Then, wrap these into a presentation ready for class on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two Photos<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
This is a follow-up to last week’s activities. I chose the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Andreas Gursky | Selected Works – Rhine II.<\/li>
- Franco Fontana | Landscape (1978).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Rhine II<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bestir.red\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/AndreasGursky-0c9b31c4a1dda015d8103a5bd7904e6f-1700-1024x573.jpeg\")
Andreas Gursky | Selected Works – Rhine II<\/em>. https:\/\/www.andreasgursky.com\/en\/works\/1999\/rhein-2<\/a>. Accessed 13 Mar. 2022.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Fontana, Landscape (1978)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bestir.red\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/Puglia-Italy-1978-Franco-Fontana-686x1024.jpeg\")
Puglia 1978 | Franco Fontana | On Landscape<\/em>. <\/em>https:\/\/www.onlandscape.co.uk\/2022\/03\/puglia-1978-franco-fontana\/<\/a>. Accessed 14 Mar. 2022.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Gursky<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Visual<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
- Natural light, overcast day.<\/li>
- Entire landscape is in focus.<\/li>
- Relatively fast shutter speed – river frozen in time, no motion blur.<\/li>
- Printed version on satin finish paper (Andreas Gursky, MOMA).<\/li>
- Very limited monochromatic colour palette – essentially green and grey.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Design<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
- Highly abstract<\/li>
- Framing feels irrelevant, like the river could go on forever.<\/li>
- Horizon is dominant – draws one\u2019s eye.<\/li>
- Very linear – bands of colour.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Method\/Equipment<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
- Gursky shoots on 5 x 7 and 4\u00d75 inch large-format cameras, before scanning his negatives to work on them digitally. Gursky uses 100 ASA Fuji film in two large-format Linhof cameras that are positioned side by side, one with a slight wide-angle lens, the other with a standard one. Exposure time: 1\/8 of a second, f-stop 5.6 to 8. He needs this for depth of field, and the relatively low-speed film for the resolution. While any occasional blurred movement is discarded later in the process. He gains speed by underexposing the film stock one f-stop, and has it developed using push processing.
\u2018Andreas Gursky Is a German Photographer Known for His Linhof Camera.\u2019 Anatomy Films Analog Photography,<\/em> 18 Sept. 2018, <\/sub>https:\/\/www.anatomyfilms.com\/andreas-gursky-big-art-big-money\/<\/a>.<\/li>- His process involved shooting chromogenic prints (or \u201cc-prints\u201d) with film, using a large-format 5 \u00d7 7-inch (12.7 \u00d7 17.8-cm) camera; he scanned the images and digitally retouched and manipulated them on a computer. In Rhein II (1999)\u2014which is 5 \u00d7 10 feet (about 1.5 \u00d7 3 metres)\u2014Gursky created a nonexistent section of the Rhine River.
Andreas Gursky | German Photographer | Britannica. https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Andreas-Gursky. Accessed 13 Mar. 2022.<\/sub><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nMeaning<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
- Desire for abstraction, and commentary on landscape free from human presence.<\/li>
- By joining photographs of different segments of the river, Gursky invented an entirely new landscape, free of industry and human presence.
Andreas Gursky | German Photographer | Britannica. https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/biography\/Andreas-Gursky<\/a>. Accessed 13 Mar. 2022.<\/sub><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nFontana<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Visual<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
- Natural light, bright sunshine.<\/li>
- Entire landscape is in focus.<\/li>
- Possible slow shutter speed, although no movement in field (maybe no wind)..<\/li>
- No access to print, so unsure of texture.<\/li>
- Limited colour palette – blue\/yellow\/white\/black.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Design<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
- Highly abstract<\/li>
- Essentially frameless – composition continues on<\/li>
- Dominant horizon – the \u201cisland\u201d<\/li>
- Very linear, bands of colour (cv Gursky)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Method\/Equipment<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
- No info on equipment – often seen with a Leica rangefinder, but recently also with high end Canon digital equipment.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Meaning<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
- Broke away from black and white as \u201cfine art\u201d; embraced colour.<\/li>
- Paring down landscapes to essentials.<\/li>
- Makes colour and texture primary elements.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Comparing the two images<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
- Both break pretty much all of the unwritten rules of landscape photography\/painting:
- No \u201crule of thirds\u201d.<\/li>
- No leading lines.<\/li>
- Little foreground interest.<\/li>
- No vanishing point.<\/li>
- No use of negative space.<\/li>
- No framing elements.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Strong horizon at the centre of the image.<\/li>
- Strong use of horizontal lines.<\/li>
- Very limited palette.<\/li>
- Little variation in light<\/li>
- Contrast comes through colour\/shape..<\/li>
- No shadows.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
My personal views<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
I very much dislike \u201ctraditional\u201d landscape photography\/painting. These two photographs are landscapes, but pared down to the absolute minimum. I like geometric and abstract photographic work, and enjoy how these images use landscape as the base for this.
Clearly I\u2019m not the only one who values this approach: Rhine II<\/em> sold for $4.3m.<\/p>\n\n\n\nLanguage of Photography<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
We split our group of six into two subgroups of three, then choose three of the following elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Perspective<\/li>
- Blur and movement<\/li>
- Portraits, mood, and lighting<\/li>
- Points of view<\/li>
- Rhetoric – All groups must choose the Rhetoric task because it brings together the themes discussed in the essay.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Next step is to take photos to reflect these elements. Finally, present two or three photos per element to the whole class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My group chose Portraits, Points of View, and Rhetoric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
References<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/www.tate.org.uk\/art\/artworks\/gursky-the-rhine-ii-p78372<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/www.collecteurs.com\/artists\/franco-fontana\/artworks\/landscape281<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Both break pretty much all of the unwritten rules of landscape photography\/painting:
- No info on equipment – often seen with a Leica rangefinder, but recently also with high end Canon digital equipment.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- His process involved shooting chromogenic prints (or \u201cc-prints\u201d) with film, using a large-format 5 \u00d7 7-inch (12.7 \u00d7 17.8-cm) camera; he scanned the images and digitally retouched and manipulated them on a computer. In Rhein II (1999)\u2014which is 5 \u00d7 10 feet (about 1.5 \u00d7 3 metres)\u2014Gursky created a nonexistent section of the Rhine River.
- Gursky shoots on 5 x 7 and 4\u00d75 inch large-format cameras, before scanning his negatives to work on them digitally. Gursky uses 100 ASA Fuji film in two large-format Linhof cameras that are positioned side by side, one with a slight wide-angle lens, the other with a standard one. Exposure time: 1\/8 of a second, f-stop 5.6 to 8. He needs this for depth of field, and the relatively low-speed film for the resolution. While any occasional blurred movement is discarded later in the process. He gains speed by underexposing the film stock one f-stop, and has it developed using push processing.