Robert Frank

Robert frank is the person who revolutionized the approach to photography after Second World War with series of 83 pictures ‘The Americans’ (1959). His photos seem to be accidental in terms of composition focus and framing – kind of snapshots, however each of them tell story itself. Frank shows here the USA from completely different perspective – shows the real America – multicultural, anonymous people in normal, daily activities. Here you cannot see any aspects of ‘American dream’, each of photo seems to be of context in a way but complete; accident but just right in the same time. He used too shoot holding the camera in the hip position or hiding it under the jacket, what makes his works even more real and natural.


As he said ‘There is one thing which a photo has to have – the human nature – this kind of photography is called realism, but realism is to enough – there must be a vision as well and these two things can make a good photo.



‘The Americans’ album

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/3673127/Robert-Frank-melancholy-and-menace.html

Hoy H. H., (2005), The Photo Book, Warsaw: National Geographic Society

Semiotics

Each item has own meaning in connection to history, culture’s aspects and daily life. Considering all of this together, the contemporary, controversial, American artist Marta Roselr made a short video ‘Semiotics of the kitchen’ (1975) in which shows alphabet’s letters presenting them as kitchen’s items. In the same time underline the stereotypical position of women – as housekeepers through the centuries. Starting from ‘a’ like ‘apron’ goes through all, doing the strong visual presentation of each of them. Her face and body language don’t show any emotions, except some kind of frustration and ‘calm’ anger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zSA9Rm2PZA

Watching today this clip from ’75 I was wandering how ‘semiotics of the kitchen’ should be read after 36 years. Because in ‘ 70 it has strong connection with lack of equality between men and women. But nowadays it can be consider just as film without any second meaning behind this ‘case situation of women changed during these time and they are not consider as a housekeepers anymore, at least that’s the official version because the dinner won’t be made by itself…

Reference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zSA9Rm2PZA
http://www.martharosler.net/

Feminine Feminist – Tamara Łempicka

On the border of 19th /20th century among all decadent and suffragette movements Tamara Łempicka is a perfect example of a fully liberated woman. It can be said that she is a 'feminine feminist’, in terms of her artworks and lifestyle.



As she said ' Style is the best way to change, to become who you want to be' so she's done it. She created her own unique style in art - art deco, as well as in the lifestyle. Because she needed money to maintain the family she started to learn painting – that was the best option to ear money for someone with a high position in society. After she immigrated to France because of the political situation in Poland, and after a while she become a posh style icon. She became a 'new' woman: full of self-confidence, very determined and focused on success, each of these features can be noticed in her painting (Woman in White Gloves). Her self-portrait (Tamara in Green Bugatti) shows equality with man, because it was new for women to drive cars, what is more to smoke cigarillos. For the 'new' women it was not a problem to cut hair and remain sensationalist feminine in the same time.



Tamara as liberated women had a very dissolute lifestyle – two husbands and in the same time many affairs with men and women. She was fascinated with women body and wanted to represent them in her pictures in very seductive way. She said that each of her works shown the actual state of mind, but even in '30 her works become more depressive her neo-cubistic – art deco
style still remain tough.


Dowgiałło-Tyszka, J., (2005) Tamara Łempicka - The Series of the most famous Masters of Painting, Warsaw: De Agostini Poland sp. z o.o.

http://www.wysokieobcasy.pl/wysokie-obcasy/1,96856,1229545.html?as=2&startsz=x

Martin Parr

I reckon that you can have only strong feelings to Parr, you can either love or hate him and there is nothing in between. He seems to be quite cynic with his comments but with great, quite dry sense of humor. The same is with his photos, there are really simple in composition but have ‘this’ something. Parr comments the reality in absurd and paradoxical way. He always catches the strongest and the most embarrassing moments. He used to photograph the British working class, vacationist on the British coast. In one of his album from 1989 he shows the following process after the British going to Paris or shopping madness.




He was a pioneer of reportage photography and became a master in color film photography. He joined to Magnum Photos in 1988 and became a full member in 1994.

Hoy H. H., (2005), The Photo Book, Warsaw: National Geographic Society

http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP=XSpecific_MAG.PhotographerDetail_VPage&l1=0&pid=2K7O3R13MJ3V&nm=Martin%20Parr

http://www.martinparr.com/blog/

http://www.martinparr.com/index1.html

Hello Magazine is one of the most popular magazines, each week more then 405 thousand people buy this tabloid, especially women between 35-44. Each week something new happened in celebrities’ world and event if not it really easy to make up something. The idea of celebrity and fame existed always, but now it is on massive scale and celebrates are known around the world. It’s not only the local gossip market anymore - it is the global gossip market and huge business. Agencies employee photographers (called paparazzi in this case) to get the proof of scandal or to shoot celeb’s event, journalists to make the nice story and marketing people to sell as much as possible to wide public. For me it is only business and pop-cultural entertainment nothing more, nothing less.