Steven Klein and Postphotography

Sonesson poses the question, "But is there really a world after photography?"

Many of today's emerging photographers have offered a response to this question, and Sonesson offers his own explanation as well:

"The postphotographic world can only exist in the same sense in which we have long lived in a world after painting: a world in which the meaning of painting has been modified by the advent of photography. But now the meaning of photography and painting alike are in the process of being thoroughly changed by the emergence of computer-pictures....But the computer may also be an instrument of creation: it is not only one of several possible means for mechanical reproduction, but it is also a means for digital production. And this is where we enter the domain of postphotography."

Enter Steven Klein:

On his website, he offers a response to the notion of these categories that can not be interpreted in isolation, and why there is a necessity to define them based on their predecessors:

"There is a desire to link photography with painting. My background is painting and I feel there is no connection between the two. It is as if the camera is linked to a sin, producing a bastard art form that we feel we must link to the past in order to give it credentials. I don't want those credentials. I have no need to apologize for photography."

Many of you may be familiar with his work in fashion photography, particularly in W magazine (which is where I first became acquainted with his work). I found an interesting article on his website that I thought captured the discussion quite nicely:

"For some time now photography has existed in an expanded field that includes fashion, advertising, music, cinema and virtually every other aspect of the culture we live and breath every day. And while there are those who denounce this as a contamination of its ability to report accurately on the world we live in, there are others for whom this very impurity is a saving aesthetic grace. Steven Klein might be one such photographer and X-STaTIC Pro=CeSS, his collaboration with Madonna, is just such a cross-fertilization of talent, medium and genre."

In my opinion, like every art form, and not even limited to art but life in general, things naturally evolve and change, and those who take advantage of this in the appropriate ways and contexts can benefit immensely. I thought Steven Klein was one photographer who was a great example of an artist who is delving into evolving techniques in his art and is not afraid to blend ideas and see what works. With that I will leave you with one last quote that illustrates his involvement with this:

"To this end many of the still images of X-STaTIC Pro=CeSS have been animated with CGI, just as the moving images are often edited in such a way that they appear to be composed of sequenced stills. In doing so he has created a strange hybrid that is neither one nor the other yet draws on both."

Photographical Context: Staged vs. Organic?

Cartier-Bresson’s ideas on photography are fascinating, and I found them very helpful in considering the work of some of the most notable contemporary photographers on the scene today (which depending on the context can be staged or not).

“Manufactured’ or staged photography does not concern me. And if I make a judgment, it can only be on a psychological or sociological level. There are those who take photographs arranged beforehand and those who go out to discover the image and seize it. For me, the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity, the master of the instant which—in visual terms—questions and decides simultaneously. In order to ‘give a meaning’ to the world, one has to feel oneself involved in what he frames through the viewfinder….It is by great economy of means that one arrives at simplicity of expression.”

Would he consider Marla Rutherford’s work staged?

Q: How do you decide on an idea or setting for the portrait?

A: It depends what kind of subject matter I am photographing. Usually I chose the location first, then wrap the whole concept around it. With my latex and fetish work and my fine art work, generally I go for a desert kind of Blue Velvet David Lynch atmosphere—very surreal. The type of light that I use is already pretty strange, so I look for a location that fits that type of lighting, like bizarre rooms or a more Planet of the Apes type location where it's minimalist and looks like a desert or another planet.

or someone like... David LaChapelle

Initially distinguished by his campy fixation with white-trash culture, LaChapelle is also known for his groundbreaking use of computer manipulation and futuristic fashion shoots and for placing hollywood celebrities. His signature photography has become synonymous with wildly beautiful colorful sets, unexpected positioning of models and celebrities, all shot with subtle or overt humor. More than static portraits, his photos often appear as a still from a motion picture, with layers of plots ready to play out before our eyes.

In connecting LaChapelle to the hybrid nature of contemporary art, he is one photographer who has segued into other areas, starting with directing music videos, and onto films.

What about artists like Richard Prince, who make paintings to look like photographs?

I guess my point is that in today's world, it's all about context. Artists are aware of this as they are creating and disseminating images to the public, whether that is intended for the fine art world or for the masses.

Ubiquity of Manga

I sometimes feel I lack the right reference points to really understand the worlds of manga and anime and would not have considered myself to really subscribe to these categories. The more I read, the more I realized (especially in my younger years) how much of it I did consume, although off hand I didn't feel as though I did. Here are a few examples, mostly recollections from my youth, but I'll start with a more recent example:

The 'Ghost in the Shell' franchise follows a fictional counter-terrorist organization, set in a sort of cyberpunk world. The idea of cyberpunk itself is an interesting look at hybridity as it combines the high tech world of cybernetics and information technology and 'low life' especially in regards to 'punk' as those looking towards a change in social order. The setting as I am imagining it immediately reminded me of the film PUSH that came out in 2009. Although it is an American movie, it is set in Hong Kong (which of course is not Japan, but I feel that Hong Kong as a city has borrowed from manga, anime and elements of Japanese culture). The film, in my opinion, had a very hybrid-anime type feel, in terms of the way it was shot and the way in which it showcased the city as another character in the story.

