Thursday, March 19, 2015

Surrealism

This image is an emulation of the famous painting "Golconda" by René Magritte. I decided to emulate this painting because I saw potential for creativity, and an opportunity to modernize a pice of classic art. I had little reasoning for incorporating umbrellas as the subject for this image, other then that I thought they would leave room for viewer interpretation. The background is a photo  taken above the clouds in central Oregon. I particularly like this image because of both its general aesthetic, and its lack of concrete structure. To me, this photograph fully embodies the concept of surrealism in that it is a portrayal of my inner creativity, and is not restricted by any rules or guidelines.  

Monday, March 16, 2015

Pre Work

Surrealism

Surrealism is an art form that manages to captivate the essence of human creativity. It is expressed through a wide variety of rule-less and unique pieces that evoke strong feelings and connections. Its unexpired popularity stems from peoples desire to understand and interpret the sub conscious portrayals from artists who are able to use images effectively in this unique style.

Surrealism first made its mark on history in the early 20th century, during which time iconic individuals such as Max Ernst, Salvador Dali and André breton began to catalyse surrealistic art and display it for mass audiences. Today, they have inspired the thriving following of contemporary surrealistic art, and their influence continues to be shown through the work of thousands. 


Max Ernst

Max Ernst was a German born artist who helped inspire the surrealist movement by attacking traditional art through his unique style of work. Ernst's paintings have helped inspire many over their many decades of existence, and are relevant to this day. Max Ernst Biography






René Magritte
René Magritte is one of the most well known surrealist artists in history. I personally took great interest in his reoccurring theme of human distortion, and the idea that humanity is not defined by its outer appearance. Magritte is most acclaimed for his ability to use imagery to provoke thoughts and ask questions of the viewers 








  

Monday, March 9, 2015

Alternative Process Research

Daguerreotype:
The daguerreotype process, formally known as daguerreotypy, was one of the most prevalent photographic processes of the 19th century. Originally, this process was done over an extended period of time, and incorporated the use of silver plated copper and developing chemicals. Under this method, photographers would expose a treated plate in a camera for any given amount of time, so that it would be subject to sunlight. They would then treat the plates with chemical fumes to help yield a clear image. However today, most daguerreotypes are done by photographers trying to mimic the nostalgic time period associated with this particular process. By nature, daguerreotypes are metallic images that often convey the stereotypical "old feeling". In this project, we used digital resources such as photoshop to mimic daguerreotypy within digital images. 

Cyanotype
Similarly to daguerreotype process, cyanotypes reached their peak of popularity in the mid 19th century. This process originally incorporated many intricate steps and resources. The basis of this process can be landmarked by its signature blue and white values, and visible brush strokes left on the specific surface it was printed on. Cyanotypes are often very interesting images in their ability to provide transform and simplify images on a fundamental level

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Alternative Process through Digital Means

Each of the photographs below are examples of images that have been transformed through the use of the alternative process. Examples of their original, unedited counterparts can be seen in the blog post below.


Daguerreotype:
This image is a depiction of a sunset over a frozen lake in northern Michigan. I decided to make this specific image a daguerrotype because I felt that the cold and somber composition of the photograph complemented the smooth, metallic characteristics of this specific alternative process. After editing this image in such an explicit way, the photo was entirely transformed, and began to portray a completely different feeling. I particularly like the premise of the daguerreotype because it gives any given photograph a new character, and erases the controlling concept of time and exposer from an image. 


Gum Bichromate:
I took this image hoping to capture the silhouette of the Fremount bridge from its east side. After seeing the result, I decided to edit this image by using the gum bichromate process. I made the decision to use this process because I saw the potential it had to transform the image, and enable it to convey such surreal colors and textures. I decided to use both light and dark colors to bring attention to the shadows of the images subjects. Overall, I was very happy with the outcome of this photograph, and its ability to represent my ability in perfecting the alternative process. 

Cyanotype:
Similar to the image above, this photograph uses the subject of a popular Portland bridge, (the hawthorne), as the main attention grabber in my attempt to create a cyanotype. I enjoy the general composition and aesthetic of this image, and the way that the editing technique was able to enhance the image properties so profoundly. Specifically, the way that the brush strokes are held in comparison to the texture of the river and the dark shadow of the bridge.


Other Alternative Process Images of Interest:


   

Alternative Process: Original Unedited Images

Original Images:
These images are the raw, unedited images prior to their transformation under the alternative process. Each of these photographs have been transformed in a unique way through alternative digital editing. Other variations of these images can be seen in the post above.