Frame & Composition: Activity 2 Blog

Activity 2

Blog Post
Read the following passage taken from the book The Photographer’s Eye by John Szarkowski and answer the questions below.

"To quote out of context is the essence of the photographer’s craft. His central problem is a simple one: what shall he include, what shall he reject? The line of decision between in and out is the picture’s edge. While the draughtsman starts with the middle of the sheet, the photographer starts with the frame. The photograph’s edge defines content. It isolates unexpected juxtapositions. By surrounding two facts, it creates a relationship. The edge of the photograph dissects familiar forms, and shows their unfamiliar fragment. It creates the shapes that surround objects. The photographer edits the meanings and the patterns of the world through an imaginary frame. This frame is the beginning of his picture’s geometry. It is to the photograph as the cushion is to the billiard table."

Q. What does John Szarkowski mean when he says that photographers are quoting ‘out of context’ when they make photographic pictures?

Q. The frame often ‘dissects familiar forms’. At the end of the last century photography was having a major impact on Art. Impressionist artists such as Degas were influenced by what they saw. Look at these examples of Degas work, which clearly shows the influence of Photography, and explain why the public might have been shocked to see such paintings.

Important: Find another example of a painting that you feel was influenced by photography and include it in you're posting!

Riot Painting - From ApacheClips.com

This painting depicts an officer trying to contain a riot (unsuccessfully i might add). The rioters have guns and have launched molotov cocktails at the officer, but he is somewhat protected because he has a riot shield. The painting might have been inspired by photographs of riots, such as the ones pictured below.

Licking The Flames - From SVLSTG.com

This photo depicts a squad of officers, and one of them is on fire. The painting features a single officer with a riot shield that is on fire. This incident occurred in Rome during the day, unlike the painting which happens in an unnamed city during the nighttime.

LA Riot Picture - From Wikimedia.org

This photo incorporates stop motion to capture a mid-air molotov cocktail during a riot in Los Angeles. The painting also has a mid-air molotov cocktail, but it changes the perspective from first person to third person.