Bibliography

Areas of Photographic Practice A Bibliography

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Carpenter, T. (1991). Art and myth in ancient Greece. London: Thames and Hudson.

Carvalho, A. (2012). Fallen Princesses. [Blog] Alicia Carvalho. Available at: http://alicia-carvalho.com/blog-post/fall-princess/ [Accessed 30 Sep. 2015].

Collins, P. and Gevinson, T. (n.d.). Babe.

Collins, P. (2015). The Ardorous. [online] Theardorous.com. Available at: http://www.theardorous.com/ [Accessed 26 Oct. 2015].

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La Jetée. (1962). [film] France: Chris Marker.

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McDonald, J. (1923). The Uses of Symbolism, In Greek Art. PH.D. Bryn Mawr College.

Mosina, I. (2015). Photographer Irene Mosina | Personal photos page | WWW.PHOTODOM.COM. [online] Photodom.com. Available at: http://www.photodom.com/member/selest [Accessed 30 Oct. 2015].

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New Talent. (2010). British Journal of Photography, 157(17760), pp.42-43.

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Smithson, A. (2015). Melodie McDaniel: American Spectator. [online] LENSCRATCH. Available at: http://lenscratch.com/2015/09/melodie-mcdaniel-american-spectator/ [Accessed 1 Oct. 2015].

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Updated Pro- Forma

I thought, it'd be a good idea to re-do my pro forma, I've made my project evolve and it wouldn't make sense to leave the pro-forma the way it is, some areas will be the same because there's no need to change them; so here it is!

Areas of Photographic Practice

Name: Imogen Jones

Working title: Persephone

My idea stems from looking at the literacy inspired works of Tom Hunter and Dina Goldstein, whose effective use of literature enables them to create (in my eyes) successful narratives. I have a huge fascination for Greek Mythology and Symbolism so I used motifs found in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter and the myth of Persephone to influence my own narratives; for example the symbol for fertility was the pomegranate, as seen on early Greek Statues c1200BC. I’d feel like I successfully incorporated this use of symbols into my photography.

I wanted to produce this body of work as I felt that my interest in Greek literature would create an original narrative, as I am so fascinated I believe that this did show in my work and that I kept focussed on it. What started as a piece to perhaps show the expectations placed on women to have children even in today’s world turned to something that made me think about forced marriage, a very real problem in some parts of the world. The images I produced with this in mind had an eerie feel to them, especially with the symbol of the pomegranate to represent the “ripe fertility” of young girls forced into marriage, used from the Myth of Persephone where a goddess is forced to marry a God (Hades).

At first I wanted to just have the image of the pomegranate by itself, alone on the bed; representing how alone these girls may feel. But after a couple of shoots I felt like I could show the whole myth within one tableau, inspired by Dutch Still Life paintings. My project evolved completely after I decided to do this, I researched further into the symbolism presented in the myth and found I could show the seasons through symbols meant for the Gods.

I knew that realistically I only had one shot for the shoot as the deadline was approaching, I knew what I wanted to achieve lighting wise and drew a rough sketch of where I wanted the different components to be. In the studio I only needed one light, as the artists of Dutch Still Life painted as if there was only one light source coming in from the side. Dutch Still Life’s are also usually set on a table and I wanted this to be shown in my own photography, but I also wanted to create an illusion of a bed; the pillow cover I used for a semi-backdrop also generated texture similar to that of an oil painting.

The work would be shown in a gallery, although I used the contemporary method of digital photography the image itself looks like an antique oil painting, especially in the old frame I bought from a charity shop. There would be a slight assumption that the audience would roughly know the myth, but as shown in the virtual gallery I would have quotes from the Homeric Hymn to Demeter displayed on the walls, and perhaps a hand out describing the myth. So all in all the work would be for any audience interested in galleries, whether my work would affect anyone of a certain age or gender I’m not too sure, I’d hope it’d affect women and promote some sort of change too.

Virtual Gallery

Using online software I was able to curate an exhibition, showing my work. I included the quotes from The Homeric Hymn to Demeter and also a couple of other photographs just to show another direction I could go to. However, I will still be just submitting the final image as that would be the main piece, and the only narrative.

Final Image(s)

Following the crit with Lawrence we decided on a final image, but there were some problems with the image:

The black on the left hand side of the image doesn't gradually fade out like the right side, try to blend it in a bit more, if it looks too fake don't use it. At the same time we discussed that I was also trying to show the illusion of a bed.

Here I have tried to blend the black and rusty orange, and think I have done an ok job but will ask my cohorts for a second opinion before I commit to printing either of the images.

Studio Shoot - Refined Images

As there were so many images to choose from, from the contact sheets, I decided to create a separate post for the refined images. Some images may crop up twice, this is intentional as you may notice that I've added a filter to make it look like the photograph was taken on canvas as I am aiming for a painterly aesthetic. However, I'm not sure whether I'll use this as I don't want it to appear over the top and unsubtle; after Monday's crit with Lawrence I will make a decision. I know that I will be ordering my prints from DSColour Labs using an artistic paper rather than gloss/lustre in order to make the photograph look like a painting.

