On Influences and Inspiration, Part 2 (May 2015)

Incorporating reviews of the following exhibitions:

“Unofficial War Artist” (Peter Kennard, Imperial War Museum, London)

“Freedom of Assembly” (Theaster Gates, White Cube Gallery, London)

(Both visited on 16 May 2015)

In Part 1 I discussed how I derive inspiration for my photographic work from many different areas of the art world, how the paintings of Salvador Dali have influenced and inspired me far more than the work of any photographer, living or dead, and how the aesthetic appeal (a very subjective value) of any work of art plays a part in influencing my photographic output. I have always struggled to elucidate how the work of artists seen in exhibitions, books and films has influenced my own work or state of mind. This document provides a practical example, concerning a recent visit to two very different exhibitions on the same afternoon, which influenced my thinking and may provide me with material for future photographic work.

“Unofficial War Artist” (Peter Kennard)

Peter Kennard has, for nearly 40 years, been a strong and vocal pacifist voice. His work (Image 1 is a typical example) uses photomontage to denounce war and call for nuclear disarmament. His montages have appeared regularly on banners, fly posters and t-shirts at Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and Amnesty International events. Student demonstrations have featured his work, as have many “left of centre” publications, including “The Guardian”.

Image 1: “Protect and Survive” (Peter Kennard)

Kennard’s work could not afford to be too subtle. It had to be consumed and understood by the general public, members of whom could then appreciate and use his art work to express their feelings. The work shown in Image 1 was produced shortly after the British Government’s public information booklet, “Protect and Survive” (1980), suggesting measures to be taken in the event of an imminent nuclear war, had been published. The meaning is obvious. Arguably Kennard’s most famous montage, a “reproduction” of Constable’s “The Hay Wain”, in which the hay has been replaced by cruise missiles (made at the time of the Greenham Common protests) is represented here. Another more recent “Photoshop” montage, in which Tony Blair is taking a “selfie” at the time of the Iraq War, with a background of oil well fireballs and explosions, is not here but can be seen in publicity material about the event. Amongst his most poignant material is the “Decoration” series of mixed media (a mixture of digital printing and oil paint) canvases displaying war medals with frayed ribbons, each “medal” displaying unpalatable aspects of the Iraq war such as the number of kills by an American sniper unit (see Image 2).

Image 2: “Decoration” (Peter Kennard)

I have long held a fascination for photomontage work and Kennard’s is some of the best. His motifs are hard-hitting and, in many cases, imbued with a pleasing aesthetic quality which somehow seems to contradict the dirty businesses of war and the nuclear arms race. Furthermore, he was doing this work long before the advent of digital made it that much easier to manipulate and falsify images. In the final room, Kennard pulls many of his works together with a series of numerical facts (e.g. the explosive power of the nuclear weapons carried on each of the four British Trident submarines is equal to 320 Hiroshima bombs). I congratulate the Imperial War Museum, of all places, on bravely putting on this exhibition of Pacifist art.

Influence and Inspiration

This exhibition was “right up my street” for three reasons. Firstly, I love the idea of producing photo-montage (and photo-collage) work that has intent and purpose. I’ve dabbled in this work in the past and it was a pleasure to see the work of a master craftsman of the genre. Perhaps the art of Peter Kennard will be a significant influence on my work in the future.

Secondly, Kennard’s use of statistics to back up his montages and further demonstrate the futility of war relates to my current major project work and the views I hold about how and why man is damaging the environment. Perhaps he is too forceful, perhaps he is preaching to the converted but the use of statistics to back up his arguments, whilst it may not be art, is certainly effective. The sad fact is that the vast majority of us will agree with his anti-war sentiments, but we can do nothing about it. The few politicians who do have the power to change things may well also agree in private with his sentiments but will also do nothing to change the current status quo, such as unilaterally getting rid of nuclear weapons. The same is true with my views about the environment, but I have a voice and Kennard shows me one way in which I can use it.

Thirdly, Kennard’s work is full of ideas and imagination. I was particularly impressed by his use of a magnifying glass to explore cause (the image in the glass) and effect (the linked image surrounding it) or, as in Image 3, to contrast wealth with poverty (“the richest 85 people in the world own the same amount of wealth as the poorest half of humanity, 3,500,000,000 people). Can I use this type of concept in my future work? I believe that I can.

Image 3 (Peter Kennard)

I found this exhibition to be both influential and inspirational. The very act of writing this review has further cemented the ideas contained within – I hope that I can return to those ideas in the future.

“Freedom of Assembly” (Theaster Gates)

Trained as a potter and an urban planner, Theaster Gates has been making a name for himself on the (poor) south side of Chicago by buying or otherwise procuring abandoned or run-down properties, renovating them and using them as community centres. He uses his art works to fund his projects and has established quite a reputation within the art world.

I was tempted to this exhibition by my partner, for whom Gates’ work holds greater resonance. The new work on display here features sculptures in various media, elements obtained from a hardware store, sections of flooring from a school gymnasium (with a series of markings depicting the various sports that were played on the floor) and a series of tar paintings, using materials that his father would have employed in his job as a roofer, before he retired and handed over his materials to Gates.

