Review of Twiggy, A Life In Photographs By AJ Scott

                                             

 Twiggy A Life In Photographs, Chronology

 By AJ Scott

Twiggy, Dailey Express (1966)

A Life In Photographs is a documented recreation of the life of Lesley Hornby (Twiggy) The book itself reflects on past experiences that have helped Lesley grow into the super model she is now with the help of influential photographers.

Whilst reading the book and looking at the images featured it becomes clear that the book creates a timeline for us to follow just like how we would read a story. Twiggy documents her experiences with images clearly referenced with the story behind the making of the images. The beginning images look as though they were kept in a photo album which leads me to the question that conventional means of documenting life has changed from a single image on each page with the experience written on the back to now having several images to a page and text beside the images for justification. Is this because its easier to view or has our understanding of visual imagery changed? I feel that we read an image from left to write so instead of reading the images and flipping the page we are drawn in with the story promptly placed next to the image.

Twiggy A Life In Photographs is just like our old family albums it feels private yet at the same time public. It makes us follow a story of development and growth. Our photo albums act as an archive of our life created by a family member and that is whats so special about A Life In Photographs Lesley refers to several people in the book as a friend, best friend or family.

Reference Material:
Terence Pepper, Robyn Muir, Melvin Sokolsky. (18 September 2009). Chronology. In: Twiggy A Life In Photographs. London: National Portrait Gallery Publications. p112-139.

Book Review, Love On The Left Bank By ED van der Elsken

Book Review

Love on the Left Bank

Love on the left bank, 1956, Ed van der Elsken 

Love on the left bank is a narrative story that portrays the carefree lives of bohemian youth and a reflection of post war Parisian life. The images featured in the book feel staged but fresh allowing us to see a diverse atmosphere of cultural realness and blunt subject matter. It's difficult for us to remember that these images are from a time long gone. without the written story accompanied with the images its hard to make the connection and to understand the nature of their nocturnal, aimless, drug addicted lives.

The book appears to have been created to express a story that can be artistically influenced by the black and white photography. Love on the left bank successfully sits as a documented black and white piece and captures the fictional story of Ann a bohemian woman living in Paris and records the birth of rebellious youth culture in Europe during the 1950's. The introduction to the book is short but interesting enough to grasp our attention giving the reader intrigue to continue on with the rest of the book. Images featured in the book provide the viewer with justification, while the viewer is drawn in with the story. The images don't appear to follow a clear sequence however the images support the narrative on several of the pages within the book. The narrative follows the youth culture in Paris in the 1950's and the life of the people involved many of with serious issues and even ended their lives just a few years after the events portrayed in the book.

To conclude Love on the Left Bank delves into the culture, lives and seeded activities of the lives of young European youths in the 1950's. Sex, scandals and convictions flourish and take form not just in the text but in the images so beautifully created of the fictional narrative. Love on the Left Bank is something people can relate to and at the very least appreciate it due to the realistic subject matter. Ed Van Der Elsken has truly recreated his vision of youth culture in Paris with a memorable
story something of which will stay with us for a life time.

Reference:
Ed van der Elsken (1999). Love On The Left Bank. Stockport: Dewi Lewis Publishing.

Hiroshi Sugimoto, Aegean Sea, Pilion, (1990) By Dominic Willsdon

Hiroshi Sugimoto, Aegean Sea, Pilion, (1990)

By Dominic Willsdon

Hiroshi Sugimoto, Aegean Sea, Pilion, 1990

Whilst looking at the short essay on the Aegean Sea, Pilion written by Dominic Willsdon I came to discover that in the beginning of his essay he laid out the factual information about the image and after the first page disclosed information about the artist of the image. In the text he states that the images follow a formula, the image being withdrawn from colour and using a black and white colour pattern and equally dividing the image in two, a reference to a piece similar “Monk by the sea” by Friedrich suggests the idea that an encounter between nature and a human being is referred to as the rather worn term “The Sublime”

The texts often refers to the word “Romantic” and is justified by being referenced to iconic images of Romantic landscape art and its reference to Greece’s mythic power and cultural significance. The idea that culture exists when languages exist ran through several lines of the page whist forming a connection to human awareness and how when we name things around us this in turn separates ourselves from the world. Whilst reading the text it became clear that religion has played a huge part in his idea to convey how naming creates difference, he refers to the book of genesis and the idea that communication is somehow lost to us but art is the medium to which everyone can communicate.

Although the image has been compared and beautifully referenced to other art work not much has been spoken about the specific image of interest in a direct manner. The notion of nothing and emptiness flow through the words of each page. The titles appeal to stories of historical and mythological value and allow the mind to form a connection. Willsdon states “It is like a performance of Romanticism from which the spirit has departed.” With nothing visible in the image to suggest other narratives within its blankness. Sugimoto’s images are void of spiritual values of the places they depict.

Reference:

Howarth, S. and Alexandra, M. D. 2005.

Singular images: Essay on Remarkable Photographs.

Hiroshi Sugimoto, Aegean Sea, Pilion, (1990) By Dominic Willsdon

New York Aperture

“All that Is Solid Melts Into Air” Curated by Jeremy Deller

The “All that Is Solid Melts Into Air” show curated by Jeremy Deller provides a visionary experience of how the Industrial Revolution has made an impact on British popular culture and how its persisted its influence on the industry and lives today. The show has been created with visual artwork consisting of Photography, Paintings, Videos, Signs and written documentation the experience can be heightened with the use of audio whilst viewing the show.

The show provides the positive and negative progressions from the industrial revolution.  A specific piece from the show created by John Martin, titled “The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah” stood out to me. The image conveys the idea of an apocalypse however when you place it within the exhibition it allows the mind to assume that this is because of the Industrial Revolution. Another piece that stuck out for me within the show was the Motorola WT4000 a modern observational device that boosts workers’ productivity and performance.

"The destruction of sodom and Gomorrah"

The painting featured shown cities mentioned in the Book of Genesis and throughout the Hebrew Bible and depicted an apocalypse. Society was struck with the sublime feeling, a feeling of being scared of the unknown. What was to become of this? Mass production created a social stand-off with employers as less workers were needed to distribute products. This goes for the use of the Motorola WT4000 it looked at workers as the same and worked out the average rate to which a person should be able to produce outgoing orders and sets them this time to complete it. Both images resemble how the industrial revolution has progressed and shows how it has gone from dangerous work conditions, exploring the unknown to progressively strict working standards.

Motorola WT4000

Taking into account the cultural diversity of British workers with restricted work for racial and ethnic areas of employment. Both Pieces within the exhibition represent a strong visual restriction on freedom within the working sector. The painting shows the apocalypse, consequences of being completely consumed by fire and brimstone and the Motorola shows a visual restriction to fatigue and lenient productivity of the workers time.