Photography and PortraitsThe Timeless quality of portraits

Student Name: YEAR 13 Candidate Number:

Contents Page

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 2 Photographers analysis and comparison

Chapter 3 My Personal Practical Work

Chapter 4 Conclusions

Bibliography (a list of websites and books read)

Appendices (all the photos and art work images)

Chapter 1 Introduction

Introductory sectionIn this essay I am investigating portraits and paper. The reason I have chosen to focus on paper and portraits is because I have a strong interest in photographing people as I believe you can tell a lot about a person from their expression. The photographer I have chosen as one of my main inspirations is John Stezaker. His work inspires me because it relates to the history of famous people. The subject matter of his work interests me because it shows portraits of people in combination with other people. His work to me appears much more than just photographs because it shows more than just the face of one person. It shows two people in one. His work is unique and related to my chosen topic of portraits and paper and it shows the merging of different mediums such as newspapers and magazines. Stezaker makes his often surrealistic images by slicing, juxtaposing, removing or rotating found photographs and postcards. His photos are also rustic in colour and some of them appear sepia as if they’re meant to be black and white but they’ve faded. I particularly like black and white photos as they have a timeless effect upon them and you can almost not tell when the image was taken because the lack of colour makes it more difficult to tell if the photographs are old. John Stezaker’s work has shaped my opinion of photography as it has brought me to believe that photography is not just about what you have captured it is about why you have captured that photograph and what has made you to want to capture something in a certain way. His work is also ironic because he calls himself a photographer even though he doesn’t actually take the photos himself. Does this make him a photographer though? Personally I think he is still a photographer because he is creating a photograph in his own way even if it isn’t manually taking the photo himself. The way in which he scores, slices and recombines images is effective as he manages to create new moods by maneuvering the images so they have lost their original identity. When he is finished his images appear more witty and strange than they were before. Through the process of manipulation he creates images that relate to my theme of portraits and paper and the combination of multiple mediums. Initially when starting the project I used portraits alongside balloons, bubbles and other objects however I decided to use paper as this allowed me to be more creative with my photo-shoots. Furthermore paper and portraits both begin with ‘P’ so this is an association in itself. I am glad I chose to go with the idea of portraits and paper as combining the two types of media was interesting and I think I achieved some interesting photos. John Stezaker’s work was where my original inspiration came from. In my final outcome I want to create and interpretation of his work that is my own ideas of portraits combine with paper . I choose Yousuf Karsh especially because his work is unique in the fact that the visual elements of his photos are simplistic yet they still portray a message.

Chapter 2 Photographers AnalysisFor my practical photography work I am exploring the theme of objects and portraits. In order to develop my understanding of this theme I have chosen to analyse the photography work by Yousuf Karsh and John Stezaker. Both of the artists’ work I have chosen are very different, however they link to my theme of associated objects as the both use associations in different ways within their work. By the end of this coursework I hope to understand more about how a portrait image isn’t always of the actual face of a person.

Career – Yousuf KarshThe first photographer I have chosen to discuss is Yousuf Karsh. Yousuf Karsh a Turkish-born Canadian photographer was born in 1908 and died in 2002, has left a legacy in terms of photography. He is one of the masters of 20th century photography. The work of his that I have chosen to study is his portraits which include photos of artists, musicians, scientists and men and woman of accomplishment. His unique work presents people in an intimate and comprehensive light.

As an Armenian who was living in Turkey, life was not easy... In 1924, at the young age of only 16, he emigrated to Canada, joining his uncle, who was a photographer in, Quebec. This is where his journey began. From 1928 to 1931 he served as an apprentice to a Boston painter and portrait photographer and briefly attended art school. He then returned to Canada in the early 1930’s where he was employed by a photographer in Ottawa. At this point Karsh began to lease a studio after his employer retired. Next he was appointed official photographer of portraits by the Canadian government. This was in the year of 1935. I few years after in 1947 he became a naturalized Canadian citizen.

