Milwaukee+Art+Museum-Street+Scene

Background
During the pre-digital era photography relied on chemical and physical processes to produce an image on paper. Postwar photographers experimented with these processes to create new techniques and styles in their photography: graininess, blurriness, and quality of light. They embraced blurry scenes to create atmosphere, “cooked” developer to produce images more quickly, and experimented in the darkroom to blow out street and car lights, enhancing their brightness with chemicals. The images in this exhibit break a lot of rules. The exhibit also portrays everyday life, especially in the city. Many of the photographers in the exhibit were documentary photographers. Documentary photographers shoot images that are meant to inform and record an event. Others were painters who used the camera to experiment in new ways with some of the concepts they were exploring in their abstract expressionistic art; where the process of making art was as important as the product. You can reference the website for the exhibit here. @http://www.mam.org/streetseen/

//Look at the exhibit and choose 3 photographs that illustrate one of the above concepts: abstract expressionism, experimentation with graininess, light and focus or documentary imagery. Discuss the following for each of the 3 images you’ve chosen.//

1. List the name of the image, 2. List the photographer’s name 3. List the year it was made 4. List the technique used. 5. Explain which of the concepts each of the 3 photos illustrates. 6. Explain what elements and principles of design/photography are evident in each image. 7. Explain why you chose the particular photo. 8. How have these images influenced or inspired an idea or concept for your work? 9. Take a picture of it or sketch it. If you made sketches, scan them in and post the scanned jpg images here.


 * Mack Folkert

1. Cotillion 2. Alexey Brodovitch ** 3.1935-1937 4. Gelatin Silver Print 5. Blurriness 6. It used symmetrical balance and divided the picture in thirds. It used emphasis with the arms framing the focal point. Also the diagonals added movement. 7. I thought that this photo really captured the moment of the cotillion. I also loved how the guy was framed by the arms of the dancing circle. 8. I think that a composition like this would be really cool for a video of dancing too. 1. Behind the Gere St. Lazare 2. Henri Cartier Bresson 3. 1932 4. Gelatin Silver Print 5. It used blurriness with the action shot. 6. It used a lot of movement with the guy jumping. It also used reflection of shapes throughout the piece and emphasized the guy jumping. 7. I really dig how Henri cleverly had the guy jump in the foreground with a poster of someone jumping in the background. 8. The use of reflection is inspiring.

1. Snow 2. Saul Leiter 3. 1960 4. Silver dye bleach print 5. It's another that focused on blurriness, but this time with the window. 6. It used the texture of snow on the window. The yellow color created emphasis. It used asymmetrical balance. 7. The use of color was fantastic and I like how the window distorted the man's shape. 8. I've wanted to experiment with shooting through windows that have things on them and this way is a possibility.

**Nicole Wiesendanger**
Wounded, Dying Infant Found by American Soldier in Saipan Mountains by W. Eugene Smith was taken in 1944 and was shown in a magazine that same year. The photograph was taken with a film camera and was used in magazines. The photograph shows graininess which helps to emphasize the action in the picture. This picture shows an abstract use of the rule of thirds as well as focus and depth of field. I chose this piece because its a very serious action that is being shown. It shows a stressful and horrible time in the lives of the people who are in the picture. This photograph shows great emotion and the detail in the picture help to show pattern which is what I am trying to portray in my pieces.

D-Day Invasion by Robert Capa was taken in 1944 and is a silver gelatin print. This photograph shows an experimentation with light and focus as well as graininess. The depth of field in this photograph makes the photo look very rushed like the men in the picture. There is also an abstract repetition that catches your eye. I really like the idea of capturing so much action in a single picture. You can feel the tension and energy coming form this picture and it almost gets your heart racing. I want to be able to captivate people with my work so much that a single glance at my piece can make you feel a certain way.

Cotillion by Alexey Brodovitch was a gelatin silver print made in 1935-37. It showed an experimentation with graininess and a surreal feeling to the picture. The image is of young women dancing at a party and the women fill the frame. I chose this picture because I love to dance and photographing things that I love to do makes photography all the more interesting. The picture has inspired me to take an interest in whatever it is I photograph.

