The Object: Initial Thoughts

My intiial thoughs inspired me to concentrate on what i could find around my room and kitchen.

Still Life: Initial Ideas

Still life isnt a subject i have found very easy in the past. Finding the right subject is tricky. After looking through pieces of art and photography, i have noticed a common theme with most of the work ive looked at. The releation between the subject matter and current economic issues or class statuses is something i can relate to as a student. Moving out and becoming more independent, wether it be with financial issues or otherwise, is something that i would like to try and explore with this project.

Whilst trying to work out some ideas for my subject, i thouht of the work "Campbells Soup Cans" by Andy Warhol. The work technically isnt a still life, but it got me thinking about the sort of basic foods i will be living on as a student. Maybe making a selection of images based around the basic ownbrand foods that ill probably be living on for the next 3 years.

Origins of Still Life

To really see the beginnings of Still Life, you have to travel as far back as 5th Century BC. At this time, two artists, Zeuxis & Parrhasius, were in contest with each other to see who could paint the most realistic painting. Zeuxis painted a bowl of grapes, that looked real enough to fool birds into pecking it. Parrhasius then painted a curtain, which fooled Zeuxis into trying to open it, and therefore won the contest. This idea of trying to paint common objects with the aim of just making them look real is where Still Life begins.

Paintings of this style peaked during the Renaissance (14th - 17th century). Painters around this time stated to do exactly as Zeuxis and Parrhasius had done before them, and begun painting in a style to try give the illusion that their paintings were real.

In the Netherlands, Still Life painting stated to become an art form in its own right. Artists were commissioned to make paintings of flowers, which at the time were very expensive, and considered a mark of great wealth. These images were designed to look very real, often including insects and spiders to try and enhance this realism.

The Object: Group f/64 and the roots of Still Life photography...

Group f/64

Group f/64 was a group of 7 photographers, based in the San Fransisco area, who begun a new modernist era in photography. Their work concentrated on using their camera to accurately represent the objects they were photographing. This involved using very high apertures to keep the images sharp and in focus, and also using darkroom techniques to accurately expose all parts of the object. Their work really still life photography into a recognized art.

Out of the artists in the group, the most notable members were Ansel Adams and Edward Weston. Their work, both in still life and landscape photography, both used the same technique of using a high aperture to capture extreme detail. In search of capturing images with perfect detail, Adams created the Zone System, a way in which to work out the correct exposures for different parts of an image.

This photograph by Edward Weston (1920) Is an amazing example of the detail and tone that these photographers managed to capture in their work. Even in the darkest shadows and brightest highlights of the subject, there is still great detail visible.

This great attention to detail is something i like to do in my work. When i think of still life, i think of images/paintings that are almost life like when you see them, so its this kind of detail and realism i want to bring to my work.