Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Edward Burtynsky

Edward Burtynsky
Edward Burtynsky is an artist as well as a photographer that is highly recognized and respected in Canada. He is known as one of Canada's most respected photographers and is praised for his photographs of industrialization landscapes that are displayed in several museums throughout the world. Growing up, Burtynsky attended college at Niagara College in Canada where he studied photography as well as graphic arts. Through his photography, Burtynsky tries to depict the relationship between industry and nature. Burtynsky does an excellent job at capturing the concept of consumption.
Densified Oil Filters, 2005
Burtynsky's photography explores subjects such as mining, quarrying, oil production, recycling, and many more industrialized concepts. His photographs are taken on a large formatted field camera that is developed in high resolution. When photographing, he tends to get an ariel view, which intensifies abstraction. 


In Brtynsky's photography, he often does close ups to emphasize abstraction. In his picture Densified Oil Filters, he uses his close up technique to intensify the abstraction as well as make the viewer question what subject matter the picture is actually trying to portray. Also, he takes ariel views of landscapes which colors are unique and seem to stand out, but also the pictures are from so far away that they can be viewed as abstract. 


Silver Lake Operations #1, 2007


Burtynsky is recognized for many accomplishments including: the TED prize, the Outreach award at the Rencontres d’Arles, The Flying Elephant Fellowship, Applied Arts Magazine book award(s), and the Roloff Beny Book award. In 2006 he was awarded the title of Officer of the Order of Canada and given an honorary degree; Doctor of Laws, from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.


Nickel Tailings No. 31,1996






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Andreas Gursky

Andreas Gursky
Andreas Gursky is a German photographer who was born in 1955. This visual artist is famous for his landscape and architectural color photographs. These photographs are recognizable because they present a high point of view. Color is prominent, and the pictures present themselves as extremely busy. There seems to be a lot going on in Gursky's pictures, causing your eyes to constantly wonder. Gursky's pictures often are shot from an ariel view. As of 2007, Gursky continues to hold the record for the highest priced single photograph that was sold at an auction. Gursky's print titled 99 Cent II, Diptych, sold for USD $3.3 million.
99 Cent II Diptychon, 2001
When Gursky photographs, he heavily relies on the manipulation of computers to enhance his pictures and make them pop. By enhancing his photographs, Gursky plays around with space by making the space photographed appear to be larger than the subjects that are being photographed. His pictures have been described as "splashy," "entertaining." and "literally unbelievable."New York's Museum of Modern Art called the artist's work, "a sophisticated art of unembellished observation. It is thanks to the artfulness of Gursky's fictions that we recognize his world as our own." Through his photographs it is evident that Gursky is primarily interested in man-made objects and space. We can see this through his pictures of buildings, skyscrapers, stores, as well as other public areas. His photographs are very industrialized.
Shanghai, 2001


Chicago Board of Trade II, 1999











Gursky New York Times Art Review

To capitalize on abstraction, Gursky plays around with colors as well as high resolution. Due to the fact that the pictures are in such high resolution, they seem chaotic which then intensifies the abstraction. Also, he plays around with line in pictures such as his photograph titled Shanghai. He crops this photo to emphasize abstraction and makes your eyes wander along the strong line counters. When looking at Gursky's photos at a quick glance, they just appear to be numerous colors blending together which creates abstraction through his images.


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Sunday, October 3, 2010

Wolfgang Tillmans


Wolfgang Tillmans
Wolfgang Tillmans was born in 1968 in Germany. He was a successful and influential international photographer and was the first photographer as well as non- English speaking artist to be awarded the Turner Prize in 2000. Apart from this recognition, in 2009, Tillmans won The Culture Prize of the German Society for Photography. Tillmans interest in photography first sparked during his childhood. He became highly interested in the chemical foundations of photographic materials along with different spatial techniques.
Wolfgang Tillmans: Freischwimmer, 2004
Tillmans became recognized for shooting street photography throughout London, the London nightlife, as well as the rise of Gay Pride. His abstract photographs resemble that of an abstract painting. Through his photographs, a sense of sculpture is portrayed. He plays around with spontaneous lighting, chemicals, and their reaction to paper. From this, Tillmans photographs are moderate and mysterious. He also is recognized for taking pictures that

Wolfgang Tillmans: New Family, 2001
In Tillman's photograph titled New Family, he creates a sense of abstraction by blurring his image. By blurring his image, he invites the viewer to have to stare at the picture in order to see what the picture is actually of. At a first glance, all one can see is a bunch of blurred colors, but when second looking at it its evident that as the viewer you are placed in a car driving down a street. The blurriness creates a sense of abstraction through the picture. Also, in Tillmans photograph titled Freischwimmer, Tillmans creates abstraction through cropping and a close up perspective. He makes the viewer question the subject.
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Imogen Cunningham

Imogen Cunningham
Imogen Cunningham is an American photographer who was born in Oregon in 1883. Cunningham is considered to be the greatest female photographer throughout fine art. She expressed interest in photography at a young age, but soon after her interest sparked, she sold her camera. It wasn't until attending college at the University of Seattle in Washington, that her photography interest sparked again. While in Seattle, she opened up her own studio that focused on pictorial work as well as portraiture.
Imogen Cunningham: Triangles Plus One, 1928
In her pictures, she experiments with angle and cropping to create an abstract feeling. When photographing plants, she zooms in on the plant causing it to be abstract. She does a close up which makes the viewer question what type of plant she is photographing as well as if it is a plant. She focuses on texture to emphasize abstraction. 

Cunningham became a sought after photographer and premiered at an exhibition at the Brooklyn Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1913. Cunningham was also recognized for the founding of the "f/22" group with noted photographer Edward Weston.
Imogen Cunningham: Rubber Plant, 1929
Cunningham was recognized for her expressed interest of botanicals, nudity, and industry that she captured so beautifully through her photographs. Also, she took a great interest in pattern and detail, as seen in her pictures of leaves as well as bark textures. Cunningham carried out an in depth study of the magnolia flower which she photographed so frequently. Around 1940, Cunningham decided to branch away from botanicals and she began to photograph documentary street photography. She did this as a side project to her commercial and studio photography.
Imogen Cunningham: Dream, 1910
Cunningham died in San Fransisco in 1976.

Chronology of Cunningham's Life


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