Today in visual culture we looked at the work of the Pre-Raphaelites who were a movement created in the world of art and photography where the themes of 15th century painters were revived in the modern idiom.
The Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood featured the artists John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Holman Hunt, James Collinson, Thomas Woolner, William Rossetti and Frederic George Stephens. They are recognised as the first British Art Movement and published a yearly periodical of their work called The Germ.
Their work was heavily influenced by The Legend of King Arthur and Shakespearian heroines. A lot of the paintings use the image of Dante Rossetti's girlfriend and later wife Elizabeth Siddal. Spotted working in a hat shop with her tempestuous looks and flowing red locks she was the perfect muse for the brotherhood .
The work owed much to photographs taken of their subjects. Another model to sit for the artists was Jane Morris the wife of Rossetti's friend fellow artist William Morris. Embalking on an affair with her was enough to destroy Elizabeth. She died young and was buried with a book of Rossetti's poetry. However in impoverished circumstances he exhumed the book only to find it had been worm damaged. He died quite a few years later of alcoholism.
The Pre-Raphaelite movement produced many great artworks but the best has to be The Lady Of Shalott by John William Waterhouse (pictured above) which perhaps I could describe as the muse to my muse!
Thursday 1 November 2007
Bowling For Columbine (2002) Current mood: blah Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities
Today in college we watched the Michael Moore documentary Bowling For Columbine which was an insight into what drove two boys from a school in Colorado to get hold of ammunition and kill twelve pupils and a schoolteacher.
The gun laws in the States are very different to the rest of the world as was spelled out by actor Charlton Heston at rallies presented on behalf of the National Rifle Association.
For some strange reason Heston always seemed to be in town in the wake of a gun tragedy. Another incident had occured in Flint, Michigan where a six year old had killed a schoolfriend of the same age.
It turned out that his mother had to work to pay off a debt and was regularly out of town where her son was left in the care of others. He'd found a gun and had taken it to school.
Michael Moore went to the Dick Clark Bandstand themed complex where it was revealed many employees of the cafeteria and restaurants worked for small reward. Dick Clark himself however having put his name to the complex had nothing to say of the matter.
It was revealed in nearby Canada that gun deaths were minimal and this was maybe because the national news wasn't full of scaremongering stories that put people in fear for their lives.
The creators of South Park mocked up a history of the USA's love of gun law taking us through the Pilgrim Fathers, slavery and the Civil Rights Movement that painted a picture of racism causing gun fury.
A tail end interview with Charlton Heston proved the man to be a bigot and an inverted racist who it was found had no rationale for having a gun other than it made him a bigger and better man. Absolutely pathetic.
Although I'm not a fan of Michael Moore's confrontational style I do think the bad guys in this documentary did themselves no favours. Especially the idiot whose brother bombed a government building who seemed to think sticking a gun to your head and spinning the barrel was a bit of a laugh!
Today in college we watched the Michael Moore documentary Bowling For Columbine which was an insight into what drove two boys from a school in Colorado to get hold of ammunition and kill twelve pupils and a schoolteacher.
The gun laws in the States are very different to the rest of the world as was spelled out by actor Charlton Heston at rallies presented on behalf of the National Rifle Association.
For some strange reason Heston always seemed to be in town in the wake of a gun tragedy. Another incident had occured in Flint, Michigan where a six year old had killed a schoolfriend of the same age.
It turned out that his mother had to work to pay off a debt and was regularly out of town where her son was left in the care of others. He'd found a gun and had taken it to school.
Michael Moore went to the Dick Clark Bandstand themed complex where it was revealed many employees of the cafeteria and restaurants worked for small reward. Dick Clark himself however having put his name to the complex had nothing to say of the matter.
It was revealed in nearby Canada that gun deaths were minimal and this was maybe because the national news wasn't full of scaremongering stories that put people in fear for their lives.
The creators of South Park mocked up a history of the USA's love of gun law taking us through the Pilgrim Fathers, slavery and the Civil Rights Movement that painted a picture of racism causing gun fury.
A tail end interview with Charlton Heston proved the man to be a bigot and an inverted racist who it was found had no rationale for having a gun other than it made him a bigger and better man. Absolutely pathetic.
Although I'm not a fan of Michael Moore's confrontational style I do think the bad guys in this documentary did themselves no favours. Especially the idiot whose brother bombed a government building who seemed to think sticking a gun to your head and spinning the barrel was a bit of a laugh!
