Racism Collage

Journey To The Top

This is my Dada-inspired piece that I created about the topic of racism. As you can see, the whole image creates a short of “hourglass” shape. I oriented the mountain upside-down, and then placed those other pictures in the shape of a pyramid, as if it’s mirroring the mountain. I chose to do this because when one thinks of scaling an enormous mountain, they’d immediately dub it as a huge feat; a feat that they think could not be accomplished. But in the end, people faced perils and climbed mountains to the top. I tried to show that through the various images related to racism. I found old black and white photos and placed them as the “base” of the “mountain”. This shows how in the beginning, people did not know where the issue of racism was going to lead, or if it’ll ever stop. Then, as the mountain gets higher and higher, I placed images which go against the idea of racism, and instead, advocate for a fair society where no one is judged based on their skin colour.

Racism Research: Related Images

I chose this image as one which goes against the idea of racism in our society. The creator of this advertisement was trying to get the message across that it doesn’t matter what colour our skin is on the outside, but it only really matters what’s inside of us. And really, there should not be acts of violence just based on hatred for a colour; if we all get physically opened up, we have the same bone structure, same muscle structure, same organs, same heart. I believe this advertisement to be very effective because it uses images of actual human hearts, which to some may seem gruesome, and using what I like to call the “gross factor”, the idea of anti-racism stays with the person.

This next image is also one that supports anti-racism. It has a very simple message to it – there are multi-coloured crayons pertaining to the different skin tones of people all around the world, and instead of labeling them as “white”, “black”, “yellow”, or “brown”, it simply says “flesh”. This is my favourite image because people of all ages can see this picture and (to some extent) understand what it means – skin tone is just a colour, nothing more.

I chose this picture as an effective means to display the racism that is still going on in the modern world. It shows some people protesting against Barack Obama as the president, and even going to extremes as to putting horns on him in front of a fiery background; suggesting the idea of him being the devil.Although racism around the world seems to have died down in the past century,these kinds of unjust movements are still happening everywhere, albeit in small groups.

 

For my last picture, I chose an older image, of how blatantly open towards their hatred of anyone who weren’t the same skin colour as themselves back in the day. You can see in the background that the Caucasian woman’s face is filled with disgust as she leers at the dark-toned woman. In another version of this picture, which was shot at a different angle, you can see a lot more people turning heads just to catch a glimpse of this woman and stare at her in a deprecating manner. I used this picture in an attempt to contrast with my other pictures and show how times have change for the better.

Brainstorm For Own Creations (Humanity)

My ten ideas for the theme of Humanity:

• Picture of a tree with a person’s body where the tree’s trunk should be – shows how people in this world are sometimes so involved in their own little bubble, that they don’t realize if they just open up a little more, a whole world of wonders (represented by the tree’s branches) awaits them.
• Picture of someone holding an university diploma standing before a landscape, and instead of the landscape, a blank canvas will be in its place – shows that with enough effort, humans are capable of living out their life to their heart’s content.
• Close-up of a tear-filled eye, and in the reflection, is a happy couple on their wedding day – shows a human’s very unique trait of expressing strong emotions, as well as a human’s love for each other.
• Picture of a homeless person smiling, and beside him is a well-dressed businessman crying – shows how even with adversity, one can be cheerful. It’s not always a person’s wealth that determines their happiness.
• Picture of two people shaking hands, with the background being those said two people yelling at each other – shows how humans are able to set aside their differences by putting themselves in the other person’s shoes, and eventually patching up their relationship with one another.
• First-person view of someone texting with their phone, and instead of the phone, it is replaced with a human heart, labelled “iHeart” – this shows how sometimes humanity can be a bad thing. In this ever-growing era of technology, it has become less and less common for people to interact with each other face to face. Instead, they opt to use phones or the internet as a means of communication. We’re losing what it means to be a human.
• Picture of someone sleeping with a hamster, and the background is a sky filled with clouds – this further demonstrates a human’s capability to emotionally bond and care for one other than themselves, even if that said something isn’t even a human being.
• Picture of a baby with a colourful background on the left side of the image, and then on the right side of the image, a line of lawyers frowning with a grey background – this displays the idea of conformity in society and how people who are born with dreams that differ from the norm are taught to ditch those dreams to fit in with society.
• Picture of a married couple holding hands, but the man is normal-sized while the woman is child-sized – shows how even with the ideals of today’s society that goes against sexism, there’s still the lingering idea pertaining of women being of less power than men, even if it’s not verbally expressed.
• Picture of one person playing with a black iPhone beside another person playing with a while iPhone, and there’s a larger crowd of people looking at the white iPhone – shows the idea of unintentional racism through technology.  

