Jennifer Mann
ENC 1102 31st Annual
College-wide Photography Competition
Essay # 1 – Gallery Critique (edited to make essay fit within this box, indents show new paragraphs, conclusion starts with Overall)
“Photography records the gamut of feelings written on
the human face, the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited, and
the wealth and confusion man has created.
It is a major force in explaining man to man.”
Edward Steichen
Scene: Gallery opening at Kent Campus,
expectation: feeling of hope in this year’s photography selections, and view:
joy and some shock. This year’s gallery
opening was a drastic change from last year, some good and some bad. There was a stirring of emotion from some of
the viewers of the various works of art and their chosen portrayals. There were some that showed nature’s true
beauty, some that evoked raw feelings due to recent tragic events, and some
that played to a more novelty sense of life.
John Shippee excelled in
the area of portraying nature’s true beauty.
His work “Cemetary Beach” was awe-inspiring. The use of natural lighting from a storm on
the horizon captured the details of the fallen trees with simplistic
elegance. The way that the dead trees
lay on the beach is as if they were placed there by a machine, neatly lined up
in some areas but then draped over one another is truly majestic. The color of the sky is a stormy blue with
grey and white puffy clouds as if they were painted for the perfect background
to the beach. John Shippee also had “The
Coming Storm” on display. The blue,
grey, orange, yellow and white in the sky look as though there were brushed on
and meet the ground so effortlessly.
Nature’s fury can be seen if you look very closely within the darkness
of the clouds. I can imagine being on
the beach watching the lightning dance off the water and watching this awesome
storm rolling in. The air is probably
thick with electricity and the wind is whistling warning all to clear the way
of its vicious wrath.
“Paralyzed” by Susan
Tassin struck a raw nerve within me and I am sure many others upon being
viewed. The recent tragic shooting in
Newtown, Connecticut that claimed the lives of twenty children, six adult staff
members and the shooter’s own mother makes me wonder why anyone would choose to
depict such a violent image. The sheer
terror that is on the woman’s face as a gun is held there is not one I would
hope to see on anyone now or in the future.
Seeing this image sparked immediate anger and rage that was almost
blinding. I cannot imagine why anyone
would want to depict such an image especially so close to a horrific
tragedy. Using guns in a violent manner
is not a form of art in my world, although violent images are widely viewed in
many media outlets and are one of the most widely viewed on the internet.
“Dark Life Web” by Piere
Weber made me think of a trilogy of books I have read recently, “Fifty Shades
of Grey” by E L James. At first glance
you see a dream catcher with chains hanging down, upon further inspection the
true nature of this photograph comes out.
At the center is a small masquerade mask and the chains actually have
little handcuffs attached at their ends, this seems as a bow to the darker side
of life or kinkier if you so choose.
Within the books by E L James, the characters are thrust into the BDSM
community, but privately and the female role does wear a mask and is restrained
with handcuffs. “Other Bag”, also by
Piere Weber, shows a bag of goodies for the naughtier side of life. Ropes, handcuffs, lingerie all scream for a
little fun for the right situation. It
is almost as if this “bag” was tumbled onto the floor in error and a coy smile
is to follow the one who discovered it.
I will admit I saw the depicted photos as they truly are and the ploy at
which they were trying to get at. In
many cases, your run of the mill every day person could be hiding a “bag” of
tricks in the trunk of their car.
Daniela Ortiz displayed
“Lost in Wonderland”. Her work showed me
the whimsy of a young girl with silky blonde hair and striped tights, who
appeared to be lost and looking for her friend in vastness of the forest. Alice is a character I grew to love as a
child and I have seen her depicted as sweet and naive in Disney’s Alice in
Wonderland looking for the White Rabbit and then the darker, fighter side in
Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland. This
particular photograph depicts Alice as sweet and naïve as does Disney’s
version. I do admire the use of the
black and white image for this photograph versus color, because most of us
having read the book or seen the movie, know what Alice looks like and her
typical wardrobe.
Overall this year’s gallery opening was spectacular with as many talented artists as there were last year. The flow of the works was well presented and organized. I do feel that some of the photographs should have been taken a different perspective when being chosen by their artists. I always enjoy viewing artistic creativity and gaining insight into the minds of the artists featured. I look forward to the next event and what it may hold for personal enrichment.
