Feminism

Feminist art began to start the ball rolling in the 60's and flourished thought the 70's. this was the hay day of the movement of feminism. From what I read online feminism is a philosophy in which women and their contributions want to be valued. the issue is equality, may it be political, social or economical.

i find the discussion of feminism very had to debate. i understand the idea of equal opportunities whatever you are, but if the idea is to equally live together why would you only have female exhibitions, or feminist run lessons just for teenage girls? i don't really understand the direction or idea behind alot of feminist ideals.

Ansel Adams

Born february 20th, 1902 and died April 22nd 1984, Ansel Easton Adams was best known for his black and white images of the American West, he was a true environmentalist. With photographer Fred Archer Adams created the zone system. this was a system which would allow the photographer to determine proper exposure and to adjust the contrast of the final prints.

Adams will always be know for founding the F/64 group with fellow photographers Edward Weston, and Imogen Cunningham. Adams primarily used large format cameras despite the film cost, weight, and set up time, but he always wants to ensure his images remain sharp.
i do enjoyed his work, because its very natural, but the tones he achieves with a black and white image is remarkable.

Nan Goldin

Born Nancy Goldin in Washington DC in 1953, she grew up in a upper middles class Jewish family in Boston. probably the most recognised documentary photographers of this era for her intimacy, and topics surrounding drug overdosing, AIDS and domestic violence.

what sets Goldin aside from other documentary photographers is her ability to make her images seem like a private journal that has been leaked. her work is consistently show in the form of slide shows, with her most famous being a 45 minute show, where 800 pictures are viewed. her use of lighting is key to the mood, as she usually only shoots in available light, something i respect very much about her work. It makes sense that if your trying to covey real gritty life, the images should be as "real" as they can be.

Postmodernism

Postmodernism is characterized by the objection of objective truth and global cultural narrative. it attacks the use of sharp classifications such as black versus, Male versus female and straight versus gay.
Postmodernism can also be defined by its knowing of high and mass culture. the binding of everyday life with art, and the refusal of one single style of art, and what it should be.

Modernism

Modernism rejects the lingering certainty of enlightenment thinking. not all modernist reject religion or faith. Modernism is about questioning the times of the previous age. Modernist believe the times before of how art, architecture, literature, social organisation and daily life were becoming outdated in the new economic, social and political conditions. to be self conscious is to be a modernist. the term "modern art" is often used to decribe the succestion of movements that follwed realism and abstract art.

Jean-Michel Basquiat

I had to do a post on probably the artist who first inspired me to even pick up a pencil and draw. Jean-Micheal Basquiat was born December 22 1960 and died august 12 1988, was by all accounts the first artist of African descent to become an international art star. life started out as a graffiti writer in New York, and then came the 1980's where he began to produce Neo-expressionist paintings.



for the short life he had, Basquiat achieved a great deal more than many artist before and after him. in the short years leading up to his overdose he was appearing regularly Annina Nosei gallery in Soho. that same year of 1982 he met Andy Warhol, with whom he collaborated with two years later. by the mid 1880's he had left the Annina Nosei gallery and was showing his work in the famous Mary Boone gallery in Soho. Even though he was very successful at this time the increasing drug use began to interfere with his aspirations.
for someone so talented to have blown up like that, only to die in a way never fitting of such a talented being, its a real shame.

Semiotics

Semiotics is the study of sign processes or signification and communication. it is usually divided into three branches.
Semantics: which is the relation between signs and the things to which they refer.
Syntactics: which is the relationship among signs in a formal structure.
Pragmatics: which is the relation between signs, and thier effects on those people.

As pictured above semiotics to me can get most in a pickle. The basis of semiotics is someone maybe looking at exactly the same image or symbol as someone else, but the image can be interpreted in many ways. The first semiotic definition of "Sign" came from Ferdinand de Saussurein his Course on General Linguistics (1915).

I conclude that based on who you are, where your from, and how you think, everyone has the possibility of misreading or over thinking signs symbols and images. their appears to be no definite answer to semiotics.