On Influences and Inspiration: Part 1 (May 2015)

Whilst progressing through my course work it has regularly been suggested, both by the OCA manuals and successive tutors, that I should note down and discuss, in my logbook / blog, the books and exhibitions that have influenced me and shaped my photographic practice….and why they have had that effect. Indeed, the current course notes suggest that for Assignment 3 (the critical review) I should research and write about “…..the life and work of a photographer or photographic theme that has influenced you or had an impact on the way you work”. I have always had problems doing this, and as a consequence my logbook has fallen short as a document that clearly denotes the journey that I am taking through the world of photographic art. This document attempts to analyse why I have difficulty finding and expressing influences in my photographic work and from where and why I can derive the inspiration to progress. In part two, I will give a typical practical example, concerning a recent visit to two very different exhibitions on the same afternoon that influenced my thinking and might provide me with material for future photographic work.

I am sure that most professional photographers and practitioners of photographic art would, if asked, be able to provide the names of other photographers past and present, who have been important and influential in their development. However, I cannot in all honesty name a single one. I wrote about the contemporary photojournalists Daniel Beltra and Edward Stirton in my Assignment 3 essay and they have certainly had an influence on my current OCA project work, but whether that influence is lasting remains to be seen. I studied the work of Fay Godwin for my OCA Level 2 “Landscape” course and her work has certainly influenced the way that I look at landscapes, but I do very little landscape photography nowadays. My major interest has always been in natural history photography, a genre that is out of step with photographic art (see my essay) and which is often connected to aesthetics. Most, but not all practitioners in this field are largely concerned with the aesthetics of their imagery, since they need to promote their work to the general public in order to make a living by selling it. Whilst some photographers, such as Bence Mate, Paul Nicklen and Stefano Unterthiner produce distinctive, imaginative work that stands out from the pack, it is the aesthetics and imagination that are linked to individual images (produced by people that I may have never heard of) that tend to influence and inspire me when I visit exhibitions such as “Wildlife Photographer of the Year”.

So, what of the influences of modernist and postmodernist photographers? It should be clear from what I have written so far that, for me, the initial appeal of any photograph or set of photographs is aesthetic. Sadly, I find little aesthetic appeal in the works of postmodernist and current fine (conceptual) art photographers. However, closer study of their work and the ideas behind it produces a greater affinity with certain practitioners, such as Cindy Sherman (“Untitled Film Stills”: see Image below) and Jeff Wall (staged tableau). Both photographers produce work that is both aesthetically pleasing and contains narrative and/or (implied) action - this requires interpretation by the viewer, and I enjoy trying to solve puzzles! Some social documentary work, by photographers such as William Klein, also appeals to me. However, I cannot claim that my practice has been significantly influenced by any of these photographers, although it may be in the future.

Cindy Sherman: "Untitled #48"

So, is the lack of an obvious photographic “mentor” a liability? I decided to broaden my search for influences to take in the entire art world. Here there are, I believe, influences on my work. I have always been attracted to the work of the Surrealist painters and, in particular, Salvador Dali. As is the case with many great artists in different fields there is much to disapprove of in Dali the man. He was an extrovert and a showman, a man of dubious politics and low morals who sought to publicise and commercially exploit his talents wherever possible. He also happened to be a supreme draughtsman with a totally original and creative mind, who produced work, the likes of which has never been seen before or since. It is true that his work polarises opinions (my partner hates it), but for me Dali’s work is very special. Why do I find Dali’s work inspirational and how has it influenced me as a photographer? Perhaps some of the answers lie in Dali’s most famous painting, “The Persistence of Memory" (image below).

Salvador Dali: "The Persistence of Memory"

The first thing to strike me about this work is the lovely Catalan landscape, illuminated in soft colours by the setting sun. The aesthetic appeal of the scene is, for me, strong and immediate. The addition of the three “melted” watches, one hanging over the branch of a dead olive tree, one flopping over the edge of an architectural block and the third lying on an amorphous, sleeping creature on the ground (actually known to be a type of self-portrait from Dali’s earlier works) adds an element of mystery which demands that the viewer should spend time contemplating the meaning of the painting. Does it, as Dali comments, disrupt conventional notions of reality and the universe by exploiting moments of extreme irrational intuition? Or was it inspired (as Dali again comments) by the remains of a very strong Camembert cheese? Either way, this painting inspires me because it contains three key elements in huge doses: aesthetic appeal, the ability to enthral by virtue of the nature of its content and finally the narrative within the painting, which challenges the viewer to look more deeply to appreciate its meaning.

I enjoy viewing the works of many other artists: imaginary landscapes and scenes of festivals by Flemish painters, the landscapes of Poussin and the variety of works (particularly his later work) by Goya. However, it is the virtuosity and visual appeal of Dali’s work that stands out above the others for me, work which reached a zenith in his amazing “trompe-l’oeil”, “The Metamorphosis of Narcissus” (below).

Salvador Dali: "The Metamorphosis of Narcissus"

Has Dali’s work influenced or inspired my photography? It has, because although I cannot construct his dream-like images in front of the camera I can, at least, produce distorted images of subjects by photographing their reflections in water, glass and other media. An example is a reflection of a large building in London’s Regents Canal (Image 4).

Reflections in Regent's Canal

Whereas Image 4 appeals to me on an aesthetic level and requires a certain amount of study in order to be interpreted it doesn’t, either in its own right or combined with other images, contain any narrative but is primarily an abstract. Could I use reflections in water, glass or other media that produce an image or a series of images that do contain a narrative? This should be possible, but I would need to seek inspiration from another source and then link the two together to produce a suitable concept for a project. This would represent a further step in my artistic development: to absorb ideas and inspiration from different sources and then link them together to generate another, novel idea that could be developed into a photographic project.

In summary, I currently derive inspiration for my photographic work from many different sections of the art world. Aesthetic appeal continues to play a big part in my own work. Given that I see no reason to avoid trying to produce images having aesthetic appeal I need to develop an approach that underlies this appeal with narrative and that also makes a statement. I have tried to do this during the current course (in particular with the major project) and will continue to do so in the future.

In the second part I will try to show how I can use exhibition visits to spark ideas and inspiration for future work.