Jerry Uelsmann

Voyager, 2008

This photo, aptly named “Voyager”, is without a doubt my favourite out of all of Uelsmann’s creative and beautiful works. What initially grabbed my attention towards this photo was the simplicity. As I went to take a closer look, I saw that his prominent use of seemingly white space and the principle of balance, as well as direction, is truly an amazing embodiment of the saying: “A picture is worth a thousand words”. When I look at this photo, I feel very soothed and hopeful for the future. I believe Uelsmann was trying to convey a biblical message in this picture. The obvious reason as to why I would think this, is the boat flying up to the skies, which usually pertains to the idea of Heaven, and the desire for wanting to go to Heaven. The person in the water however, represents humanity. Uelsmann assumingly is trying to tell his viewers that the journey of life is a long one, which’ll be filled with unavoidable harsh times, but it’ll all be worth it when the Judgement Day comes. The whole photo really is just such a beautiful landscape; I love it so much.

Untitled, 1982

This photo, which was a close second for my favourite, does not have a name. But if I’d been given the opportunity to do so, it would be dubbed “Home Is Where The Heart Is”. This piece initially caught my attention because of the boldness of the house/tree root structure. It’s placed in the very forefront of the image, proving itself to want to impose its message on the viewer. The implied texture in the roots under the house make for an interesting “woodsy & rural” feel to this picture, which contrasts greatly with the house, which gives off the urban ideal. Although they’re contrasting ideas, Uelsmann pieced them together very well. The message which I think Uelsmann was trying to convey with this work is that no matter where you go in life, you can always count on home to be there for you. Since the roots of trees basically feed life to the actual tree, he could be trying to convey that when you’re at home, you feel more alive.

All in all, I adore the majority of Jerry Uelsmann’s works, and cannot wait to begin creating some of my own images when we start our culminating assignment.

Annie Leibovitz

1. The type of photography that Leibovitz shoots is portraiture, along with her trademark use of bold colours and poses. 

2. Leibovitz worked with the rock music magazine Rolling Stone in the 1960’s.

3. In 1975, her position of head photographer that she attained with the magazine allowed her to go along with the Rolling Stones band on their international tour. It was with this opportunity that she developed her trademark technique, which involved the use of bold colours, and surprising poses. 

4. Leibovitz was friends with and took a portrait for the famous photographer Richard Avedon. 

5. 

Angelina Jolie And Son

This photo of Angelina Jolie with her son is one of my favourites. It uses a mixture of soft and side lighting, giving off a very mellow tone. This relates to the actual subjects of the photo, whom are seen relaxing on a bed in the company of each other. When we think of the words “in bed together”, we automatically assume it’s something romantic, but this photo is completely contradictory to that idea, since there is love, but a solely family-type of love. This is a cute picture.

John Lennon And Yoko Ono

This is a photo of John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono. This is a very provocative image for the reason that Lennon is completely naked whilst embracing his wife. The lighting used here was soft. In my eyes, the message which Leibovitz was trying to portray with this photo is true love. One shouldn’t care about changing their actions to please society – instead, they should do what they will (as long as it’s not illegal) and go with what their heart tells them. This photo is famous because it was most likely the last photograph anyone will ever take of John Lennon – he was shot dead just a mere five hours after this was taken.

Dolly Parton And Arnold Swarchenegger

This photo uses front lighting. I love the concept of this image because it shows a girly-girl – Dolly Parton – in front of a very muscular man – Arnold Swarchenegger. At a glance, it may just seem like the  two are having fun, but to me, I think this symbolizes the feminist movement, that women are just as strong and capable of what men can do, while looking pretty at the same time. Again, Leibovitz uses nudity in this photo to attract the viewer’s attention.

