INTRODUCTION TO ASSIGNMENT
Photomontage is the theme for this task. By using specific elements in other images, I used Photoshop to combine them to make one image. I made these montages with the feeling of lockdown and also tried using photos I took in one of them. Richard Hamilton was the photographer I researched, but his pieces didn't influence mine because of my topic. I did learn from how he arranged his montages and considered it when I created mine. I also researched the history behind photomontages and what made them a montage.
HISTORY OF PHOTO MONTAGE
In the mid-1850s, photomontage first appeared since experimental photographers wanted to create photographs that could stand among fine art. A French photographer named Hippolyte Bayard was thought to be the first person who proposed this idea. Creating a balanced image where the focus is overlaid on a background, merging the two abstractly, was what he wanted to make. But, because photography was seen as a document of facts, his method got criticism within the community, who didn't respond to reality's blatant manipulation.
Oscar Rejlander named this practice "combination printing" during the mid-Victorian period when the first photomontages were made. Rejlander created infamous "erotic" pieces showcasing circus models and child prostitutes while working in portraiture. He combined over thirty images in his famous Two Ways of Life, 1897, into one photograph to create a moralistic allegory that distinguishes a life of guilt with a life of virtue. At first, the image caused controversy for its partial nudity. Despite this, the picture was successful and secured Rejlander's entrance into the Royal Photographic Society of London.
WHAT IS A PHOTO MONTAGE
Cutting, rearranging and overlapping two or more images into one new image is known as a photomontage.
Using the specific elements within images means if the frame around that element is still around it, it's still a separate image. Therefore if you still have other frames inside of the mainframe, it is not a complete photomontage. This would be more of a collage than a photo montage.
ARTIST RESEARCH
Known for producing some of the earliest works of Pop Art, Richard Hamilton was an English artist. He used multiple techniques, but his most noticeable works were colleges. Hamilton was born on February 24, 1922, in London. When he started to take evening classes at Saint Martin's School of Arts, he worked as an apprentice at an electrical components firm. Hamilton enrolled in the Royal Academy at 16 but was expelled for not following regulations. He taught many students during the late 1950s after accepting the offer to teach at his former school. Hamilton's interest in flourishing his work in multiple forms of media came during the mid-1960s as he became more interested in Marcel Duchamp's work. He focused on creating prints and incorporating new technologies, like computer software, over the decades following. Hamilton died on September 13, 2011, in the United States. His pieces are seen in collections at the Tate Gallery in London, the National Gallery of Australia, and others.
This image shows a lot of different colours and textures.
Looking at the people in the image, and other elements, it looks like this is a photo collage. Even though a lot is going on your eyes go towards the man (The Rock) on the left. Even though each element of the image came from other photos, they all work cohesively together.
Richard Hamilton experienced with many different art techniques, and this was one of them. I think he played with photomontage until he got the hang of it and made this.
The theme of my assignment is photomontage, and my topic lockdown and how I feel about it. I won't be using as many elements as Hamilton but looking at this piece helped me better understand how to create mine.
I like that even with many different colours, textures and elements, he still made them look like they are supposed to be together. He seamlessly put them together, and it works well.
MY MONTAGES
This photo shows multiple different elements that I put together into one image.
The road and lines on it create leading lines to the ticket in the background. The different elements, like the clouds, jail bars and even the people all add to the image.
I made this since my topic was lockdown. The girl on the left (me), symbolises how I was before lockdown, or how I acted. The road leads to "happiness", but there are viruses in the way. The clouds are like thought bubbles. A woman behind bars is wearing a mask and shows how trapped I feel. The screaming mouth is my build up emotion bursting out but not being heard.
I liked that I was able to connect and create a new image using different images. I don't like my execution. I think it could have been neater, but the idea does come across.
This photograph shows a woman with a television for a head, a puddle of people and a social media thought bubble.
Your eyes go straight towards the woman with a television for a head. Your eyes then pan down towards the road with a puddle. The puddle shows a line of people wearing face masks, which the lady sees in the reflection. The visual movement starts from the though bubble going down.
I made this image to show how I feel in lockdown. The thought bubble shows what I think about regularly. The woman has a television for a since that is what people are regularly watching. The puddle reflects what is currently going on.
I liked that I connected all of the elements nicely. Each one is separate but connected. I think my execution was much better than the first attempt.
TASK EVALUATION
The theme for this task was photomontage. Using elements, specific aspects in images, and creating a new photo, I could do and complete the pieces. I used images from the internet as well as others I took myself. I think that the second image is slightly stronger than the first since the execution was better.
The photographer I chose to research was Richard Hamilton. His images helped me have a better idea of how my montage should look. I think that composition skill shone in this task, and creating the pictures tested my patience. If I could, I think I would have refined my cutting skills in the first image.
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