Omnibus: Henri Cartier-Bresson Current mood: depressed Category: Art and Photography
Today at college in our visual culture lesson we looked at a documentary that celebrated the work of photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. Born in France in 1908 he was renowned for his action photography. One of the most famous of his pictures being "Man Leaping Over A Puddle".
There's a certain symmetry to the picture in that on a wall to the left there is a poster of a circus performer that mirrors the leaping man. Also the man at the railings is also symmetrical with the foreground image as is the reflection in the pool of the broken barrel staves.
It was what Bresson described as The Decisive Moment. Even publishing a book of his work with this title featuring a cover painted by the artist Henri Matisse a lifelong friend. Bresson always seemed to be in the right place at the right time and his work takes in a wide range of subjects taking in the Spanish Civil War and uprisings in Communist China.
With some friends including Robert Capa and David " Chim" Seymour he set up The Magnum Agency. His was a work he referred to as reportage. He was reporting through his photography what he was seeing through his lens. In effect capturing a moment in time. He was also a keen artist and it seemed he would have preferred to work in this field describing the difference between this and photography as like action to meditation. He likened himself to Renoir in his documentary style and said without his bad temper there wouldn't be his photography. We also saw posed photographs of Francis Bacon and Truman Capote from which he said he enjoyed seeing the silence within a person.
All in all it was an enjoyable documentary about the life of a great photographer though I'm not sure that the choice of music by his favourite composer Bach may have outstayed its welcome!
Today at college in our visual culture lesson we looked at a documentary that celebrated the work of photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. Born in France in 1908 he was renowned for his action photography. One of the most famous of his pictures being "Man Leaping Over A Puddle".
There's a certain symmetry to the picture in that on a wall to the left there is a poster of a circus performer that mirrors the leaping man. Also the man at the railings is also symmetrical with the foreground image as is the reflection in the pool of the broken barrel staves.
It was what Bresson described as The Decisive Moment. Even publishing a book of his work with this title featuring a cover painted by the artist Henri Matisse a lifelong friend. Bresson always seemed to be in the right place at the right time and his work takes in a wide range of subjects taking in the Spanish Civil War and uprisings in Communist China.
With some friends including Robert Capa and David " Chim" Seymour he set up The Magnum Agency. His was a work he referred to as reportage. He was reporting through his photography what he was seeing through his lens. In effect capturing a moment in time. He was also a keen artist and it seemed he would have preferred to work in this field describing the difference between this and photography as like action to meditation. He likened himself to Renoir in his documentary style and said without his bad temper there wouldn't be his photography. We also saw posed photographs of Francis Bacon and Truman Capote from which he said he enjoyed seeing the silence within a person.
All in all it was an enjoyable documentary about the life of a great photographer though I'm not sure that the choice of music by his favourite composer Bach may have outstayed its welcome!
Psycho was actually a break from Hitchcock's normal fayre of repertory actors and big budget effects. Based on Robert Bloch's novel of the same name Hitchcock bought up thousands of copies of the book so nobody would know the ending. Audiences were also told not to reveal the outcome to their friends.
Janet Leigh puts in a sterling performance as the greedy secretary who decides to make a quick getaway when her boss entrusts her with money he wants depositing in a bank.
On the road to a richer life which she hopes to spend with her intended she stops off during a rainy night at the Bates Motel. This is to be her downfall as she encounters the slighly creepy owner Norman who supposedly lives alone with his mother.
The film is so famous I needn't say much more apart from the fact that Alfred Hitchcock truly was the Master of Suspense. From setting the scene to bringing the audience into the characters' lives Psycho is certainly a masterclass in film direction. I also love the highly dramatic music that at times reminded me of some of the cello work on ELO's first album!
What made it even better for me was seeing it blown up on the college wall. It was a bit like watching it at the pictures.
Janet Leigh puts in a sterling performance as the greedy secretary who decides to make a quick getaway when her boss entrusts her with money he wants depositing in a bank.
On the road to a richer life which she hopes to spend with her intended she stops off during a rainy night at the Bates Motel. This is to be her downfall as she encounters the slighly creepy owner Norman who supposedly lives alone with his mother.
The film is so famous I needn't say much more apart from the fact that Alfred Hitchcock truly was the Master of Suspense. From setting the scene to bringing the audience into the characters' lives Psycho is certainly a masterclass in film direction. I also love the highly dramatic music that at times reminded me of some of the cello work on ELO's first album!
What made it even better for me was seeing it blown up on the college wall. It was a bit like watching it at the pictures.
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