Two Artists Whose Work Addresses Identity
Assessment Task III: Major Essay
Laura Sanders
Word Count: 1,235
In this essay I will investigate, explore and interpret a piece of work from each of the two artists that addresses the theme of identity. My two chosen artists are award winner photographer and director Andrew Zuckerman and New York Fashion photographer Christian Witkin. They are both similar in style, specialising in mainly studio portraits, however their work is very diverse. I hope to discover the ideas behind each photographer’s work and what they are trying to represent and express identity to the viewer.
Photographer Andrew Zuckerman is worldwide known for his unusual yet effective photography and documentary project, “Wisdom”, where he uses celebrities as his subjects and places them against a pure white background. From this series I selected this photograph of actress Judy Dench because it is iconic and distinctively recognisable as a Zuckerman photograph.
The “Wisdom” project provokes ideas and thoughts on the subject of age. Zuckerman uses well known elder celebrities to perceive what they believe to be wisdom. This is much more intriguing to the viewer than the perception being told by an ordinary citizen. This is because they are easy to identify due to our fame knowledge and celebrity obsessed culture. In a short film “Making Of” “Wisdom” Andrew Zuckerman admitted that he is a younger generation and it was a rare experience to meet these people that have had such fulfilling and interesting lives, “…I saw myself as a servant in the pursuit of wisdom”[1].
I found this “Wisdom” project so fascinating since these Celebrities discuss what they believe to be wisdom, but also discuss their identity. “…we knew we weren’t interested in professional achievements or humanitarian achievements, it was about life achievements and how they have been family people, and how they have been friends, and how they have been lovers, and how they have been artists and teachers and all of these different things that we sort of get to experience and all these different roles we get to experience throughout our life” Andrew Zuckerman1. It was a chance to hear ideas and thoughts from celebrities that may not have usually been considered, but are in fact insightful, beneficial and helpful. This touches and plays with the idea that younger generations should respect and listen to our elders as they are wiser having lived and experienced so much. “No one can teach me who I am, you can describe parts of me but who I am and what I need these are things I have to find out for myself” Chinua Achebe1.
Andrew Zuckerman’s style of studio photography may not be unique, used constantly by amateur and professional photographers, but is so polished, consistent and effective it is what makes these photographs so powerful and thought provoking. Using straight forward clean, bright lighting and white background is perfect for portrait photography focusing purely on the subject. “I’m most interested in how you can get closest to the actual subject. And not the subject in relation to its environment but the subject itself…we are not seeing the prime minister against his great wall of books and the artists in the studio surrounded by his paintings…When you neutralise the environment and when you democratise the environment the viewer is more able to easily understand, and more easily see the essence of these people…” Andrew Zuckerman1. It is also a useful tool when capturing personal detail of the subject, especially when they are older such as the photograph of Judy Dench. “I need that much light because I want to reveal the subject’s face; I want something that opens everything up. By revealing of the hills and valleys of the face, we actually get a closer view” Andrew Zuckerman1. Whereas some may find the view of age frightening or distasteful, the way Zuckman captures his subjects like Judy Dench, it somehow becomes beautiful. “I always thought that a person’s face is a kind of road map of the life they have lived. If you have laughed your whole life you have laugh lines, if you have frowned your whole life you have furrows in your brow. Sometimes you have both” Chuck Close1. What I find most amazing is that I can look at the eyes of Judy Dench and see a sparkle of life and identity in them which usually cannot be captured in just a photograph. I believe that is what Andrew Zuckerman wanted to show and express to the viewer. Age is wisdom, wisdom comes with living, living and experiencing is identity.
Photographer Christian Witkin produces rich, appealing images that are much more commercially viable. His immense passion for photography also becomes his own identity, “…I felt not just the desire, but the need to make images…to me there is nothing more engaging, more captivating than an inspired image”[2].
Primarily a fashion photographer, it is unusual to see his subjects in a non catwalk state. This photograph of celebrity Gary Sinise in 2001 from a selection called “Familiar Faces”, expresses a depth that is not often shown on screen. “Sometimes the moment is the vulnerability of a confident person, or the confidence of a vulnerable person. Or maybe it’s an instant where all the layers are peeled back” Christian Witkin2. Even though this photograph of Gary Sinise is appealing to the eye, consisting of a warmer green background with Sinise’s dark coloured clothes stand out from it, there is something much more seductive about it. Frozen in that moment, we are drawn in to analyse the photograph more and see his identity. “When I’m photographing someone, it’s like everything else disappears. I’m looking for that something, for that moment where everything comes together. The light, the composition, the emotion. It’s like everything synchronizes, and it’s just me and my subject”. Christian Witkin2.
Witkin’s portrait style has changed the perceptions of celebrity’s identities. Instead of ecstatically appealing photographs used purely as a marketing tool, Witkin produces a much more profound meaning to the images. His style does not just reveal the celebrities hidden identities, but also in fact shows his own. “It’s not just about beauty for me, it’s about truth. It’s about discovering the thing that makes us human”. Christian Witkin2.
I have investigated and explored two photographer’s ideas on identity. For Andrew Zuckerman identity was age and wisdom. Using a white background and removing any object that could influence or distract our attention from the subject. We focus on their face, not their environment or shared knowledge for what we know they are famous for. Zuckerman did not hide wrinkles or details in the face that commonly are not seen as ecstatically appealing, he instead over stresses it. It shows thier identity more than just words could, i.e. “laughter lines”. Seeing celebrities like Judy Dench un-edited is much more personal, like we are viewing them properly for the first time in crystal clear vision.
For Christian Witkin identity was capturing the subject in the moment where the layers were peeled back. The photograph is not about beauty, it is about the person, and about “truth”.
In the discovery of these celebrity’s identities, we also see the identity of the two photographers. Their style, hard work, ideas and thoughts provides us with that unusual pleasure and insight. In my opinion these are not just photographs of celebrities, these are photographs of real people granted us with the extraordinary experience of seeing their true selves, their true identities.
Bibliography:
Books:
Melcher Media Individuals: Portraits from the Gap Collection
Published 16 October 2006, Page 207
Andrew Zuckerman Wisdom: 50 Unique and Original Portraits
Published 26 September 2008, Page 62 and 63
Websites:
Andrew Zuckerman, “Making Of” “How It Was Made” short film
Christian Witkin “Reel” short film
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