Photography 1: 2013

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Abstraction: Final Project

Monday, November 25, 2013

Nora S. Reyes

Photographic Research

Photography: Basic

Instructor: Julie Ledet

Fall 2013

Piss Christ

Andres Serrano

Andres Serrano is a very controversial artist. He stages photographs that usually leave people talking about them and questioning whether or not what he does is art. This particular photograph is of a man posing as Christ on a crucifix. The controversy arises when people read the title. The title is a reference to the medium he used. He put the wooden model of Christ in a clear jar of urine and photographed it.

Andres Serrano’s Piss Christ evokes the same kind of popular religiosity Andy Warhol paid homage to in his Last Supper series, another artistic highlight of the 80s, and just as Warhol was a sincere Catholic, Serrano created a vivid and intense baroque image of the passion.

The suffering of Christ is seen through a glass, darkly or in this case shines through yellow urine, glowing uncannily within the stinking detritus of the body.

There's something in this powerful work of art for everyone. Atheists can savor its insult, Christians can meditate on the victory of the spirit in the humiliation of the flesh. Meanwhile, the easily provoked will never fail to have their anger aroused by a work of art that is spoiling for a fight.

I believe that Piss Christ it’s a controversial artwork, because for decades the Christ image has been used for devotion in all the world, and Serrano’s piece does the opposite to devotion or respect. The first time I saw this piece I thought the yellow and red tones were colored lens but after I read it was artist urine, my perspective change. I believe the materials Serrano used have more power than the picture as itself. The controversy it is more about the crucifix inside the artist urine, than the composition or color in the overall picture.

The fact is that this work continues to draw controversy on both sides of the political, social and religious aisles unfortunately overshadows the artist's intention, which is to engage the viewer on both a visual and intellectual level.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

UTSA

Q: Is there anything going on currently in your life that you are excited about?

A: "I'm excited about is finish my English Degree".

Q: Is there anything going on currently in your life that you are excited about?

A: "I'm excited about is finish my Biology Degree".

Q: Is there anything going on currently in your life that you are excited about?

A: "The only thing I'm excited about is finish the school and get a good job".

Q: What is the saddest moment in your life?

A:"The saddest moment in my life was when I lost my 18 year old daughter in a car accident...and she left her one year old baby without a mother".

Q: If you were asked to give advice to a large group of people, what would you say?

A: "The advice I would give to a large group of people is ...live your life...because life it's too short to waste your time in sad things".

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Assignment #2 Color

Shutter: 1/40 sec. Aperture: F/9

Shutter: 1/1000 sec. Aperture: F/4

Shutter: 1/15 sec Aperture: F/4

Shutter: 1/30 sec. Aperture: F/4

Shutter: 1/ 40 sec Aperture: F/9

Color Critique

Color Critique
Nora Reyes

Crystal G.

She used a good exposure in all of her photos and excellent use of color. She used a strong use of composition in all of her photos, such as rule of thirds, curvilinear lines, converging lines, and good use of perspective. All of her photos have a good use of light and balance. In general I like how she used different alternate point of view in all her photos and how she played with primary and complementary colors on her work. Also I think that the used of text in some of the photos works excellent to get a different perspective of the real image.

Anastassia

She used a good exposure in her photos. In the first photo she used a good composition of rule of thirds and also movement in some leafs by the exposure of water drops. In the second photo she used a curvilinear lines in her composition, and also a good use of exposure and shutter speed. In the third photo she used a strong composition of rules of thirds, converging lines, and good use of light. In general I like how she explored the different glass texture and how natural and artificial light affect the color on surfaces.

Andrea R.

She used a good use of exposure on all of her photos. In the first one she used an asymmetrical composition and a good use of color. In the second photo she used converging lines composition, a good use of color and balance. In the third photo she used a strong use of perspective and converging lines. In general I like how she studied the color by oxidation on metals and the visual texture it represent.