In Iron Man, OCA student Keith Greenough was trying to approach himself of his non-idealisitc self- by this I mean trying to see as he is himself not as other people see him. The portraits are not posed, show him a little bit tired.
I personally like this kind of portrait which is honest, but I think in terms of visual image is very hard to achieve this honesty because we tend to make our appearance so the others accept and like us.
Elina Brotherus uses her nakedness in order to embrace her vulnerability , to accept herself in these uncomfortable situation like infertility. I don’t think it’s narcissism(she doesn’t manifest excessive care of herself), she is just putting her ideas, her image to sustain her life experience and the ignorance of others. I feel also uncomfortable looking at her images, there is so much pain , she seems hopeless and that is I think what we are generally are afraid of and this is also why people usually look for other kind of images( those showing success, not reality which can be -and is, often cruel). I think that from a point on, images that speak about something we all experience , whether we like it or not , are not only personal, but include a wider audience, they are about our fragility as human race.
Reflect on the pieces of work discussed in this project in your learning log and do some further research of your own.
Here are a few questions you might ask yourself:• How do these images make you feel?
• Do you think there’s an element of narcissism or self-indulgence in focusing on your own identity in this way?
• What’s the significance of Brotherus’s nakedness?
• Can such images ‘work’ for an outsider without accompanying text?
• Do you think any of these artists are also addressing wider issues beyond the purely personal?
Make some notes in your learning log.
Adelina Gelu C&N 