On the topic of hybridity, I think that manga culture lends itself very well to the idea: Manga-->anime series--> films--> novels--> video games. This is a great segue to discuss Manga and Anime as a business. Clearly, over the years it has become a viable part of the world market, being that it is a billion dollar industry, extending its influence not only over Asia but to the West and beyond.

As a tween, I remember absolutely loving Sailor Moon (in fact, and I probably shouldn't be sharing this, but I still know the theme song). It definitely had that element of cute that Japanese pop culture is known for that I think is very appealing and easily marketed to the pre-teen age group anywhere, which is why it was so successful in the U.S.

I also remember spending my summers in Libya as a child and young teenager, and I remember my cousins all being obsessed with Captain Majid, which was clearly a Japanese import. In this globalized society, it is clear that Japanese pop culture has an element that makes it successful around the world, not just in Asia and youth culture in the states. Although soccer is a major staple in Arab pop and youth culture, the way it was done originally was as a video game [Captain Tsubasa (Famicon)] and then adapted into a television show. Its popularity was so immense in the Middle East that it was bootlegged and dubbed in Arabic.

This brings me to post-pop in the US and artists like Jeff Koons, and recording artists like Gwen Stefani who are clearly influenced by Japanese pop culture in their own work. We are consuming it at times without direct realization (although this is not the case with Stefani), it's become the dominant post pop art of our time...

The Space Between

I love John Seabrook's ideas on "nobrow" culture. It reminds me of the sort of tenants of a lot of postmodernist ideas, and of course of the pop art movement and into the post pop art movement of street art which redefines and reinterprets meanings, lines, boundaries, etc.

"The brand is the price of your admission to the subculture. The brand is neither quite marketing nor culture; it's the catalyst, the filament of platinum that makes culture and marketing combine."

Additionally, as defined by American culture: high and low brow--> intellectuality vs business

"In the United States, though, people needed highbrow-lowbrow distinctions to do the work that social hierarchy did in less egalitarian countries. Any fat cat could buy a mansion, but not everyone could cultivate a passionate interest in Arnold Schoenberg or John Cage."

"In Nobrow, the challenge that élite institutions such as the major museums face is how to bring commercial culture into the fold--how to keep their repertoire vibrant and solvent and relevant without undermining their moral authority, which used to be based, in part, on keeping the commercial culture out."

"In the changing rooms, which are tastefully designed, the fashion psychopath makes an appearance. Buy it, he whispers. Go ahead. Buy it. You know you want it. Then you can be part of that whole hip-hop thing happening down Broadway, while at the same time being secretly above it all. You'd spend two hundred dollars for a dress shirt, so why not a two-hundred-dollar T-shirt that you'll wear a lot more? It's anti-status as status, another important principle in Nobrow."

I loved that at the end of the day, his Jersey tomatoes from Dean & Deluca might as well have been from the 'low-brow' supermarket...

(This is especially comforting because I hate Dean & Deluca, and every day I walk by I just want to mess up all their perfectly placed produce, and break their duck eggs one by one. Ok, so maybe this is the bitterness talking, but seriously, I hate that place.)

All this talk of high and low and 'no' got me thinking of new ways to interpret or assign meaning to things...in this case, Street Art:

Fashion as Street Art

The Sartorialist : While this may not be what is conventionally seen as street art (graffiti, tagging, etc), The Sartorialist fashion blog takes snapshots (let's keep in mind that photography, and fashion photography are a part of the art world) of both unknown and well-known people on the street and has gained much notoriety in fashion by doing so. The idea of a blog like the Sartorialist as a type of street art may be a stretch as it is not a permanent fixture on the street as much of street art can be, but when I was thinking of this, it got me thinking of O’Doherty’s “Inside the White Cube”. These photographs are snapshots of street culture in multiple places and times that collectively serve as an artistic representation of that occurrence, in this case: fashion in the streets. So could this be classified as street art?

War-HOLLA Back!

The Dandy Warhols Album Cover

Whether or not you like Warhol, which I can't understand why you could dislike such an iconic force that essentially represents much of American culture in the 60s (which was probably one of the most creatively glamorous times in history), you can't deny the mark he has left not only on the art world, but on culture across all categories...

The Dandy Warhols and The Velvet Underground

Aside from the nod they give to Warhol in the name of their band, The Dandy Warhols riff on the album cover artwork Andy Warhol did for The Velvet Underground in their own album art. Interestingly enough, the band cites The Velvet Underground as one of their musical influences…a dose of postmodernism perhaps?

