Portraiture #1 - research
Artists and Inspiration
Although my original research was Steve McCurry, I've decided not to go down the documentary route for this task as I became interested in staging a photograph. After doing the masquerade and tableau work shop, I decided to attempt and explore this concept as it was new to me that I wanted to try. I brain stormed different ideas on how I could carry this through and the one that stuck with me was recreating a painting. From here I had a look at paintings from different eras and the one that stood out to me the most was the Pre-Raphaelite era (founded in 1848). I really liked the attentive study of nature and the sense of realism they embed in to their work. The devoutness to naturalism was often said to be revealing of the ugliness of people. This may be the attitude, physical looks, or idea behind each piece of art. People thought this because they were so used to art being an escape from the real world.
After having a look at many paintings from this era, the one that I found extremely interesting was Ophelia by Sir John Everett Millais. This painting was inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet Act IV, Scene VII in which the character Ophelia is driven out of her mind as she finds out her lover kills her father. She has immense psychological weight put on her leading to her death as she drowns in a stream:
There, on the pendent boughs her coronet weeds
Clambering to hang, an envious sliver broke;
When down her weedy trophies and herself
Fell in the weeping brook. Her clothes spread wide,
And, mermaid-like, awhile they bore her up;
Which time she chanted snatches of old tunes,
As one incapable of her own distress,
Or like a creature native and indued
Unto that element; but long it could not be
Till that her garments, heavy with their drink,
Pull'd the poor wretch from her melodious lay
To muddy death.
This remarkably detailed death by the queen Gertrude in the play is extremely beautiful which is befitting of Ophelia's character. I was drawn at the idea of her returning back to nature. I found it even more interesting that each named plant is symbolic. There is beauty, romance and elegance to her death which Millias captured. In the painting she seems exhausted and defeated.
I think this classical Pre Raphaelite painting is perfect to recreate as there are so many themes and important elements to it. I also like how it was originally a passage from Shakespeare's play which inspired Millias to turn in to a painting. And now I am turning it in to a photograph.
This series explores an intimate view of the human form underwater. The images are black and white which strips it to its truest form, allowing us to focus primarily on the nude swimmer in the water. The reflection of the light across the waters surface and floor seems like it is almost dancing across the image.
There is a silence and calmness to the images them self which I also get from the painting of Ophelia.
I find this series incredibly beautiful die to all the different reflections and patterns scattered across the ladies body.
I began to think about women who embodies the ideal Pre Raphaelite woman today and the first that popped in to mind was Florence Welch from Florence and the Machines. Her video Rabbit Heart (directed by John Beard) has a very Pre Raphaelite style to it. All the women in the video wear very white, flowey dresses which creates a sense of purity. The setting is also very nature based which gives a sense of mother nature and elegance. It also gives the feeling of them being one with nature. Furthermore, the entire video is over exposed, creating a dream like feeling, taking the viewer back to the time period of the mid 1800's. I found this video very inspiring as it showed me ways I could replicate this era; through clothing, setting, lighting and through the use of nature
Ophelia:
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/millais-ophelia-n01506/story-ophelia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophelia_(painting)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/11018800/Ten-things-you-never-knew-about-Ophelia.html
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/articles/the-meaning-of-ophelia-by-john-everett-millais/
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/dec/19/sensuality-lust-and-passion-how-the-pre-raphaelites-changed-the-way-the-world-sees-women
Deanna Templeton:
https://www.artsy.net/show/gallery-fifty-one-the-swimming-pool-by-deanna-templeton
Tom Hunter:
https://dantisamor.wordpress.com/2015/12/15/reinterpreting-the-pre-raphaelites-tom-hunter/
Florence and the Machines - Rabbit Heart Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF6kBNLTvaU
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_Heart_(Raise_It_Up)#Music_video
Although my original research was Steve McCurry, I've decided not to go down the documentary route for this task as I became interested in staging a photograph. After doing the masquerade and tableau work shop, I decided to attempt and explore this concept as it was new to me that I wanted to try. I brain stormed different ideas on how I could carry this through and the one that stuck with me was recreating a painting. From here I had a look at paintings from different eras and the one that stood out to me the most was the Pre-Raphaelite era (founded in 1848). I really liked the attentive study of nature and the sense of realism they embed in to their work. The devoutness to naturalism was often said to be revealing of the ugliness of people. This may be the attitude, physical looks, or idea behind each piece of art. People thought this because they were so used to art being an escape from the real world.
