Feminism- A Man's World.

It is an undeniable fact that the art world is still largely dominated by men. Whether documentary, fashion etc, it is the names David Bailey, Bresson, McCullin that are remembered peppered with mentions of Sherman's and Goldin's. Yet the Female body is perhaps the most celebrated and photographed object of all. Women like Tracey Emin and Cindy Sherman have certainly contributed to the strength of women within this world. Take for example Sherman's self portraits, a woman who has managed to embody man, woman, young, old and even dead, in doing so she has on some level 'owned' these personas. She becomes the character of man therefore en capturing his power, thus monoplising it as her own. In contrast Emin's work is entirely focused on the representation of her own power, angry, sometimes vulgar For example; "I wish i was fucking in Hyde park" or "My Bed" both works which show an upfront intimacy and frank exposure not expected from women. Emin paved the way for the empowerment of within art showing the female body through her sketched and text and something other than beautiful.

Yet it would seem that Mapplethorpe's image "Lisa Lyon with Gun" that really embodies the power of women. The veins protruding from the arm as she grips the gun and the strong taut thigh and bum suggest power and control. The model owns the image and is not manipulated by the photographer. Again in his images of Patsy Cline he manages to capture an assurance and strength completely resonant of Cline's personality, again giving is protagonist ownership of the image. Could it be that despite womens best efforts mens still hold the true ability to capture the power of women better than we can ourselves? Are we perhaps still to emotionally involved with our work to photograph power being power, strength for strength?

http://www.tracey-emin.co.uk
http://www.mapplethorpe.org
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feminism

Appreciations of Nan Goldin.

For obvious reasons Nan Goldin should be and is one the most celebrated Photographers of our time. Her ability to penetrate and project intimacies in the lives others is a talent I believe never to have really been achieved by any other. Although she has sometimes been criticised for making heroin 'chic' her work has depth that doesn't even bare resonance with this statement. I could talk at length about the intricacies and subject matters covered by Goldin but as so many have done this before I would like to stray away from the analytical norm and focus more on the aesthetics of her work.
Of course like most people the initial shock in Nan Goldin's work is what at first drew me to it, but on closer inspection it is the true grit of composition and especially lighting that really excites me. Take for example the Image "Cookie 1983" the protagonist sits in a slumped position with a look of resignation, but also despair, for what reasons we can only speculate, but it is a given that Goldin has captured her a low point in time. Take the lighting however the red tint to the whole image brings to mind the idea of rose tinted glasses. Although Nan Goldin was known for shooting in available light it seems that she has manipulated the light in this scene to her advantage, I would like to call this ironic lighting.

We see the same manipulation of light in "Brian and Nan in Bed 1981" from The Ballad of Sexual Dependency the natural sunlight streams through the window falling on Brians face, creating a illusion of warmth when actually it is clear from stiffness in posture of the male protagonist and the hunched retracted position of Goldin that something dismal, even horrific has occurred. It as though Goldin uses this Rosy hue to test the viewer, a trick of the mind, so on initial inspection we believe we are seeing a scene of comfort when in actual fact we see miserable people in unhappy circumstances. The shock maximises the impact of what we see so the effect stays with us penetrating our mind, so inevitably
we remember that Nan Goldin picture.

Nan Goldin 55 Phaidon Press
http://fototapeta.art.pl/2003/ngie.php
John Waters Pink Flamingos 1972

Himalayas-The curious connection with Roland Barthes.

Forgive me if this sounds a little garbled but I have just come down from the Himalayan mountains and the altitude and curious thoughts of Roland Barthes whilst at the top may have sent my brain do-lally.

Let me explain. I came to Himalayas on a whim after being told on arrival in India that it was far too hot to go down south. The arrangements for the trek all happened in much of a whirlwind and before I knew it I found myself on the top of a mountain gazing out over snow capped peaks and desperately trying to photograph one of the worlds greatest phenomenons. The more I tried the more I seemed to fail at capturing this awe inspiring sight. Eventually after maybe 30 exposures I gave up and decided to drink in the sight for my own memories alone. It was when doing this thoughts Barthes came to mind. He says "each time I am (or let myself be) photographed, I invariably suffer from a sensation of in authenticity" although in this context Barthes in talking about his own portrait I found that this seemed to apply to my feelings of photographing the Himalayas, that somehow whatever I captured through the lens did not truly convey the the vast and breathtaking spectacle before me. How through one image could I instill the feel of the sun as it beat down on my neck or the taste and freshness of the air? Although i do no tend to agree with Roland Barthes generally I found that his idea; the "self...never coincides with...the image" was seemingly applicable to the 'soul' of the Himalayas. Somehow the photograph detracts from this beauty rendering it hollow. It could be however that this is a reflection of my abilities as a Photographer that i am not able to convey this magnificent sight.

Roland Barthes-Camera Lucida