Monday, December 16, 2013
Artist Rendition Worksheet
Artist Rendition Worksheet
Tessa Paige
Aaron Siskind
Photograph: 
Artist Bio:
-Educated in the City College of New York, with intentions of becoming a poet.
-He taught English in New York public schools until he was married in 1929, then became a photographer, activist, and teacher.
-Film and Photo League:
a group that attempted to reflect the lives and struggles of American
workers, among other goals, such as (spread an popularize
artistic/revolutionary soviet productions).
-Photo League/Feature Group:
Differences of opinion and social interests split the group into
Frontier Films and the Photo League, which continued on to give power to
photographers so they could honestly photograph America. It provided a
way for photographers to connect, collaborate and share interests, as
well as offering photography classes in all levels before such teaching
was commonly available. In the Photo League he participated in projects
that documented life during the Depression. The Harlem Document was
different from many similar projects because it focused equally on
design and purpose. The also created and led the Feature Group within
the Photo League, a documentary group.
-Departure from and dissolution of the group: When
Siskind started taking more abstract images, some members of the League
accused him of ignoring the social problems of man, and he left the
group soon afterwards. The group dissolved a few years later when its
Berlin roots brought its motives into question, officially labeled
subversive and dissolved in 1947.
-Solo work: Siskind
pursued a solo career and exhibited at the Charles Egan Gallery
multiple times. He resumed teaching in photography at several
prestigious schools like the Chicago Institute of Design, Rhode Island
School of Design, and Harvard, working as head of department at Chicago
for about ten years.
Artistic Background:
Siskind
has no other artistic experience. While originally intending towards
English, he received a camera as a wedding gift and discovered the
camera’s artistic potential while taking photos on his honeymoon.
His
most prominent work, a great proponent of the Abstract Expressionism
movement, flattens three-dimensional objects so that texture and
composition become all-encompassing and the viewer is forced to view the
photograph as a photograph. Details of nature and architecture become
new abstract images. Personal hardships and successes do not factor into
his work.
Your image: 
I chose this image because the striking contrast and balance interests me.
How
would you describe your photographer’s style? Contrast, tension, flow,
texture, balance, bold, connection, intersection, decay.
After researching the photographer what have you found most interesting about his/her photographic style or image production?
The way ordinary textures are given prominence and drama.
How are you planning to recreate your photographer’s image?
Go out and find interesting textures and balances!
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
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