OPHELIA 1851-52
Sir John Everett Millais
After having a look at many paintings from this era, the one that I found extremely interesting was Ophelia by Sir John Everett Millais. This painting was inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet Act IV, Scene VII in which the character Ophelia is driven out of her mind as she finds out her lover kills her father. She has immense psychological weight put on her leading to her death as she drowns in a stream:
There, on the pendent boughs her coronet weeds
Clambering to hang, an envious sliver broke;
When down her weedy trophies and herself
Fell in the weeping brook. Her clothes spread wide,
And, mermaid-like, awhile they bore her up;
Which time she chanted snatches of old tunes,
As one incapable of her own distress,
Or like a creature native and indued
Unto that element; but long it could not be
Till that her garments, heavy with their drink,
Pull'd the poor wretch from her melodious lay
To muddy death.
This remarkably detailed death by the queen Gertrude in the play is extremely beautiful which is befitting of Ophelia's character. I was drawn at the idea of her returning back to nature. I found it even more interesting that each named plant is symbolic. There is beauty, romance and elegance to her death which Millias captured. In the painting she seems exhausted and defeated.
I think this classical Pre Raphaelite painting is perfect to recreate as there are so many themes and important elements to it. I also like how it was originally a passage from Shakespeare's play which inspired Millias to turn in to a painting. And now I am turning it in to a photograph.
DEANNA TEMPLETON
This series explores an intimate view of the human form underwater. The images are black and white which strips it to its truest form, allowing us to focus primarily on the nude swimmer in the water. The reflection of the light across the waters surface and floor seems like it is almost dancing across the image.
There is a silence and calmness to the images them self which I also get from the painting of Ophelia.
I find this series incredibly beautiful die to all the different reflections and patterns scattered across the ladies body.
TOM HUNTER
Reinterpreting the Pre-Raphaelites
I began doing research on contemporary artists who work in a pre raphaelite context, and Tom Hunter was the primary artist. His photographic work reflects on the historical time periods of the Pre Raphaelite era. He re-imagined famous paintings from this era and staged them in his photography.
He has done a blog series of 10 photos which he has explored the works of Victorian paintings by Millais, Waterhouse, Alfred Wallis and Arthur Hughes. He has recreated the painting of 'Ophelia', however, I wasn't too keen on his interpretation. This is because it is very gloomy and the pre raphaelite feeling is lost. However, the story behind the painting is the death of Ophelia which I guess is reflected through this. I hope to recreate my portrait photograph in more of a romantic way. I hope to represent her character of beauty, romance and purity.
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| Tom Hunter, Death of Coltelli, 2009. |
Eugène Delacroix, The Death of Sardanapalus, 1827.
 |
| Tom Hunter, The Eve of the Party, from the series Life and Death in Hackney (1998). |
 |
| John Everett Millais, The Eve of Saint Agnes, 1863. |
FLORENCE WELCH
I began to think about women who embodies the ideal Pre Raphaelite woman today and the first that popped in to mind was Florence Welch from Florence and the Machines. Her video Rabbit Heart (directed by John Beard) has a very Pre Raphaelite style to it. All the women in the video wear very white, flowey dresses which creates a sense of purity. The setting is also very nature based which gives a sense of mother nature and elegance. It also gives the feeling of them being one with nature. Furthermore, the entire video is over exposed, creating a dream like feeling, taking the viewer back to the time period of the mid 1800's. I found this video very inspiring as it showed me ways I could replicate this era; through clothing, setting, lighting and through the use of nature
Ophelia:
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/millais-ophelia-n01506/story-ophelia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophelia_(painting)
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/11018800/Ten-things-you-never-knew-about-Ophelia.html
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/united-kingdom/england/london/articles/the-meaning-of-ophelia-by-john-everett-millais/
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/dec/19/sensuality-lust-and-passion-how-the-pre-raphaelites-changed-the-way-the-world-sees-women
Deanna Templeton:
https://www.artsy.net/show/gallery-fifty-one-the-swimming-pool-by-deanna-templeton
Tom Hunter:
https://dantisamor.wordpress.com/2015/12/15/reinterpreting-the-pre-raphaelites-tom-hunter/
Florence and the Machines - Rabbit Heart Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF6kBNLTvaU
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit_Heart_(Raise_It_Up)#Music_video
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