In relation to his work Karsh’s often-reproduced portrait of Sir Winston Churchill. During the time he was an iconic figure within society and this meant that Karsh had to present him in the best way possible. Through his photos he conveyed the determination of Britain’s wartime leader and as a result this bought Karsh his first glimpse of fame. From here on Karsh went on to photograph some of the world’s most famous people including royalty. Karsh used dramatic lighting to meticulously model his subjects’ faces, thereby obtaining a monumental and idealized presentation that helped promote their public image. Most of his portraits were taken in black and white.

Subject matter – Yousuf KarshThe subject matter of Yousuf Karsh’s photo (image one-Nelson Mandela) portrays the person in a natural light with little editing, the photo appears raw and untouched. The photo is trying to communicate the personality of the person, which is a caring with an upbeat personality. Not only this, Karsh also communicates wisdom in the photo. The image itself shows Nelson Mandela with his hands clasped together. I have interpreted this as the symbolisation of peace. When someone puts their hands together as if to pray is shows peace and respect. This suggests that the person is spiritual or has some kind of connection with God by doing this. Through the photograph you can see so much more. The subject matter of the photo is very important. In Yousuf Karsh’s’ photos the people in all of his photographs have strong character and have played a key role within history. As a result of this he shows them in the best light possible. For the photograph of Mandela he shows him looking proud and honourable, this reflects his personality. The composition of the photos are usually similar. In this particular photo (image one) the portraiture is central with the face in the middle. This is a traditional portrait that is well established. The texture of the image can also appear grainy; this is because the photos are old and would not have been taken while on a higher ISO setting .The intention of Yousuf Karsh was to present the people as what they think of themselves to be. The photo that I have chosen to discuss appears similar to other photos of Yousuf Karsh’s work as most of his photographs are taken in black and white in a traditional portraits lay

out. Furthermore his images consist of primarily black backgrounds against people with darker skin and people with lighter skin he tends to use a white or lighter background.

Technique – Yousuf Karsh(In relation to image 2 Audrey Hepburn) The subject matter being Audrey Hepburn has definitely been set up so that her face has been shows so it is her side profile to the camera. The white background works effectively against her complexion. By using the white background her skin tone looks more textured and it doesn’t look as if it has been washed out. By using the white background she also appears more flawless and untouched as it makes her skin look clear and her hair glossy and shiny. The focus is on the subject’s whole face and this is obvious as no parts of the photo are out of focus. The lighting in the photo looks as if it is shiny from in front of the subject because the light is evenly spaced across of the photo, it doesn’t look as if the light is coming from below because no shadows have been created. The depth of field of the photo primarily consists of the focus on the person as this is the focal point. In terms of blocks of colour the black colour is towards the bottom quarter of the photo which makes it less relevant in the photo. The subject is being viewed side on, but they’re looking down. It is almost as if the subject is sitting on a stool side on to the camera because the body of the subject is also facing sideways on. Lastly you can’t actually see the person’s eyes which makes them look somewhat withdrawn, this may reflect the character or personality of the person.

Link to my own workI have chosen to study this photographer because I like how his work appears simple but has a more complex meaning. He makes his models pose in different ways, which show a small part of their personality through the image. I like the fact that the images are all black and white because it adds an antique effect to the image and you can’t tell the era of the photo. This fits in with my photo-shoot where I have explored expression and emotion through black and white imagery. As a development of his work I have done a photo-shoot that consists of black and white images but with the colour splash. This makes his work modernised because of the use of colour being used.

Career- John Stezaker John Stezaker attended the Slade School of Art in London, graduating with a Higher Diploma in Fine Art in 1973. In the early 1970s, he was among the first wave of British conceptual artists to react against what was then the predominance of Pop art. John Stezaker was born in Worcester in 1949. Once he had moved to London he only really discovered what photography as – this was at the age 13. His parents had bought a slide projector and he then began to be interested in photography. As a teenager he was fascinated by the apparatus that the projector was assembled with. Stezaker began to understand how the projector worked. By the time Stezaker enrolled in school in the late 60’s his main influences were Gerhard Richter and Sigmar Polke. They were painters whose work overlapped with photography and was basically the pop art of a few years earlier. Stezaker was a student through the 60’s when pop art was at its peak and a wholesale of pop- cultural images were being launched. This is when he became interested in surrealism.