Lady Gaga

I am sure you are all thoroughly sick of my posts on Lady Gaga, and I have been told by colleagues that the idea of Lady Gaga being a force in art made them nauseous...but I don't care. I found a quote from her from some time ago that might respond to this notion in a very Warholian way...

She says, "The Fame [her album] is about how anyone can feel famous. Pop culture is art. It doesn’t make you cool to hate pop culture, so I embraced it and you hear it all over The Fame. But, it’s a sharable fame. I want to invite you all to the party. I want people to feel a part of this lifestyle."

She's inviting everyone to the party. If you're not sold on that point, keep in mind that there is a category called Performance Art, which clearly has her name stamped all over.

Around the globe...

Just to add to the discussion that Warhol is in fact an international icon, I just read an article that there are plans to open a Warhol museum in the United Arab Emirates. I find it interesting that the UAE, which is definitely more conservative than Western culture still sees the appeal in Warhol's work, which goes back to my original question...How can you really dislike Warhol? (just my opinion, of course!)

Pop Art in Consumer Culture: Roy Lichtenstein

Roy Lichtenstein’s images may be some of the most recognized apart from Andy Warhol’s in the pop art movement. In 1961 Lichtenstein began his first Pop paintings using cartoon images and techniques derived from the appearance of commercial printing. This phase would continue to 1965 and included the use of advertising imagery suggesting consumerism and homemaking. Rather than attempt to reproduce his subjects, his work tackled the way mass media portrays them. Lichtenstein would never take himself too seriously however: "I think my work is different from comic strips- but I wouldn't call it transformation; I don't think that whatever is meant by it is important to art". (From Wikipedia)

Kiehl’s

I was in Los Angeles a couple weeks ago and I noticed this window display (and took a picture with my handy iphone) at the Kiehl’s store and thought, Lichtenstein (like Warhol) might actually not mind this. I saw that the same display at the store in Georgetown, so it is clearly a campaign they are doing. This prompted me to check out their website where they have set up the entire Lichtenstein branding experience, complete with an interactive comic strip that you can create!

The Sneaker

The Nike Vandal: Lichtenstein edition. The Vandal is part of a Pop Art Pack made by Nike. They feature benday dots and comic-like “Pop Art” illustrations on the back panel that are used throughout the work of legendary pop artist Roy Lichtenstein. Even the famous shoe brand has gotten in on the action, which seems one of the more unlikely pairings, but actually works out very nicely.

School Supplies?

The Homey Lichtenstein pen commemorates an American icon, Homer Simpson, in the Ben-Day dot style of Pop Art icon, Roy Lichtenstein. The Simpsons as cartoon characters themselves have such a huge stamp on American pop culture that this partnership is almost seamless. Also, if any of you remember Saved by the Bell, Screech and many of the other kids carried around folders with many of Lichtenstein’s famous images, most notably the “girl with hair ribbon”.

American Gothic

We've all heard the phrase, "a picture is worth a thousand words"...

Most of us will recognize this image in some way, maybe not as 'American Gothic', a painting by Grant Wood from 1930. Some may reference it as 'The farmer and his wife' or recognize the image from some type of popular culture reference. This is a great example of intertextuality because we all interpret and digest the same image in different ways, based on our knowledge of other images, texts, films, etc that contextualize this meaning for us. "Every text (and we can insert any cultural object here: image, film, Web content, musical composition) is a mosaic of references to other texts, genres, and discourses"(Irvine).

The writer, The reader, Exterior texts...

Grant Wood was obviously expressing an idea in his art, as is the goal of an artist (usually), and his famous painting is quickly associated with American identity and all that is ideal and Midwest. Kristeva would argue that there are undoubtedly 'texts' and narratives that influenced Wood's painting, following the postmodernist model that nothing can be entirely original. NPR interviewed Thomas Hoving, who has written a biography on "American Gothic": the story behind the painting (if you will). Wilson's Music Man was the forum for the beginning of the parodies, that continue into today, with political, popular, and artistic themes alike. As Chandler concludes in Semiotics for Beginners, intertextuality presents a new paradigm in which art imitates art. And in fact, many artists have done their own versions, as well as artists in music (the Smashing Pumpkins have an EP titled American Gothic) and other categories have drawn influence.

I thought of a couple other things while reading everyone's posts. The current vampire craze reminded me of how Stephenie Meyer (the author of the Twilight Saga) revealed that each of the novels in the series was inspired by one of her favorite classics, and in reading the books, you definitely get a sense of this. For example, Twilight was inspired by Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, New Moon drew upon Romeo and Juliet, Eclipse was influenced by Bronte's Wuthering Heights, and Breaking Dawn follows Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice and A Midsummer Night's Dream. This is a great very recent example of the inevitability of intertextuality (especially since it is text-based), and this is of course in addition to the influence of traditional romantic vampire narratives.