06 October 2009

IN THEORY: Surrealism

[BRAGAGLIA]
I find that Bragaglias' use of time is really interesting, especially in the medium of photography. Considering they were shooting in the early 1900s, their choice to focus on typing, which is still a very common activity, makes a statement that is way beyond their time.



[MAN RAY]

Man Ray's surrealist/dadaist influences make his brand of photography very admirable. I love his use of the face with the contrast of harsh, hard materials. They make very strong statements within the context of the photographs. The first seems to be mocking the possibility of sorrow, emotion, and the therapeutic value of crying. The subjects heavy mascara and perfect tear drops makes this photograph particularly shocking.
Similarly, the subject of the second picture makes a strong impact on the viewer with the high contrast between skin color, lip color, and mask color, highlighted by the shadows and lighting. Besides all the technical details, there is a certain expression in this girls face. Her closed eyes and pursed lips so closely resemble the mask she is holding that it all seems unreal.
Posted by at

2 comments:

  1. David M.August 13, 2010 at 11:42 AM

    Can you please tell me your source for the Bragaglias' Typist image. The reason I ask is because the version you posted is unusual in that it has the name of the brand listed ("SUN"), whereas many other version have the name omitted. The specific source (and possibly any information listed therein) would be incredibly helpful to me. I am a PhD candidate in Art History from California, writing about the photodynamism. Thanks, David M.

    Thanks in advance for anything you can add or suggest.

    Sincerely,
    David Mather, PhD Candidate
    Art History, Theory, and Criticism Ph.D. Program
    Visual Arts Department
    Univ. of California, San Diego

    ReplyDelete
  2. David M.August 13, 2010 at 11:49 AM

    You can contact me at: dmather@ucsd.edu

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)