This photo was taken by Robert Capa and is titled "Beach Heads of Normandy". It was featured in Life magazine on June 19, 1944. Capa shot documentary photos during WWII. This photo is of a soldier on D-Day on one of the beaches of normandy. There is contrast in this photo between the blackness of the wood and the white of the water. There is also movement that is created by the wood and the position of the soldier. I chose this photo becasue ever since I went to Normandy I have been interested about the invasion. This photo isn't a set up shot, it's in the moment, which can help me with my work.
 * Emily Stark**

Margaret Bourke White was a documentary photographer. She shot during WWII and some on her work was issued in Life Magaizne on May 7, 1945. On of those photos was called "Atrocities". It is of a boy walking about bodies from the concentration camps. He is on a road, which has a curved line and causes movement, and on his left side are hundreds of bodies. The child doesn't seemed to be phased at all by the bodies. This void of emotion is something that can help me with my work becasue with the void of emotions it makes the view question more and it gives more focus on the background. Lee Miller was also a documentary photographer during World War II. Her photos were featured in Vogue magazine on June 19,1945. One of those photos was of a man who hung himself while in one of the concentration camps. There is asymetry created by the body and the rope creates movement through the picture. This picture will help me with my work because it pushes the limit and is very moving to the view, which is why it caught my eye .

Megan Grace Kanavas
Image #1 1. World War II Rally, Lower East Side 2. Lisette Model 3. 1942 4. Experimentation with graininess 5. Documentary imagery is used in this photograph, the photographer chose to take a picture, using the grainy technique to capture expressions of a man and a woman. The picture itself is very clear and it shows the class of the people and how they react in public. 6. This photograph is symmetrical, two people are divided equally down the middle of the page and are separated by a pole splitting the page. There is also a good amount of emphasis on the shadows and different natural light sources, mostly due to the black and white picture itself. 7. I personally chose this picture because the expressions of this couple, if they are a couple at all, stood out to me in this particular section of the exhibit. I thought the angle in which this picture was taken is interesting and how the photographer chose to experiment with the picture is unique. 8. This picture has slightly influenced my concept for my work, by having textures be abundantly clear and stand out in my 3D work. As well as having lighting, and how it reflects off my pieces be just as important as how I sculpt my pieces. 9.

Image #2 1. Untitled (Times Square) 2. Ted Croner 3. 1947-52 4. Light and Focus 5. Documentary imagery is illustrated in this photograph. The photo itself is blurry and light is a big focal point of the picture. However, this is designed and taken to show people interacting with one another in Times Square. The lighting of the picture adds to the crazy nightlife of New York City and how all the people are interacting with one another. 6. There is Emphasis of light in the picture as well as a lot of visual movement that the blurry figures create, as well as the strong lighting in different areas of the photo, together create unity and focus on what is happening in the picture. 7. When i was looking at this section of the gallery, the lighting of this picture was so dramatic and stood out to me. The affect the lighting has on the picture stands out around the other pictures in the section of the gallery. 8. This picture will help me, again, with capturing light with my 3D pieces as well as having my pieces have movement. I want my seascape pieces to look somewhat realistic, but in a way in which they have my own unique touch on the piece. 9. Image #3
 * 1) Untitled
 * 2) Richard Pousette-Dart
 * 3) 1961
 * 4) Abstract Expressionism
 * 5) Abstract Expressionism is used in this piece so to is simular concept relating to Pollock and his drip painting works.
 * 6) Balance of shapes is seen throughout the piece, as well as rhythem do to the massive amount of textures from the oil paint and keeps the eye moving.
 * 7) The colors and the technique used in this piece caught my eye. The piece is unique to the gallery especially among the pieces it is placed with. This piece looks like it could become 3D, which is another reason for my choice of it.
 * 8) This image is the only color piece that I saw in the gallery that I liked. The colors and the textures it creates, only with oil paint draws my attention to it and has helped me with color choice and how different textures respond to the colors and how they’re mixed together.
 * 9) [[image:oilabstract.jpg width="471" height="235"]]