Whoopi Goldberg

I must say, this has got to be my absolute favourite photo because I laugh every time I look at it. The lighting used here is a combination of soft and side lighting. Whoopi Goldberg is chilling in a bathtub full of milk, and it is extremely humorous to look at because of the fact that the milk seems to blend in with the bathtub, and her dark skin tone contrasts so harshly with the light colours. From afar, it looks like the limbs belong to the bathtub, and not the person. I think this image is popular simply because of the lightheartedness and ridiculousness of the whole situation.

Photomontage – Bullying

Crushed

This is my photomontage pertaining to the social issue of bullying. If you look closely, you can see a person under the tree, looking forlorn and defeated. The size of the person is unrealistically small in comparison to the tree – this was intended to show just how much bullying can affect someone. The pile of leaves represent a happy life before the victim was singled out by a bully, which is the rock. I formatted the photomontage to show the principle of dominance with the main subject, which is the tree and the person, because the aftereffects of bullying are important in the message which I am trying to convey. My photomontage shows the element of direction, in the way that as I stated before, when someone looks at this piece, they initially notice the big tree. Proceeding that, their eyes follow the two separate images off to the side, creating a sort of “cause-and-effect” tone.

Practise Photomontage

The Flagpole

Image From Each Artist (Political & Social Photomontage)

Hannah Hoch

Balance, 1925

This is my favourite work by Hannah Hoch. I love this photo because it displays the elements of colour and value, as well as the principle of dominance. The way in which it demonstrates colour is just throughout the whole photo; the majority of it is very eye-catching and filled with bright colours. There are many different tones in the colour to add value as well. It shows the principle of dominance because of the enlarged faces of the people. It immediately draws your attention to their faces. The message that Hoch is trying to convey with her work is a message of acceptance towards everyone. She has taken bits and pieces of all types of body sizes and ethnicities, as well as incorporated both genders. It screams a message of unity, of everyone living together in peace as one.

John Heartfield

Adolph The Superman, 1932

This is my favourite piece of work by John Heartfield. I love it because of the very true message it paints. It displays Hitler with a transparent chest area, showing, from far away, what seems to be the spine, ribcage, and heart. But upon closer inspection, you can see that where his heart is supposed to be, there is a Swastika sign, and where his spinal cord is, there are a pile of coins. This shows what Hitler was truly composed of – he was in all aspects a normal physical human being, but his inner beliefs were that of the ugliest kind. This picture shows the element of space: Hitler is the positive space that takes up the majority of the work, and the negative space is the white background. This also shows the principle of balance, because Hitler is centered, which draws the onlooker’s attention straight away to his “innards”.

Raoul Hausmann

Dada Conquers, 1920

By Raoul Hausmann, this is my favourite photo. I love it because it showcases the beginnings of the Dada movement, and how prominent it became in the world of art in such a short time. The picture, as you can see, is extremely cluttered with a variety of objects. To the untrained eye, this might seem too overwhelming and not very visually appealing. But in the eyes of a grade 12 photography student, this  has a lot of meaning. First off, the photo in the center of the photo (inception) is what we see first. It is an olden-time ghost town, and it says that before Dada, art was beginning to get dull and repetitive. Then your eyes follow up and onto the picture of the world map, with Dada written on it. It shows to us that the Dada movement is quickly spreading all over the world. Then you move to all other areas of the photo, and see that there are a variety of things; the human body symbolizes the enveloping nature of Dada as an art form, the person dressed up as a reporter symbolizes how everyone wants to know more about this fresh new art, and the typewriters and the guy with the open skull symbolizes that there is actually a lot of thinking behind the creation of Dada art pieces; it’s not just all “paint what you see”. The elements of size and direction are shown in this picture in direct correlation with one another. The photo is the largest size in this work, so we see it first. Then the direction directs us upwards, to the second-largest thing, and so forth. The principle of repetition can be seen with the objects coming out of the wall (pipes?) which Hausmann used to emphasize meaning.

