Art Portfolio ONE Research Posts. Sally Mann

In this week we have to considering what is relevant in artist work and our project. In This time I will be considering about Sally Mann work. This totally famous an controversial photographer have a large number greatest pictures. She is American photographer born in 1951. Usually she photographing a her children in nature environmental wealth of visuals ― either with gothic moodiness. Many times she also photographic a naked children which leads to controversial people opinions and problems in family. To make it a photos she using a mobile studio "Suburban" equipped in darkroom. ,,There are so many things at work in Mann’s children’s portraits: the echoing of her own unusual, expressive childhood, of the mother observing her child, of the artist making pictures in her home (the “enormous discrepancies”), of the mother trying to find a way to be a mother and a photographer, of the children’s willingness to model (to become art themselves), to be surprised, of the pleasure in simply allowing life to unfold and having the mastery to capture evanescence. To understand that if we love, we must love everything, the flaws and the perfection, the blood and the urine, the rhinestones and the roller skates; the disturbing and the pure''(Whitney, 2022). She brought a camera in 1973 8*10 inch and through many years she use that equipment. Ms. Mann experimented with her camera , she fitting vintage faulty lens to create light , creaks, flares and different unforeseen effects. For some shoots she was use a high contrast film to maximal-ize a bright and darkness light what she called the ,, radical light of  American South''. In some images she use a nine tench - century technique negatives on glass to achieve a expressive effect.

According to Mann (n.d.) states that "To be able to take my pictures, I have to look, all the time, at the people and places I care about. And I must do so with both ardor and cool appraisal, with the passions of eye and heart, but in that ardent heart there must also be a splinter of ice."

She make a photography that what she loves which leads to perfect pictures. She want catch that early moment her children which one during the time moving away. Therefore I was choose that artist and picture because I am as well trying catch transient moments in my pictures; that is relevant.

                                At Warm Springs' from Mann's controversial series Immediate Family
On this from 1991 picture above is her daughter with close eyes and head floating above the water surface, her curly locks resting on the to of the water Medusa-like or saint-like, whichever you prefer. She floating in white circle what could be her fabric dress rising together with water. Image focus on the child in the water imitate a death pose in black/white.

Moreover we can see in this picture all action happens in the centre light coming from the front and top probably shining on her hairs also. We can see her hand floating limply on the water surface what can imitate a death by drowning. The most lightly spot is that centre circle imitating ballet dress, all rest surrendering area is dark and mysterious. She use probably lens 300mm , 12 ''. Face have correctly sharpness but on the hair and water surface we cant said this same thy why I thing aperture could be f/16 because also in this types of camera 8*10 (old) they used that. If we spoke about shutter speed I think could be 1/60sec. ISO 400 or more. All that picture is inspired and controversial but used old techniques we have revelation result here. She was considering on the children and not typical environmental.

References:

 

 

The Art Story. (n.d.). Sally Mann Paintings, Bio, Ideas. [online] Available at: https://www.theartstory.org/artist/mann-sally/.

 

Kent, S. (2010). Sally Mann: The Family and the Land, Photographers’ Gallery. [online] theartsdesk.com. Available at: https://theartsdesk.com/visual-arts/sally-mann-family-and-land-photographers-gallery [Accessed 15 Feb. 2024].

 

Whitney, O. (2022). What Sally Mann’s Work Says About Art and Motherhood. [online] Literary Hub. Available at: https://lithub.com/what-sally-manns-work-says-about-art-and-motherhood/.