I went to see an exhibition with photos by Stephen Shore in the Douglas Hyde Gallery. He is a contemporary American photographer whose pictures have been described as dead pan shots of banal subjects. This exhibition contain photos from various series and from various periods of his career. There are three genres represented: rural landscapes, urban American and street photos.
The rural landscapes images are very simple. The show green ground, stones, blue skies, clouds. "It is as if he pain to exclude any aspect of the conventionally picturesque" an article describes it in the Irish Times on 9 June 2010. The images are very still, no people or man made objects, just irregular, natural areas of colour - green and blue. There is no central focal point, which makes the viewer examine each stone and cloud in their own right. These images of rural landscapes don't intrigue me. I find them a bit boring.
The next genre of images in the exhibition is urban American. Many of these were taken in the 1970s as Stephen Shore went on road trips in America. The images are colourful and there are man made objects in every picture, such as buildings, roads and signs. These geometrical shapes contrast to the rural landscapes with natural shapes. There are petrol stations, motels, plates of food etc. The places look deserted, empty and lonely, as there are not many people in the images, and the buildings look worn down. I think Stephen Shore wanted to show his view on the environs of a road trip, and the lonliness and uncertainty you might feel when you are away from home, He shows ordinary things in an interesting way, seen from a travellers view.There is a sense of melancholy which might reflect the artist's state of mind. These images grow on me the more I look. There is something sad about them. If these images are categorised as dead pan, I can appreciate this type much more than dead pan portraits.
The last genre is that of black and white street photography. It is very cinematic and very New York - think a Woody Allen film in Manhattan, or Breakfast at Tiffany's. There are captures action of people on the move and their expressions. These images are very different to the two previous genres, much more vibrant. They were taken with a 8x10 camera, with the negative halved making 4x10 images. There is lots to look at, with great detail and I find these very interesting.
I think the photos in this exhibition are relevant both for the "people unware" part of this course, and also for the "places" part. I would like to create some images especially of places, that would convey a feeling to the viewer. I shall keep this in mind for when I reach that part of the course.
The rural landscapes images are very simple. The show green ground, stones, blue skies, clouds. "It is as if he pain to exclude any aspect of the conventionally picturesque" an article describes it in the Irish Times on 9 June 2010. The images are very still, no people or man made objects, just irregular, natural areas of colour - green and blue. There is no central focal point, which makes the viewer examine each stone and cloud in their own right. These images of rural landscapes don't intrigue me. I find them a bit boring.
The next genre of images in the exhibition is urban American. Many of these were taken in the 1970s as Stephen Shore went on road trips in America. The images are colourful and there are man made objects in every picture, such as buildings, roads and signs. These geometrical shapes contrast to the rural landscapes with natural shapes. There are petrol stations, motels, plates of food etc. The places look deserted, empty and lonely, as there are not many people in the images, and the buildings look worn down. I think Stephen Shore wanted to show his view on the environs of a road trip, and the lonliness and uncertainty you might feel when you are away from home, He shows ordinary things in an interesting way, seen from a travellers view.There is a sense of melancholy which might reflect the artist's state of mind. These images grow on me the more I look. There is something sad about them. If these images are categorised as dead pan, I can appreciate this type much more than dead pan portraits.
The last genre is that of black and white street photography. It is very cinematic and very New York - think a Woody Allen film in Manhattan, or Breakfast at Tiffany's. There are captures action of people on the move and their expressions. These images are very different to the two previous genres, much more vibrant. They were taken with a 8x10 camera, with the negative halved making 4x10 images. There is lots to look at, with great detail and I find these very interesting.
I think the photos in this exhibition are relevant both for the "people unware" part of this course, and also for the "places" part. I would like to create some images especially of places, that would convey a feeling to the viewer. I shall keep this in mind for when I reach that part of the course.