The first presentation in Lecture today on Philip Lorca diCorcia particularly caught my attention because of the process diCorcia took with creating his photographs. The fact that he specifically asked hustlers how much money they would require for him to photograph them seems very unconventional, or perhaps the fact that he is comfortable sharing that information with the public seems unconventional. Either way I can appreciate the artist’s frankness; he knew whom he wanted to use as models for his photographs and made it happen. More so than the actual photographs themselves, I like the intent and process behind them. As the viewer I appreciate knowing that diCorcia put a great deal of thought and effort into predetermining all aspects of his photographs and staging them to create a precise situation and imagery he envisioned. In general, I find that I appreciate artworks more when the artist has put a great deal of strategic intent and creativity into the planning process, as it then allows me as the viewer to read and interpret every aspect of the final artwork. I like to be an active and participating viewer, where the photographs for example, provoke my thoughts and get me thinking about what artistic decisions were made for the specific photo and why.
After looking through some of diCorcia's photographs, one of my favourites is the photo below.
Chris; 28 years old; Los Angeles, California; $30
1990-1992
The first appealing aspect I notice are the colours in the photograph, particularly the red bricks, blue lighting on the back building, and the purple sky that create a visually interesting contrast. The textures of the photo are also important to note as I find them to be a strong artistic aspect of the photograph... particularly the roughness of the bricks, and the matte railing bars stand out. The lighting in the photo is also used very creatively and strategically; where the model's face and torso are lit up, casting a shadow on the brick wall. Overall, I really like how the artist staged this composition in such an intriguing fashion.
No comments:
Post a Comment