My idea was to show how the sources we use to satisfy our thirst have changed over the years. I wanted to create an ironic photo by placing a modern, unhealthy energy drink in a setting that shows a more traditional way of living. I’m holding the energy drink while a natural well and a cow providing fresh milk can be seen behind me. The can is also the sharpest element in the photograph, which helps draw the viewer’s attention to it.
I wanted my appearance to represent a woman from the past and connect the photograph to my Polish and Slavic background. That’s why I wore a simple dress, braided my hair into two braids and stood barefoot. In the background, I used a Polish windmill from the Library of Congress as another cultural element.
I also tried to follow the Rule of Thirds when creating the composition. Overall, this work is meant to be a form of social commentary on our modern lifestyle. By contrasting natural sources of food and drink with an unhealthy energy drink, I wanted to encourage the viewer to think about their choices and consider a more natural way of living.
I wanted my appearance to represent a woman from the past and connect the photograph to my Polish and Slavic background. That’s why I wore a simple dress, braided my hair into two braids and stood barefoot. In the background, I used a Polish windmill from the Library of Congress as another cultural element.
I also tried to follow the Rule of Thirds when creating the composition. Overall, this work is meant to be a form of social commentary on our modern lifestyle. By contrasting natural sources of food and drink with an unhealthy energy drink, I wanted to encourage the viewer to think about their choices and consider a more natural way of living.
Links:
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/matpc/item/2019711431/ (cow)
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017677220/ (windmill)
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2012646920/ (scratch)
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/matpc/item/2019711431/ (cow)
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017677220/ (windmill)
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2012646920/ (scratch)
ReplyDeleteThis work was created by Estera Rasek The photograph shows the artist dressed as a woman from the “ past” , wearing a simple light colored dress , braided hair and no shoes. She is standing beside a traditional well while holding and drinking from a modern energy drink. Behind her, there is also a cow and rural landscape , along with a polish windmill that connects the image to her background. The photograph uses textures , dark edges, scratches , etc to make it resemble an old wet-plate photograph. The composition also guides your attention toward the artist and her energy drink , which appears sharper and more modern than her surrounding environment. I believe the concept works well with the wet plate style because the photography visually places the viewer in an earlier time where the majority relied on natural and local sources for food and drink. The well , cow and landscape along with the coloring make the photograph feel like it is from the past. The reference to the past also makes the viewer consider how much our lifestyles have changed. In an older environment the well and cow represent simple and natural sources of nourishment , while the energy drink represents a more processed product from modern life. I also think the image has an effective sense of irony. The artist looks like she belongs in the historical environment until you notice what she is drinking. By combining the historical environment with present day convenience , the artist creates a clear social commentary .
This artwork was created by Estera Rasek. The photo shows a person in a barn; they are drinking a monster energy and facing a wall. In the left view, there is a cow that stares back at the person. The background shows that the setting is on a farm; we can tell this by a windmill in the distance, tall grass, and an anvil. The person belongs to the era of the photo, which can be seen by the hairstyle of Dutch braids and the clothing. I felt this had the strongest concept due to the irony and the texture application. The irony of the subject drinking an unnatural and modern substance while having direct access to something healthy and natural was interesting. It allows the viewer to think about what exactly they are putting in their bodies that drives someone who has direct access to natural and healthy nutrition toward unnatural substances. The contrast in color helps reinforce this, as the person creates a visual guide leading the viewer right towards the controversial factor. The use of scratches and liquid grit replicates the process of wet-plate photography very well. The dried egg yolk texture shows in both dark and light areas, which really supports the replication.
ReplyDeleteI am reviewing Estera Rasek’s Old is New Again piece. Rasek presents the viewer with a processed photograph of herself as the main subject, accompanied by a cow. The subject sips from an modern energy drink while a sense of irony is created by inserting elements of traditional living such as the well, windmill, and cow. The environment seems to be a farm house and Estera wears a simple white dress, with two braids in her hair to connect her Polish and Slavic background. Rasek’s concept is extremely effective within the presentation as a wet-plate collodion print. She references a previous era by dressing traditionally and emphasizing natural elements of the time such as the well and a cow providing fresh milk. She adds a black and white monochromatic filter, along with sepia tones. Estera blurs elements in the background to highlight a shallow depth of field and makes the sky fully white since the chemical process of wet-plates is sensitive to blue and ultraviolet light. She adds a gritty black, uneven border to accentuate light attaching to the focal point of the composition. There are intentionally placed scratch and smudge marks which favors the product of the tedious wet-plate process.
ReplyDeleteThe reference to the mid-1800s creates meaning and affects the viewers reception of the work by evoking that sense of the past, yet providing social commentary on the unhealthy habits of modern living.