Period 1 -- Critical Analysis #11

1/11/2017

For your first critical analysis of 2017, you are going to read this New York Times article about artist Nicholas Nixon and his project titled The Brown Sisters. For 40 years, Nixon photographed his wife and her 3 sisters, always in the same order.

WIthin the article, you can see all 40 years worth of images of the Brown sisters. Read the article, study the images, and write a 4 paragraph (5 sentences minimum) response to the series of photographs and text. This response should be your opinion—describe what you think about the entire series of images Nixon has made. Also, bear in mind that even though you are responding to a photographic series, you may still treat this in the same way that you would anayze a single photograph:

Describe what you see.
Describe the formal qualities of the work (composition, line, light, etc).
Describe the content (what themes do you see in this series?).
Evaluate the series. Do you think it is successful? Why or why not?

Here are some things to consider as you respond:

Why would Nixon choose to photograph his wife and her sisters for 40 years?
Why would the sisters agree to be photographed for this long?
How is photography a useful medium to depict the passage of time, as opposed to another medium such as painting?

Your analysis will be graded on your depth of organization and evaluation of the content, as well as grammar/punctuation.

Good luck!

Preslee Vanlandingham link

1/11/2017 06:22:59 am

This image is of a family of sisters that were photographed periodically over 40 years. Its in black and white and is shot in some sort of field. The image is correctly exposed and has a shallow depth of field so only the four people present in the image are focused. The color is correct and the people have nice resolution and the background seems pixelated because it is blurred out. Its pleasing to look at because there is no interruptions while looking at the image.
The taller ones are on the left and right while the shorter people are in the middle which was probably intentionally done by the photographer. The rule of thirds is being used because nothing is directly entered in the photograph. The point of view is as if you were looking at the four of them straight-on. The focal point is all four of them although they aren't framed by anything. How they're positioned and the pattern of their shirts direct someone throughout the image.
The image is balanced and fairly symmetrical. The subjects fill the entire frame. The frame crops off more details of their field they are in. The positive space are the subjects and the negative is the background. Some themes and ideas that can be created in the image is a feeling of sisterhood and close ties. The photographer creates the story through the series that this photograph was in.
The series includes the subjects' lives being photographed for 40 years. It shows how the subjects' change and how they age with time. I like it because its genuinely interesting to see something like aging documented. The concept of the series is successful.

Preslee Vanlandingham link

1/11/2017 06:36:41 am

The series of the Brown sisters have had the same image quality every for over 40 years. They are all black and white with similar facial expressions. Over the years, the only thing that begins to differ is the how one sister is positioned towards another. The backgrounds always are decided to look more insignificant next to the subjects, who fill the frame almost entirely. It has fascinated viewers ever since it was publicly displayed due to its change in appearance and the messages beneath their expressions and stances.

Alexis Parsons

1/11/2017 06:26:10 am

i think Nixon photographed his wife and sisters ever the years so he could remember the change and see how everyone changed.i think he considered the three sisters as his own and wanted to do something for the whole family. Nixon thought it would be a good idea to duo this and thus continued it for 40 years.
i think the sisters were ok with it because it is a good experience. they probably thought it would be cool to see the change and see i from a different perspective.they probably thought it would be a good family experience and would bring them together for sure every year.
the pictures appear old. you can see the sisters getting older picture by picture.it is really cool to see the time difference from the first to last picture. these photos probably brought the sisters back together and kept them closer than most families are.
Nixon and the sisters probably got a long really well. after each photo the sister would probably see each other for a few days. they all look really happy in the photos. i like how they are all the same lineup. you can tell which sister is which.

