Annette Messager

Fine Art - Transform

A french painter, sculptor and photographer, Annette Messager's work drew up on everyday life,  "taking such subjects as toys and needlework. She usually used a range of closely related found-objects,  as well as creating performance pieces. In her work she questioned accepted perceptions of women." - www.tate.org.uk

The Pikes 1992‑3

 Half of an installation first shown at the Musée Nationale d'Art Moderne, Paris, now in Tate Modern. It consists of more than one hundred poles or spikes, 'pikes', each of which impales or supports an object or image.

"Little bodies made out of a combination of doll parts, stuffed limbs, headless torsos and internal organs are enclosed in sections of stocking, or pierced by many coloured pencils and hung with drawings of torture instruments and victims. Other pikes bear pastel drawings of limbs, corpses and figures of despair as well as fragments of maps showing various contemporary political entities in Africa, Europe and the Middle East." - www.tate.org.uk

The 'pike' has a paricular link to the political turbulence in France, and gives a sinister feel when you know the story behind it, as they were used to bear the guillotined heads of the aristocracy during the popular uprising, known as the Reign of Terror, during the French Revolution. I like how a lot of her works are suspended. It gives the impression that she feels she is allowed to express herself and her thoughts freely.

Much of her work is a little more light- hearted...

'I like to tell stories… children’s stories are monstrous' - Anette Messager

This explains why much of her work is based on childrens' toys and childhood over the past four decades.

Drawing my 3D sculpture

Fine art - Transform

Focussing on positive shapes within the object, I used masking tape, collage material and ink to record it.

I thought the image looked too flat so then I added a darker background to give it more depth.

I personally made the background too dark but I still thought it looked more interesting than the first attempt.

I then added some more collage material and masking tape within the object to create a more 3D look. I think I would like the outcome a lot more if I had thought more about composition, as the current composition is offset to the left and high up on the page, which personally doesn't look very effective.

Making 3D representations

Fine Art- Transform

From the drawings of an object, I made the original object by cutting the pictures up. I didn't really enjoy the exercise because I don't like working in 3D, but I think the outcome turned out okay. 

I like the way the 3D object is covered in markings.

Sally Mann

Photography

Photographing her daughters mostly, Sally Mann creates stunning black and white photographs. Her somewhat controversial subject matter can seem wrong to some. The photographs were took in a summer cabin along a river where her three children played and swam, which Sally Mann captured, but some of the images touch upon darker themes such as insecurity, injury, sexuality and death.

Here Sally Mann's daughters show to be playing roles of older women, smoking a cigarette and looking after children, obviously things children shouldn't be doing. This is an example of Sally Mann's boundary pushing.

I love the deep tones of her black and white photography and the way the sitters' body and facial expressions are of someone a lot older.

Paolo Roversi

Photography

This photographer stood out to me as his photos look really unusual. I like the black and white photography and how the contrast in the photographs looks higher. This makes the eyes and other features more apparent and it also lightens and smooths the skin.

The right hand photograph looks dated due to the marks on the bottom of the image, and the smoky background. I love the feel of his photography, mostly because of the sitters' stares. It makes you wonder what they're thinking as they are not showing any expressions.

Corinne Day

Photography

I have loved Corinne Day's work ever since I was interested in photography. Her work can be weird and push certain boundaries, but it is always interesting. Her main model is the well known Kate Moss, photographing mostly for Vogue.

The main thing I like about Corinne's work is the clever use of juxtaposition. Placing glamorous models and gowns in unsightly surroundings. She manages to make 'ugly' things look beautiful, somethings I like to do in my own work.

Here is a photograph I took for a fashion photography project I did last year, based on juxtaposition. I have took inspiration from Corinne Day's work by using a run down glass dump and a pretty dress and accessories to create contrast. I love the way  it worked out and I want to continue experimenting with this idea.

Hatch

Life drawing - Drawing with hatch 

I enjoyed drawing using hatch as you can see the object start to evolve and gain depth as you add the layers. It can look messy, but I like the textured look. 

The above photo shows an open hand and how a slightly layered hatch still gives it depth. 

The photo above shows how A simple hatch can still look effective. It's less depth, but the lighter tones still show of the hand's form.

Here I have experimented with focussing on one part of my hand, (e.g. my thumb and crossed fingers). This allowed me to add the smaller details such as the folds of skin and more intricate shadows. 

The crossed fingers would look better if I'd included the other fingers, but it still looks quite effective and interesting. It maybe is more interesting because it is not a normal form to draw or see, compared with the full bodily form.