Studio Shoot - Contact Sheets

Below are the contact sheets from my session in the studio, they show the tableau I designed (and then some). I wanted there to be only one light source, and for the images to be dark and dramatic, taking inspiration from Dutch Still Life Paintings.

Tableau Design

The image below is a drawing I did to show what I roughly want my tableau to look like, I have included symbols of the main three characters:

Hades - The Skull
Demeter - The Ear of Corn
Persephone - The Pomegranate/ The Flowers

Within this personification of the Gods, there is a symbolism for the four seasons

The Pomegranate - Spring
The Ear of Corn - Summer
The Leaves - Autumn
The Skull - Winter

I will also include flowers to represent spring, and Persephone picking them when she was taken by Hades, I may put a flower in the skull to represent Hades' eye for Persephone.

The Uses of Symbolism in Greek Art - A Dissertation Presented, Janet M. McDonald

I ordered this dissertation off Amazon as I thought it would be helpful in identifying ways that symbolism has been used within Greek Art in the past. I highlighted key points loosely relating to my own work but still found it interesting to read. Although mainly talking about symbolism coins, metopes and vases I feel that the ideas presented can be transferred to the likes of other art; take photography for example.

"Everyone accepts as unquestioned the assumption that personification occurs in Greek Art, and Gods were known by their attributes (e.g., Zeus by his thunderbolt)" (McDonald, 1923) whilst this is certainly true for well known Gods such as Zeus, Hades, Poseidon etc the 'lesser' Gods who aren't as well known surely can't be identified through symbolism alone. For example, although Demeter is Zeus' wife and sister, she may not be known in the 21st century; her symbols include corn and a pig but even with this direct signals to the Goddess if someone doesn't even know of Demeter, they won't know how to identify her through personification.

This is where roadblocks come up for my work, for my tableau to be read with ease and understanding there is a certain assumption that the audience will know the myth. Thus to make the reading of the image more accessible for everyone that would visit the gallery space I would include quotes from the Homeric Hymn to Demeter; by throwing in well-known names like Hades, Hermes and Zeus the image may be easier to understand, and there will be a context for everyone to look into. Certainly, renaissance paintings may allude to certain events that we know nothing about but thier grandeur make it easier to appreciate them; it also helps that there is now the likes of google to help research the history of the painting.

From the chapter Various Classes of Symbols in McDonald's dissertation she establishes that there are different classes to symbols, the first being symbols that stand for the literal, the second "comprises symbols which deal with abstract ideas of emotions - fertility, power, purification, fear, pain and the like" (McDonald, 1923). The second group applies to me, within my tableu I want to present the myth as a whole, but through the seasons as symbols and Gods.

"There are two ways that symbols are so used [shorthand]; first, to indicate landscape, and second, to suggest a myth or narrative" (McDonald, 1923). When I read this quote I felt like I was doing my work right, that there is another connection to Greek art rather than just the myth. This has filled me with confidence for my final shoot that will (hopefully) be understood as the Persephone myth.

Still Life - Studio Work

Both Lawrence and myself think I should go about setting up a tableau 'describing' the whole Persephone myth; the tableau would be created in a studio environment, and it occurred to me that basically none of the artists work I included had worked in the studio. Within the studio I would still use a single light source, so controlling the light wouldn't be much different but I thought it would still be beneficial to look at still life in the studio.

Harold Ross

Although I wouldn't want my work to be this bright, I find this image really interesting. I like the texture the background creates, I hope to create texture using the pillow from the bed shoots I've done with the pomegranate. The texture of this pillow case creates a painterly look to the images. The dying roses stand out against the background, but also somehow blend in, as the petals aren't smooth and perfect but wilted and dented.

This picture stood out to me in particular as it has a Dutch Still Life quality to it, the soft light compliments the bold and bright colours of the fruit. Again, the background has a lot of texture.

Richard Kuiper

Much like the work of Thomas Demand who creates elaborate sets out of cardboard (previously mentioned in this blog) Richard Kuiper  creates his sets (inspired by Dutch Still Life paintings) entirely out of plastic. But like Demand, he creates something that isn't entirely what it seems; what may look like an idyllic and beautiful set up is full of tricks, upon closer inspection you can see that in the second image that the gold item in the back looks like an athletes drinking cup. 

"Richard Kuiper sees the dichotomy in his work: on the one hand, he admires the material, the invention of the everlasting. On the other, however, his compositions serve as a warning, and he hopes to use his photos to show how we have gone overboard with our use of plastic." (Kuiper, 2011)

Irene Mosina

I saw Irene Mosina's work and thought it was beautiful and elegant and much like how I want my work to look. The background is textured and the light is soft, it definitely looks more like an oil painting than a photograph, which again is the effect I'm going for. The photographs are simple yet enchanting.