David Hockney

This photomontage by David Hockney is one of my favourite works of his. And I say one of my favourite because there are a lot more that I really like, but this is definitely at the top. It’s a picture (or many) that shows a telephone pole from bottom to top. I love this picture simply because it gives you the feeling of being a little person; the angle at which you see the top of the telephone pole makes it seem taller than the ones in real life are. It makes for a very interesting picture. As is the aim of photomontage, I enjoy the different ways in which each individual photo has been shot. Some of them are enveloped in shadows, while others are in bright daylight. It gives off the eye-pleasing principle of contrast. The elements of line and direction are prominent because of the line shape of the telephone pole, as well as the fact that it is shooting up in the sky, giving me a sense of which direction my eyes should head. What Hockney was trying to communicate with this piece is that although technology is a great thing, don’t think it’s the end of the line for development – technology is and will always be moving forward (the phone pole represents technology)

David Hockney

1. David Hockney was a British artist born on July 9th, 1937 in Bradford, England, to Laura and Kenneth Hockney. He did very well in his studies, and in 1948, when he was only 11 years old, he won a scholarship to the Bradford Grammar School, one of the best schools in the country. At BGS, he found that he liked art the most, and that’s what launched his life-long love for everything art related. In 1953, he enrolled in the College of Art, and began working with oils. In the summer of 1957, David took the National Diploma in Design Examination, which led to his enrollment into the Painting School of the Royal College. He began expressing his sexual orientation more in his works while at Royal College because he befriended other gay men, and he stated that there was where he felt truly at home. Later on, he travelled to New York for the first time, and sold some of his paintings in order to pay for his trip. He received various teaching offers at universities, and continued to gain acknowledgement for his works. He also experienced his first true love. In the 80s, he became obsessed with taking multiple pictures as quickly as he can, and making collages out of them or piecing them together. Furthermore, he continued to experiment with the ever-growing development of technology, and he delighted in the fact that he could send his art to his loved ones so speedily, thus making the act of sharing his art so much easier. David Hockney is so important in the aspects of pioneering the Hockney pieces created all over the world, and he is known as one of the most influential artists of the 20^th Century.

2. The way in which David Hockney compositionally structures his pictures is unique from that of a conventional photographer is how he takes a bunch of pictures of every area of his subject, using a variety of differences such as zooming in/out, taking it with various lighting techniques, and dressing the subject up in different clothing (if subject is human), then pieces them all together to create a collage or tile-like structure. It’s a very different and fresh outlook on things, and it gets the onlooker thinking about what they’re looking at in a different way, since the work is so aesthetically odd.

3. With photomontage, it allows Hockney to put his own unique style onto photos that no one else had ever thought of. It also allows the viewer to see the piece in many different ways; since there are so many little individual pictures that come together to create the big one. With regular photos, one only sees the whole picture and says “oh that’s great this picture is so great let’s move on to the next one” but with Hockney’s artworks, it allows someone to really be able to scrutinize the finer details because of the specific blocked areas.

4. David Hockney’s works are much like Picasso’s Cubism works. They are similar because with Picasso’s Cubism method of art, he paints a lot of “cubed” areas where he can either add more detail or make it more vague, and that in turn contributes to the overall niceness of the piece of work. Hockney’s technique uses the same sort of concept, only with a different medium: photography.

Dadism – A Revolutionary Movement

1. In the revolutionary times following WWI, artists began to see the use of montage as a truly new art form. In Berlin, a group of artists, self-named Dada, were looking for a new means of expression, one that had more meaning than abstraction but did not return to the tradition of figurative painting. Hannah Hoch, who was a prominent figure in the Dadism movement, said: “Our whole purpose was to integrate objects from the world of machines and industry into the world of art.”

2. Hannah Hoch and Raoul Hausmann were two partners that were the driving forces for the Dadism movement. They were having intimate relationships as well. Hausmann claimed to have invented the word “photomontage”. Hoch’s early works at the collaborative Dada style stand out from all the others as the workings of a very talented artist. John Heartfield was a very single-minded person with an extreme devotion to the anti-Nazi political activism. He was a part of the Berlin group and his early montages resembled the work of all other Dadaists.

3. The style of the Dadaists was wildly anarchic, using many elements, some of which included photos of the Dada artists, usually beside random newspaper clippings. This form of art was so unique simply for the reason that it had never been done before. It was so fresh, so new, and the people embraced it with a burning passion.