Spheksophobia (Fear Of Wasps)

Francesca Woodman took this image.  The photograph is called “Then at one point I did not need to translate the notes they went directly to my hands” Providence, 1976. Francesca woodman was only thirteen when she first took a self-portrait. Since then up until her death in 1981 aged 22 she produced a lager amount of work (800 photographs) the photography that i'm studying is one of her best work. She studied in 1975 to 1979 at Rhode Island school of design. Then she when to Rome to continue her studies, whilst she was in Rome she created a large amount of work also had her first solo exhibition at a bookshop and gallery specializing in Surrealism and Futurism. Francesca Woodman has been called a modernist, a surrealist and, even, a gothic artist.

When Francesca woodman uses black and white effects in her images she makes the photos seem uneasy, I would like to use this effect on my own work. The plan wall in the background of the image make the subject stand out and become more realistic. Woodman has used a strange dress of clothing, which looks like wallpaper placed on top of the person; this makes the viewer more curious and interested in what she was thinking at the time. This photograph make me think what could be wrong with this person and how has they got into that situation. This images looks like the person is in pain and cant seem to get rind of it. I think the story behind this photograph is no matter what’s wrong there’s always someone who can help, as you can she in this image you have a person in pain on there own, I think this is what Francesca woodmen is trying o say. This image makes me feel inspired by Francesca woodman’s work the way she uses the black and white affect, this make the photograph more observing. 

Whilst i was researching the theme of the human condition i came across this image 'you are yourself' by Barabara Kruger.I also found out that she studied with one of my previous inspirations Diane Arbus.

Barbara Kruger was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1945. After attending Syracuse University, the School of Visual Arts, and studying art and design with Diane Arbus at Parson’s School of Design in New York, Kruger  obtained a design job at Condé Nast Publications. Working for Mademoiselle Magazine, she  was quickly promoted  to head designer. Later, she worked as a graphic designer,  art director, and picture editor in the art departments at House and  Garden.

This background in design is  evident in the work for which she is now internationally renowned. She layers  found photographs from existing sources with pithy and 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,  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, consumerism, and individual autonomy and desire, although  her black-and-white images are from the mainstream magazines that sell  the very ideas she is disputing. As well as appearing in museums and galleries 
worldwide, Kruger’s work has appeared on billboards, buscards, 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  the Art Institute of Chicago, and the University of California, Berkeley.

The image above has been particularly inspirational to me because i have researched and been inspired by the notion of entrapment. Being trapped in your own body. This is how many schizophrenics feel. As if they have been trapped in an emotion and/or body that can no longer function in a humane or normal fashion. I have experimented with the idea of the mirror and cracks appearing in the persons head/body and mind. Krugers use of stark supporting text aids the imapct of each image. I will experiment with text and see if it can aid my communication with the wider audience. I am unsure if the text will aid my message or make it appear trivial. I hope to experiment with text but i am aware that Krugers work has been oversaturated and plagarised to such a point

Inside each eye i placed a figure of myself pressed against a piece of perspex. i used a black and white adjustment layer over the original eye and erased through to keep the colour of the iris. 

This image is interesting because as i researched earlier, people often do not see the pain someone is feeling before it is too late...I would like to experiment using my own images to create a similar image.