Other Possible Symbols Presented in the Persephone Myth

After a quick crit on Monday afternoon Lawrence advised me that perhaps I could look at the myth as a whole, not just the pomegranate to make readings of the tableau easier. Looking back on the work of Elsie Russel, I wholeheartedly agree with Lawrence. I want my work to have a painterly feel to it, so I think I would achieve this within the studio which I booked straight away.

The Myth of Persephone was a tool used to explain seasons, so I can also present the seasons in the tableau. Below is a list of the major Gods and Goddesses within the myth, and other symbolism presented within it. I perhaps won't use all of them but it's a good idea to look at the range.

Demeter - The mother of Persephone and the Goddess of the earth (essentially Mother Earth), also the Goddess of planned Society. In art she is often portrayed wearing "a wreath of braided ears of corn" (Lindemans, 2003), her sacred animals were the snake (earth) and the pig (fertility)

Hades - Is the God of Death and ruler of the underworld, disliked by all he is the antagonsit within the myth. "Hades possesses the riches of the earth, and is referred to as the Rich One", people sacrificed Black Sheep with averted eyes, and when they prayed they would bang their heads to the ground

Persephone - Daughter of Demeter and Zeus, she is snatched away by Hades because she is so beautiful. When Zeus demands her return Hades agrees but not before giving her a Pomegranate which curses her to stay within the underworld for a 3rd of the year. Other symbols of Persephone include flowers, and things to do with spring

Zeus - King of the Gods, and is the overseer of law and justice; which is ironic because he himself isn't virtuous and it takes him 3-4 months to actually get his daughter (Persephone) back from the underworld. He is the most well known God, and is portrayed with lightning bolts in art a lot,

Within the myth there is an undertone of sex and death, Persephone (an innocent maiden) is abducted by Hades (death incarnate). The next quote explains what I mean better and is taken from Pollefeys, P. (2014). Death and the maiden. [online] Lamortdanslart.com. Available at: http://www.lamortdanslart.com/fille/maiden.htm [Accessed 30 Oct. 2015].

Many dances of Death already figured a representation of Death with a fine lady or with a beautiful virgin. The image of a young woman was also found in the three ages and Death. However in both cases, there was no trace of eroticism. But with Death and the maiden theme, something new happened. People discovered a dark bound between sexuality and death. In this type of iconography, the young lady was not involved in a dance anymore, but in a sensual intercourse, which will become always more erotic as time went by.

Niklaus Manuel Deutsch, 1517

Homeric Hymn to Demeter

As my work would be shown in a gallery I would like to have some quotes with the work from the myth of Persephone, I found the Hymn to Demeter (Persephine's mother) which describes the myth in great detail.

Here's the quotes I would use, taken from Nagy, G. (n.d.). HOMERIC HYMN TO DEMETER. [online] Uh.edu. Available at: http://www.uh.edu/~cldue/texts/demeter.html [Accessed 26 Oct. 2015].:

I begin to sing of Demeter, the holy goddess with the beautiful hair.  And her daughter Persephone too. The one with the delicate ankles, whom Hades seized.

And he found the Lord inside his palace, seated on a funeral couch, along with his duly acquired bedmate, the one who was much under duress, yearning for her mother, and suffering from the unbearable things inflicted on her by the will of the blessed ones.

But he [Hades] gave her, stealthily, the honey-sweet berry of the pomegranate to eat, peering around him.

But he, stealthily put into my hand the berry of the pomegranate, that honey-sweet food, and he compelled me by biâ to eat of it. As for how it was that he [Hades] snatched me away, through the metis of the son of Kronos, my father, and how he took me down beneath the depths of the earth

Babe, Edited by Petra Collins

Whilst looking through the library to find research to back up my work I came across "Babe", a collection of work from female artists brought together by Petra Collins who created "The Arduous" a "platform for female artists showcasing individual and collaborative projects between a collective of female creative professionals – all full of ardour but each with a unique artistic style and voice." (Collins, 2015).

The book demonstrates "girls exploring their sexuality without being sexualised" (Collins and Gevinson, n,d) which I feel is important to promote. However, within the book there is an abundance of symbolism that relate to my own project, and a couple of pieces about sexual harassment which I feel is important to include within my research.

Petra Collins believes that "this book contains the work of many bright, talented, and endlessly inspiring women who have the power to change the world", I'd love for my work to inspire help and relief for those effected by forced marriage, and if enough people stood up against that, and many of the world's horrors they would make a big difference. 

Artist: Hanna Antonsson

Artist: Arvida Bystrom

Artist: Petra Collins

Artist: Maisie Cousins

Lighting Kit

Due to the weather becoming more and more overcast, and finding the time to take photographs during the day becoming increasingly difficult, I have opted to bring a studio light into my room and create my own window lighting rather than become dependent on natural light.

Below is a contact sheet from the images I have taken of a fresh pomegranate in my room, over the next couple of weeks I will document a pomegranate in my room and possibly use the studio to take some images there too.