Subject matter- John Stezaker The image that I have chosen to discuss is image 3 (Marriage). The subject matter consist of the merging of a man and a woman vertically. The photo of the woman has been placed over the top of the photo of the man. The image shows the two faces meeting in the middle of the page as each half of the mouth of either person meet. The photo is sepia in colour. In particular I like the off brown colour of the image it makes the image appear old and rustic. It also shows that the era when the photo was taken was a long time ago as there is a lack of colour. The thoughts that I think Stezaker has explored through this photograph is the theme of identity. He is only showing half of the identity of each of the people in the photo. This contributes to the fact that Stezaker draws two types of media together through photography. What I find interesting about the photograph is that the angle in which he has placed the two photos over each other makes it look as if it was supposed to be like that and they were meant to be placed there as such. The two faces meet up perfectly and have been assembled accurately. Lastly I like how the faces of

the two people are showing the same expression so it looks as if they are unified and they’re now one person.

Technique – John Stezaker John Stezaker has used the technique of collaging to assemble this photography. As you can see he has used a variation of techniques to do this. He will have cut the images in half vertically and then placed the photos together by merging them. By collaging his work appears more diverse because of the different mediums that have been used. The edges of photos may appear rough because they have been merged together with other photos. Furthermore the photos are made up of more dramatic shapes and cuts. This benefits the images because they appear visually different in comparison to a normal photo. The composition of the photo consist of the central faces with an off white background.

Link to my workI have substantially liked John Stezaker’s work to my work, by interpreting the idea of combining different media to make a new image. I have used pictures from magazines and newspapers and combined them with a model to make a new image. I have done this by holding the paper next to the face of the model so it looks as if it is her face. I have done this horizontally and vertically with different cut out shapes and as a result I have made new portraits. I think this works well because I have interpreted John Stezaker’s work in my own way.

Chapter 3 My Personal Practical Work

In relation to my own practical work John Stezaker inspired me as his work consists of combining media within portraits. What I particularly like about his work is that in his collages, Stezaker uses images found in books, magazines, and postcards. Through his elegant juxtapositions, Stezaker adopts the content and contexts of the original images to convey his own witty and poignant meanings. The series of images that I was drawn to most when researching his photos was the Marriage Series. During this series of photos Stezaker focuses on the interesting concept of portraiture as an art historical genre and the aspect of public identity through photography. He uses publicity shots of famous film stars and overlaps these images with classic icons to create hybrid icons that disassociate the known person to create obscure faces. In my own practical work I wanted to incorporate the idea of merging different media so I used images from newspapers and magazines and tested out different ways in which both types of media could be combined. In developing my work I first used pictures out of magazines, and alongside a model I combined the paper with the face of the model so one half of the face was in fact the magazine. By doing this I could create an obscure portraits much like Stezaker but in my own way. In the development of my sketch book you can see the transition - formal portraits to portraits that are more complex in relation to Stezaker’s work, you can see this because as my book develops I believe that the photos become better in the fact that more care has been taken in the way that the photos have been taken. When I produced pages in my sketchbook my main inspiration came from combining the paper with the face of the model. From figure 4 you can see I have created my own visual representation of portraits and paper. You can see that the image is a combination of a model and alternative materials such as a cut out from a magazine. I have incorporated the cut out from the magazine by placing it over the face of the model as if it were her eyes. This image relates to John Stezaker’s work however I see it as a more modern interpretation. It is different because the image is made up of two people but it is in colour and the paper over the face adds an obscure effect. From figure 5 you can see I have used newspaper to disguise and hide the face of my model. Figure 5 was one of my first initial attempts at combining portraits and paper and since then I believe that I have produced better photos however I did learn from this photo-shoot how important the viewpoint of a photograph is. I have realised that it is better to include an equal background and foreground and not too take my photos too close up.

