images was a long and patient way, however the results were Phenomenal.

This is the work i spoke of before. Uelsmann combines two natural things to make a very surreal piece of work.

The way in which it almost looks real and life like shows what a great Photographer he was and the fact that no on else had thought of this idea made it even greater.

Being a Pioneer in photograph manipulation is a great achievement and his pieces of work will be the inspiration for many artists.

The image gives me the impression of protecting life and exploring another side to nature, holding the nest for the bird suggests that we are giving a helping hand and all one creation

Using the hands to combine with the tree was a good idea as they blend in well and is easy to look at for the viewer.

Here on the right is another example of Uelsmann’s work. Again, very abstract and surreal as well as making it look as if it is the norm. The merging of the photographs has been put so well together that you have to keep looking at the piece.

The work is seen in galleries across the world. They have featured in over 100 individual shows across the United States and abroad over the past forty-years. Museums his work has been in are that of , The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art in New York and The Chicago Art Institute

The work would fit in the category of contemporary and traditional. This is because the pieces of art fit in the modern era, however have been created using older techniques.

The work by Uelsmann would again be part of the Fine Art category due to his work being individual pieces and not working for a client.