=Courtney Doome'= 1. Running Legs, New York 2.Lisette Model 3. 1940 4. Gelatin Silver print 5. It uses light and focus, background is darker than the front, main focus is the legs. 6. Contrast focuses on legs which is blurry, different shapes and sizes, movement in leg. 7. Caught my attention because of the different shades of black and white. 8. close up view of different objects

Courtney Doome' 1.Reflections 2.Lisette Model 3.1939-45 4. Silver print 5. Abstract expression. Used abstract with the different shadows and involves shapes, movement and line. 6. Abstract, uses two-point perspective with the buildings. 7. I like the different shadows and how the images seem blurry. 8. Experimenting with shapes and two-point perspective.

Courtney Doome' 1. Cotillion 2. Alexey Brodvitch 3. 1935-37 4. Light and focus on the dresses, the shadow of a person in the middle. 5. Movement, contrast with the girls dancing 6. I like the movement and how it is blurry and faded, has a ghost like feel. 7. Not every piece of artwork has to be clear/realistic. 8. show movement by having objects blurry.

=Abby Swift. Image One.= 1. D-Day Invasion 2. Robert Capa 3. Made June 6th, 1944 4. Experimentation w/ Graininess 5. Documentary imagery 6. It uses the elements of emphasis by having one soldier in the forefront of the image, movement by showing the water rushing around in the ocean and the soldiers running into the water. Also shows form, showing the shapes of the soldiers. 7. I chose this particular photo because I thought that it was an interesting way to show men at war. Interesting for a photographer to be able to be there in the action and take photos of it. This was also revolutionary because for the first time, war was able to be recorded through photography to share with other people back home. 8. This image has influenced my work because it shows the rawness of a subject matter for face value. There is nothing telling anyone to think one way or another about the topic, its just soldiers running into the water on one of the most important days of world history. It is important as an artist--and especially as a photographer to be able to take pictures of things for how they really are without your own personal view. 9. Image Two. 1. Behind the Gere St. Lazare 2. Henri Cartier Bresson 3. Taken in 1932 4. Experimentation with Focus 5. Documentary imagery 6. This photograph uses the elements of balance, by having motion on one side of the photograph with stillness on the other. It also blatantly uses the elements of movement by showing the guy running across the frame with a gun. Overall the photo has a really nice composition. 7. I chose this photograph because I think that there is something really cool about the movement and particular-ness of that moment that was captured. My first image, anyone could have taken that photo and the time frame in which it needed to be taken wasn't horribly specific (the soldiers would still be running into the water moments later). However with this photograph, that guy was only running through the frame for a split second and the photographer needed to be that quick to take it. 8. It has inspired me because of the stillness of the photo. There is something going on that is destructive and violent but at the same time, there is peace and serenity. In a way, it almost unintentionally says that even after all the bad things in the world happens, there is still peace somewhere in the world. This type of message would have been very comforting for people during the time period in which it was taken. 9.

= Kasandra Patrick = = = 1.Stickball New york 2. William Klein 3. 1955 4. For this technique the artist used abstract expressionism with the boy playing baseball. 5. This was a documentary image of kids playing in the street. 6. The elements in this photo is balance. The boy is in the space with unity of the buildings and the boy. It really shows emphasis on the boy. 7.I chose this photo because it was unique because he experimented on the movement of the boy and almost stretched him out. 8. I want to try to be more unique with my work, instead of just a boy try to change it or exaggerate it to draw attention to my work. 9. Image ONE 1. Black Star 2. W. Eugene Smith 3. 1944 4. Used Gelatin Silver paint and experimented with graininess at the museum not in this exact photo. 5. This was a documentary image taken in Saipan of a infant found dyeing, left there because of the war. 6. This image shows really good emphasis of the soldier holding the baby, your eye goes right to this sad image. it also has a good balance of dark and light areas. The soldier and the baby are dark and everything around the baby is light. And the space behind the the people so you can see its not just a man holding a baby they are in the wild and they just found a baby, it tells the story. 7. I chose this picture because it was heart braking to see this but he truly captured the sad image of war. 8. It inspired me to want to tell a story with my work and be able to create emotion for other people. I hope it inspired other people because i don't want to see just a picture of some tree they took a picture of, because anyone can do that. There should be a story behind it. TWO 9.