In relation to analysing my photographs from figure 6 you can see two faces that have been merged together. Words I would use to describe this photograph would be the words ‘high- key, abstract and obscure’ the reason for using these words would be because I have made the contrast high along with the saturation. By doing this I have made the photo high key. As you can see visually the photograph appears bright. Furthermore I used the word ‘obscure’ to describe the image because I have merged the two faces the image appears distorted in a sense that it is an unusual angle. I would describe this image to someone who couldn’t see it as a combination of someone’s face and a cut out of a face from a magazine. The image is close up and face on view of the face, however the model is tilting their face to the right. I think the photo is also abstract because it looks like it has been made to look a certain way as it is not a natural shot. In the photograph I recognise that both the eyes don’t meet up to each other however the mouths meet perfectly in the middle. I also recognise that the colour of the faces has been made to match as if it were realistic, however it appears as a distortion. I want the two images to contrast each other. The idea behind this is to create juxtaposition in my work.

Chapter 4 Conclusions

EvaluationFrom studying portraits I have gained an understanding of how to present a portrait in the style that best represents the person in the photo. I have gained an understanding of how to interpret a photographer’s work and make it my own. I believe that I achieved a high standard of work in my sketch book and the final outcome will support this understanding. Although towards the end of my book I did change my idea I think I have shown a development and the reason for these changes. I think the way in which I have presented my work is relevant to my chosen theme of Portraits and paper because I have effectively combined the two together. I have used the material of paper by looking into different materials that are made of paper such as magazines, postcards and newspapers. By incorporating manual techniques to my work I have shown the use of paper in relation to my theme. In presenting my work as circular images it shows creativity because I am not using square prints which is a more standard lay out. In order to do this I had to get a template for my final piece which was cut specifically to fit my photos. By displaying my photos consistently in black and white I have made a connection to the timeless quality that photos can have. The key qualities that make a photo timeless is the black and white antique look of the photo. The word ‘timeless’ means, something that is not affected by the passage of time or changes in fashion. Key qualities of timeless photos would be originality that is everlasting. I believe this was an interesting theme to follow and from choosing this sub theme I have discovered things about photography that I didn’t know before. In addition I have gained a greater understanding of the significance that a single photo can have. For example when exploring portraits I came across portraits of Marilyn Monroe. The photos to this day are still as significant as they were when they were taken. This shows that a single photo can be timeless and the passing of time has not aged the photographs as it is still relevant today. Both Yousuf Karsh and John Stezaker were highly influential throughout the course of my project. Combining both their work into my final piece was both enjoyable and challenging. Both artist were completely different but they both had one thing in common: Portraits. When looking at both the artist’s work I found that they were very different. However in relation to my final piece this became a positive thing because I was able to combine the idea of timeless, old fashioned portraits by Yousuf Karsh with the modern twisted idea by John Stezaker. In my final piece I believe I channeled my photographers and interpreted the work in an artist, unique way.

Appendices

Figure Name Of Art/Photograph Source Painting

1 Nelson Mandela By Yousuf Karsh

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/345369865145607646/

2 Audrey Hepburn By Yousuf Karsh

http://121clicks.com/inspirations/the-greatest-portraits-ever-taken-by-yousuf-karsh

3 Marrige – John stezaker

http://www.saatchigallery.com/artists/artpages/john_stezaker_6.htm

4 Phoebe – Portraits and paper

My own Photograph

5 Phoebe – portraits an Paper(first attemps)

My own Photograph

6 Lilijana Portraits and paper

My own photograph

789101112131415

Bibliography

Name Link to website/ book AuthorYousuf Karsh official website http://www.karsh.org/

White Chappell gallery http://www.whitechapelgallery.org/exhibitions/john-stezaker/

The Tate Gallery – John Stezaker http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/john-stezaker-2000

The 62 group – Variation of artists http://www.62group.org.uk/

Artnet – Mel Bochner http://www.artnet.com/artists/mel-bochner

Exploration of Portraiture http://www.npg.org.uk/learning/digital/portraiture.php

Artsty - Mel Bochner https://www.artsy.net/artist/mel-bochner

Eve Arnold Prints http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=CMS3&VF=MAGO31_10_VForm&ERID=24KL53ZGM6