RESEARCH NOTES 4 - Barbra Kruger

Barbra Kruger-

Barbra Kruger was born in 1975 in New Jersey. She attended "syracuse university, the school of visual arts"
Krugar's photographs are often layered with aggressive text that involves the viewer in the struggle for power and control that her captions speak to. In their trademark black letters against a slash of red background. 

Her black-and-white images are collected from mainstream magazines that sell the very ideas she is disputing such as sexualising women to sell a product. 

As well as appearing in museums and galleries worldwide, Kruger’s work has appeared on billboards, busses, posters, a public park, a train station platform in Strasbourg, France, and in other public commissions. She has taught at the california institute of art, the school of art in chicago and the university of california, berkley. 


some of her instantly recognizable slogans read “I shop therefore I am,” and “Your body is a battleground."

Much of her text questions the viewer about feminism, classicism, consumerism, and individual autonomy and desire.Kruger does this to challenge the stereotypical ways mass media influences society’s notions about gender roles, social relationships, and political issues.

'Your body is a battleground'

" Kruger created this to address and interpret heated political issues of the moment. Using a silkscreened frontal photograph of a model’s face, the artist gives the image additional meaning by dividing the large canvas it occupies into sections; from left to right, the bisected image reverses from positive to negative, and from top to bottom, the face is divided by the emblazoned slogan “Your body is a battleground.” Kruger critiques the objectified standard of symmetry that is applied to feminine beauty and perpetuated by media and advertising. The composition originally included more text and was designed as a poster for the massive pro-choice rally that took place on April 9, 1989, in Washington, D.C. "

Information was found on -

http://www.thebroad.org/art/barbara-kruger
http://www.barbarakruger.com/biography.shtml

RESEARCH NOTES 3 - Hannah Hoch

Hannah Hoch was known for her 'Da da' work , her influences

include Picasso , her own college work and kurt schwitters. All of these influences shared one thing in common. The overlapping of images.  Due to this Hannah experimented and found a style that she was comfortable doing. Overlapping images, creating artistic effects and  portraying expressions of dismorphia throughout.

Hannah's images have been described as 'creepy' and 

'Unorthadox'

" she created a humorous and moving commentary on society during a time of tremendous social change.    Acerbic, astute 

and funny, Höch established collage as a key medium for satire whilst being a master of its poetic beauty."

RESEARCH NOTES 2 - documentary

Bob Mazzer-

Bob Mazzer spent two decades commuting back and forth to work via the london underground, while on his daily travels he used his 'Lecia M4' and his own unique perspective to capture the people whom caught his eye. 

Bobs images were shown in a GLC exhibition at the Royal Festive Hall in the 1980s.

"Every day I travelled to King's Cross and back. Coming home late at night, it was like a party and I felt like the tube was mine and I was there to take the

pictures."

- Bob Mazzer

Mazzer's most engaging images go beyond the surface and capture moments that are peculiar to underground train travel where people tend to stick to themselves and not engage, people often call London a cold city due to this so its not unusual for a photographe rot be intrigued with the mystique behind the underground.

RESEARCH NOTES 1 - documentary

Henri Cartier-Bresson -

Henri was a french photographer and film director of feature films, however his photographs were generally taken spontaneously  of 'real life' people. He wanted to capture people doing their everyday routines. Due to this he became well known for his photo-journalism.

He was arrested in 1940 by German Nazis due to the german invasion and spent three years in a prison-war camp, after two attempts of trying to escape the camp, he escaped and proceeded with his photography.

'Magnum' - magnum was created by Robert Capa, George Rodger, David 'Chim' Seymour and William Vandivert. This has become one of the world's most premier photo agency.

In 1996 he left 'Magnum' and began to turn his focus away from photography and restrained from doing interviews. In later years (2003) he, along with wife and daughter secured his legacy by creating the 'Henri Cartier-Bresson' foundation which has preserved his work, he later won numerous awards and honorary doctorates for his work.


'The decisive moment" is a book by Henri which is divided into two chronological and geographical sections - 1932 to 1947 and 1947 to 1952.

“Photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organisation of forms which give that event its proper expression.”

Henri died on august 3, 2004 - a few weeks before his 96th birthday.