> THREE
 * 1) Untitled (pedestrian on snowy street)
 * 2) Ted Craner
 * 3) 1947-48
 * 4) Gelatin silver paint
 * 5) The concept was light and focus of the snow and the night and reflection.
 * 6) The picture showed great texture of the snow and the icicles. It also showed great space with the man walking in the HUGE city he looked very small.
 * 7) I chose this because it looked like old down town milwaukee at the museum.
 * 8) It inspired me because of all the great texture and the actual composition of the photo.

Kayla Christiaansen 1. The gelatin silver print, “Parade – Hoboken,” by Robert Frank in 1955, has a unique composition. He used the American Flag to obscure the face of a woman looking out the window. The composition is symmetrical but the flag covers up one side, which makes the photograph more interesting. The concept of the piece could be to express American Nationalism or American identity. The photograph is in black and white, which gives the photo sharp contrast and vivid shadows. Overall, the piece has a sense of value and direction with various lines. The photograph has range from the whitest whites to the blackest blacks. Also the lines in the flags and bricks, leads the viewers eyes between the two windows. The piece has a sense of balance with the two windows on both sides. I choose this particular photograph because I was drawn to the contrast of the piece and the question of why the girls head is covered by the flag. This image influenced to create a more obscure composition in my future pieces. 2. The chromogenic print, “Snow,” by Saul Leiter in 1960, captured a typically snowy day street life. This photograph has a unique composition because of the blurred objects. The print makes the viewer feel like they are looking through a foggy window that veils the outside street. The concept of the piece is to portray a average day veiled by the smeary and foggy window. The print has vivid color and the foggy window is captured perfectly, making the print seem like your really there. For the elements and principles, Leiter used texture, shape, and contrast. The texture of the window is smeary and wet looking. The shapes of the objects are fuzzy and broken up, which gives the print a more unique composition. I choose this piece because I was drawn to the bright pop of yellow and the snowy, wet texture of the print. This print inspired me to add more texture into my future pieces of art. 3. The gelatin silver print, “Running Legs,” by Lisette Model in 1940, captures a unique snapshot of a girl in motion. The piece has a interesting composition because it is from a different angle of the street and is zoomed in on a running leg. The concept of the piece could be trying to portray the hustle and bustle of the city street. The entire photograph is vivid and in focus, with the exception of the blurry leg running. I like that the runner’s leg is blurry because reinforces the hustle and bustle to wherever the subject is going. For the elements and principles of design, the artist used value, texture, and contrast. The piece contrasts between the whitest whites and the darkest darks. Also the print the black and white color, creates shadows and texture. I like this piece because of the movement and the unique view point. This piece influenced me to look at different viewpoints to get my point across in future pieces.

Nick Davis

My first image is called Saipan, from 1944 by W. Eugene Smith. It is made, or is on, Gelatin Silver Print. What he basically did was take a picture of a marine in a rugged jungle combat scene, holding a probable dead baby. This shows the true harsh realities of war, and how innocence can be lost so quick. He has emphasis on the soldier and baby because they are the subjects that are in focus. I basically choose this work because of the drama it shows, and this drama has inspired me to use more drama in my works now. 

My second photographed work is by Lisette Model. It is 42nd street from 5th Avenue Subway, New York from the years 1940-41. It is on Gelatin Silver Print. His basic concept was to take a picture at a worm’s eye view, taking a picture capturing movement. It was also to show the hustle and bustle of city life. The picture has a lot of frozen movement, some are even blurred in step. I like the point of view of the piece, and this has inspired me to think of my own cool point of views.

My last work that i photographed was by Louis Faurer. Its called 42nd street collage, New York, 1946. Its on Gelatin Silver Print. Its a juxtaposition of things in the city and it forms the shape of a man and a boy latched together. Faurer is emphasizing the people by having them composed of darker shapes against a dark background. It shows good emphasis and movement and has inspired me to perhaps use collage in this way.