Movement & Expression Explored - Semester 1 Yr 2

Narcissism

Narcissism is becoming increasingly important aspect of my photographic practice. My influence of which comes directly from the story of the God Narcissi which of course, is influenced again from Caravaggio.

nar·cis·sism

/ˈnɑrsəˌsɪzɛm/ [nahr-suh-siz-em]

noun

1. inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love; vanity.

2. Psychoanalysis. Erotic Gratification Derived from admiration of one's own physical or mental attributes, being a normal condition at the infantile level of personality development.
 

 

Caravaggio; A Sub-Conscious Influence

Left: Caravaggio; David with the head of Goliath - Detail (1609-1610)

Right: Eamonn B. Shanahan; Studio Emotive Performance (2011) 

Ultimately I am a huge fan of the great master Caravaggio. His beautiful attention to detail and life-like qualities amaze me. However when I was shooting my Performance Art Work, I had not intended to have a Caravaggio-like relation attached to my work.

This acknowledgement came to me in a lecture on Caravaggio by Vera Ryan on Monday 21st November 2011 and also from comments and observations from my colleagues. However in the lecture Vera Ryan spoke about the early works of Caravaggio in which the master created self-portraits, moreover she stated that there was an 'irrelevance of time and space' in these early paintings. Currently, as my work is based in an environment that is neutral, I would like to believe that this influence has much duplication from Caravaggio though in the medium of photography.

Furthermore in the continuation of my studio work I hope to develop the irrelevance of time and space and push it to its limits incorporating my own response to movement and emotive response.

Today

Today I am working with two main ideas with the hope of merging them together. Before I continue I will just briefly explain these.

PERFORMANCE ART

In Spring of this year I wanted to focus my work on dance, music and art as a whole. I began working with oils, using music sheet paper as my canvas and applying the paint delicately. I created an image of beauty and perfection to represent that in the art of ballet refuting it with the natural beauty of the world. However as the imagery that I was creating was that bit too beautiful and 'Disney' like, I took the opportunity to change medium and import myself into the picture.

Nature Vs Ballet

Music & Lyrics

To do this I began working with performance art. Using digital photography I self-shoot solo-performances of myself dancing. It was suggested to use a Video Camera to record it however I preferred to get the results of a SLR Digital Camera in that it would miss the in between frames and pick up on the flaws as well as the perfected movements. The positioning of the images in the presentation of the work was also very important which is clearly illustrated in the images below. I believe that the placement of the prints was vital for this project to work, it added another dimension.

 

Influence of Materials & Raw Setting

Original Studio Shoot

Rihanna S&M

I am currently developing this concept of performance art, pushing it to the next level.

A MYSTICAL WORLD

Tim Burton, Walt Disney, JK Rowling, Stephanie Meyer and James Cameron all created a new world. These creations all feature the four main elements of fire, water, air, and land which are necessary. However I would like to create a world that you can feel the music present in the 2D painting, without presence of physical sound; If you will, a world for the deaf. I believe that my performance work could aid the creation of this new world and therefore I would like to eventually merge these two main aspects of my work.

...AND BACK TO TODAYMy influences from the start included such artists as Degas, Richter, Duchamp, Rembrandt, Disney, Burton, Muybridge and even touches of the great Renaissance artist Caravaggio. With these influential people along with my own primary research in the photography studio I have developed into a new aspect of the photographic sessions. Dance and music is certainly still present yet aperture and shutter-speed setting alterations allowed me to create a moving image in one single shot. I wish to transfer these images to 2D paintings to push them further. But prior to that I will further explore the graduation I have made since my initial photo-shoot in the Spring, seeking out other color options, clothing, setting, moving objects and natural life, figurative expression through dance and acting etc.

A New Development

Expressive Emotion