Contemporary Photograph from Painting
Diary Entry:
This project was done digitally, so I had no occasion to work in the dark room. The process went smoothly, and taking pictures wasn't hard except for getting the right lighting. The picture was taken inside at night with a bright artificial light, instead of during the day in front of a bright window like I had planned. This was no problem because I could easily adjust both contrast and brightness using Photoshop. I learned how to manipulate my picture with different applications like curves, filters, saturation, etc. I also used the burning, dodging, and color picking tools to adjust the colors in the picture the way I wanted them. I like the apparently "messy" parts of the picture, where the added effects can be seen, because they make the photograph look more like a painting, which was the object of the project.
Theory Notes:
Composition of the painting:
"Young Girl Reading" by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, a French painter of the 18th century. He was part of the French "rococo" era, which came after the baroque style, with the reign of Louis XV. The style of this era can be described as "light, elaborate and decorative" (http://www.artcyclopedia.com).
In his painting, the girl seems to be glowing. This is caused by the light gently flooding her face and clothes. It puts her in the center of attention, and immediately brings the viewer's eye to it. The colors are soft, and this fits with the light mood of the era. The flowing material, curling ribbons, plump pillows, and ruffles add detail and interest. This is very much part of the artist's style, which is characterised by "sensual" strokes that communicate his pleasure of painting and his great mastery of it. The dark background serves as somewhat of a border to the subject, and frames it with at touch of added contrast which enhances the whole. The grace shown by the posture, hand, clothes, and hair demonstrate an elegance which can only be represented by a high-standing girl, and the reader gets this impression. The colors overall reflect the decorative and light mood imposed by the era, and the warmth and brightness of the yellow seem to represent the girl's youth or bright character. One can imagine a window facing opposite her, with rays of sunlight from a sunset or dawn streaming in. Overall, the piece is very balanced: the girl is centered, and the darkness above her and to the left are complemented by teh lighter pillow area in the bottom and right.
Contemporary Version:
For this print, I wanted the photograph to look like a more contemporary version of Fragonard's painting. I used a scarf in place of the ornate collar that the girl wears, and my model wore a monochrome shirt just like the painting's subject. I then added a bow in her hair, a more modern version of a simple ribbon. I added necklaces and ribbon hanging from her neck to decorate and add to the "busy" part of the picture below her collar. I kept the idea of pillows behind her back, but chose a modern print to add contemporaneity.
print 1:
Image Bank:
http://www.stephendean.com/
"Untitled" by Roy Weinstein.
The little boy in this image reminds me of my brother. I like the different colors, which create a striking contrast which is pleasing and at the same time very interesting. The colors are plain, and the simplicity of the painting adds to its value. You can see that the artist has first taken a photograph, and then used different techniques to paint a replica of it, adding more style and color.
About Roy Weinstein:
Roy Weinstein is a photographer who also makes paintings from photographs.
He has worked in the areas of newsphotography, fashion, portrait, still life, and fine art, and is a member of the National Press Photographers. He has tried to expand his ideas and work with new tachniques, as you can see from the image above.
"A former Graphic Artist, Roy believes a good photographer must synthenize all the elements surrounding the subject. The result in Roy's case is a true marriage of art and technology" (http://www.photographerusa.com). His images have been published in many different magazines and newspapers throughout the years.
http://www.stephendean.com/
"Target" by Stephen Dean.
I chose this picture because it is a photograph that looks like a painting. I like the patterns that are created by all the different colors, and the photograph definitely attracts a lot of attention.
About Stephen Dean:
This artist is knows for turning everyday objects into beautiful artwork. He was born in Paris in 1968 and now lives and works in New York and Paris. He experiments with recycled objects, newspapers, and many other things to create different compositions, and his photographs often look like they have been painted.
This project was done digitally, so I had no occasion to work in the dark room. The process went smoothly, and taking pictures wasn't hard except for getting the right lighting. The picture was taken inside at night with a bright artificial light, instead of during the day in front of a bright window like I had planned. This was no problem because I could easily adjust both contrast and brightness using Photoshop. I learned how to manipulate my picture with different applications like curves, filters, saturation, etc. I also used the burning, dodging, and color picking tools to adjust the colors in the picture the way I wanted them. I like the apparently "messy" parts of the picture, where the added effects can be seen, because they make the photograph look more like a painting, which was the object of the project.
Theory Notes:
Composition of the painting:
"Young Girl Reading" by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, a French painter of the 18th century. He was part of the French "rococo" era, which came after the baroque style, with the reign of Louis XV. The style of this era can be described as "light, elaborate and decorative" (http://www.artcyclopedia.com).
In his painting, the girl seems to be glowing. This is caused by the light gently flooding her face and clothes. It puts her in the center of attention, and immediately brings the viewer's eye to it. The colors are soft, and this fits with the light mood of the era. The flowing material, curling ribbons, plump pillows, and ruffles add detail and interest. This is very much part of the artist's style, which is characterised by "sensual" strokes that communicate his pleasure of painting and his great mastery of it. The dark background serves as somewhat of a border to the subject, and frames it with at touch of added contrast which enhances the whole. The grace shown by the posture, hand, clothes, and hair demonstrate an elegance which can only be represented by a high-standing girl, and the reader gets this impression. The colors overall reflect the decorative and light mood imposed by the era, and the warmth and brightness of the yellow seem to represent the girl's youth or bright character. One can imagine a window facing opposite her, with rays of sunlight from a sunset or dawn streaming in. Overall, the piece is very balanced: the girl is centered, and the darkness above her and to the left are complemented by teh lighter pillow area in the bottom and right.
Contemporary Version:
For this print, I wanted the photograph to look like a more contemporary version of Fragonard's painting. I used a scarf in place of the ornate collar that the girl wears, and my model wore a monochrome shirt just like the painting's subject. I then added a bow in her hair, a more modern version of a simple ribbon. I added necklaces and ribbon hanging from her neck to decorate and add to the "busy" part of the picture below her collar. I kept the idea of pillows behind her back, but chose a modern print to add contemporaneity.
print 1:
Image Bank:
http://www.stephendean.com/"Untitled" by Roy Weinstein.
The little boy in this image reminds me of my brother. I like the different colors, which create a striking contrast which is pleasing and at the same time very interesting. The colors are plain, and the simplicity of the painting adds to its value. You can see that the artist has first taken a photograph, and then used different techniques to paint a replica of it, adding more style and color.
About Roy Weinstein:
Roy Weinstein is a photographer who also makes paintings from photographs.
He has worked in the areas of newsphotography, fashion, portrait, still life, and fine art, and is a member of the National Press Photographers. He has tried to expand his ideas and work with new tachniques, as you can see from the image above.
"A former Graphic Artist, Roy believes a good photographer must synthenize all the elements surrounding the subject. The result in Roy's case is a true marriage of art and technology" (http://www.photographerusa.com). His images have been published in many different magazines and newspapers throughout the years.
http://www.stephendean.com/"Target" by Stephen Dean.
I chose this picture because it is a photograph that looks like a painting. I like the patterns that are created by all the different colors, and the photograph definitely attracts a lot of attention.
About Stephen Dean:
This artist is knows for turning everyday objects into beautiful artwork. He was born in Paris in 1968 and now lives and works in New York and Paris. He experiments with recycled objects, newspapers, and many other things to create different compositions, and his photographs often look like they have been painted.