I found that Gates’ individual works generally lacked appeal and their combination was somewhat discordant. Some of the tar paintings provided a sombre atmosphere and the sections of gymnasium floor worked well as “discovered” abstract art objects, but the sculptures left me cold and uninterested. However, all was not lost. Unusually for an art exhibition, photography was allowed. Whilst the works themselves held little photographic interest I became fascinated by the way in which they interacted, both with their surroundings and with exhibition visitors, in the main gallery of the “White Cube”. I also photographed some close up details of the tar paintings, trying to create art from art.

Interaction between the Exhibits and the Gallery

Images 4 and 5 demonstrate aspects of the interaction between Gates’ exhibits and the gallery space. In Image 4 one of his tar paintings runs into the gallery wall, whilst in image 5 a sculpture and a tar painting are shown against the plain white background of the gallery walls and the gallery floor.

Image 4 (Theaster Gates / White Cube)

Image 5 (Theaster Gates / White Cube)

Interactions between the Exhibits and People

Images 6 and 7 are a couple of the many photographs that I took of the interactions of people with the exhibits. Here, the images are less “Deadpan” and more “Tableau” than Images 4 and 5. They could be left or added to in order to create a narrative.

Image 6 (Theaster Gates / White Cube)

Image 7 (Theaster Gates / White Cube)

Art Detail

Image 8 depicts a detail from one of Gates’ tar paintings

Image 8 (Theaster Gates / White Cube)

Influence and Inspiration

In this exhibition I was influenced not by the exhibits but by the way that they interacted with their surroundings. With its plain, bright, white rooms and lack of distracting décor, the White Cube is an excellent venue for displaying art, particularly when it is not just attached to the walls of the exhibition rooms. Here, the freedom to photograph anything and everything allowed me to experiment and create images with a range of styles: my favourites are the (to my eyes) interesting tableaux.

I am interested in (un-posed) street photography and the tableaux may inspire me to do some more work in this genre, perhaps concentrating on onlookers interacting with an outdoor statue or sculpture. If I can combine this work with on-going projects (such as “feeding the birds”, which is essentially street photography) then so much the better.

Is there a link between the two exhibitions?

In their own, very different ways both exhibitions provided me with ideas and inspiration which, by recording my critique of the work, I can recall and perhaps incorporate in my own work. Sometimes there is an obvious link between exhibitions of the work of different photographers, but here I struggle. Perhaps I could use a tableau such as Image 7 and, using “Photoshop”, replace the tar painting with a mirror or a window (related to the Kennard magnifying glass: see Image 3), with a view that connects in some way to the rest of the image. Alternatively I could create my own tableau, incorporating people, a white wall and a connected “exhibit” in the form of a picture, mirror or window.

Conclusions

Exhibitions, books, films and magazines all have an influence, to a greater or lesser extent, on my thought processes and on the art that I produce. Sometimes it is difficult to quantify that influence, as I have tried to do in this review. Inspiration largely depends on state of mind. Sitting at my computer I invariably struggle to find inspiration from any source. However vising an exhibition, in different and possibly new surroundings, can provide a setting from which ideas and inspiration can flow. If the featured art resonates with what I am trying to do in my own work it can have a significant influence. Memory then plays an important part, so by writing down my thoughts relating to the exhibition (or book, or magazine, or film) work, as I am doing here, I can return to sources of inspiration and use them again, at a time when they may be required.

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.

Henry Moore at Perry Green (Visited 25 May 2014)

My partner and I spent a pleasant afternoon wandering around Henry Moore’s house and grounds in the village of Perry Green, which is about a 30 minute drive from where I live in Royston. Both are open to the public: we have visited before, but timed our visit this time to coincide with an exhibition of the work of other artists and sculptors who have been influenced by Moore. Damien Hirst’s “pickled cows” were on display and it was interesting to note that at one point in his career Moore and his work were criticised and lampooned by other artists who felt that he was the “golden boy” of the establishment and that others were not getting a “look in”.

I always take a camera on these visits and try to look for novel subjects for the lens. Obviously just photographing Moore’s sculptures is of little value, so I looked to investigate the “inner space” of his works, concentrating on shape, pattern, colour and texture. I liked and kept half a dozen of the resultant images. One in particular caught my eye (Image): the combination of ovals and angles, the texture of the bronze and the variety of colour (slightly enhanced in post-production) were aesthetically appealing. I entered an A4 mounted print of the image into Royston Photographic Society’s 2014 “Open Print” competition on 12 June 2014. Much to my surprise, it received top marks and won the certificate for the judge’s favourite print of the competition (out of 55 entered)!

Image

How valid as a work of art is a photograph of a work of art? I enjoy this image purely as an abstract, just as I would an abstract created by focussing on a detail of a piece of engineering, such as a bridge or a clock mechanism, or focussing on a detail created by nature, such as ripples in the sand or rock strata. Sometimes man and nature combine (reflections of light on a canal spring to mind) to give the photographer the opportunity to create their abstract: in my view, all are equally valid.