Ethan Austin link

1/11/2017 06:28:07 am

This image comes from a series of images shot by Nicholas Nixon. The series includes his wife and her three sisters as they age over a 40 year time period. Nixon would take the four sisters and line them up the same way once every year for 40 ears. Every photo from 1975 to 2014 is in black and white. In this particular photo from 1988, the four sisters are standing side by side in front of what seems to be an open field in front of a line of trees.
The camera is centered in between the four women. The image was taken with a shallow depth of field meaning that Nixon used a larger f-stop for a smaller aperture. You can tell this by noticing the women that are in focus in the foreground and the out of focus tree-line in the background. The color is in black and white and all of the colors register and have tone for the most part. Thus, the picture is correctly exposed. The resolution is adequate for an older photograph as there is little to no pixelation at all.
The image is composed with the four women standing very closely together. The rule of thirds, I would say, is not being used because of the subject being centered across the entire width of the photo using a shallow depth of field. There is some space above their heads where the sky is and some between the first two women. However, the subjects fill the majority of the frame well. There are lines from the background that run horizontally. The important lines are the lines of the body. These vertical lines draw our attention to the faces of the women. These compositional functions of the photo go for the majority of the photos in the series.
The series theme involves the evolution of time and age. Through this series, Nixon was able to capture time and age over a period of 40 years. The message of the series and its photos however I think are up for individual interpretation. To me, the series tells the lesson about family. It says that family is forever and the love for our family members will never die out.

Zachary Perkins

1/11/2017 06:29:30 am

In the series of photos, there are sisters that have been taken a photo of for each year. These photos are taken either indoors or outdoors by the photographer. The first photo was taken in 1975 and the latest one was taken in 2014. What is happening in these photos is a wife and her three sisters are taken a picture and they repeat that for each year. This is a way to show sisterhood because they all grew up together and are united again.
Each photo is perfectly exposed. As well as they are all in focus. There is no pixelation in the photos. Most of the photos are in black and white meaning they are color correct. Overall the photos are great quality photos.
The main ideas that I see in these photos are sisterhood and reuniting. The story that is told in each of these photos is that these sisters have grown up together and created this major bond together. Every year they reunite to take a picture as one to show their sisterhood. Its really interesting that they are willing to take a photo every year, but if they are really pationate about their relationship, then I can see how they are able to do it. For forty years of taking photos, it seems that this is a major sisterhood.
Photography is a useful medium to depict the passage of time because its much easier and quicker than other alternatives. Paintings are another great medium, but its a really long process to paint something. Unlike photos all it takes is a snap and the photo is taken. This series of photos are really interesting and fascinating to me. Because of them living together and creating that sisterhood, they are able to accomplish this project and keep this relationship for life.

William Oliver

1/11/2017 06:33:23 am

Nixon decides to take pictures of his wife sisters for 40 years to try and depict what age looks like. I think he sees this as an opportunity to not just show age but to be able to show how they change is posture and attitude in the pictures. Nixon could've just take pictures of several different people over time but I think the sisterly part has something o do with it as well. This is a very different way than other people have tried to portray age by just taking a sing picture or an old worn out man and a picture of a young child and putting them next to each other. 40 years is a long time and I think Nixon realized if he was going to portray aging then he had to do the same people over many years.

I have no idea why the sisters would agree to be photographed for this long. We do not know if they had something to do with this project or were just the models. For all we know the sisters could have just seen this as a way to get a family picture each and every year. Nixon keeps their personal information secret so we do not get to know why the sisters would agree to this. What we get is a series of pictures taken every year with four sisters. I could compare that to the annual generation picture i take with my family on christmas.

In photography you can see the persons direct expression and it feels like you are looking through a window. With paintings you can see that they are fake and it doesn't feel like you are present in the time. Photography makes us feel like we are with the people as they age and grow old together. Paintings have a feeling of being fake that photographs like these Nixon took don't have. Paintings of a person you imagine to to be painted once at your peak while photographs are a daily occurrence for our generation. Overall photography is a better medium because it feels like you are present and you can watch them age.

Overall I do not enjoy looking at this series. We can see the sisters age and we all know it is going to happen. You begin as a baby and age until you die so it is therefore the only constant we have as it intertwines with death. Nixon just took a picture of a constant as I see and I do not think it is enjoyable to look at. We know it is going to happen. We know as we age our independence will probably fade away and so his pictures do not surprise me. I mostly do not like this project because it is of a constant and we know what is going to happen over time.

Grant Kahl

1/11/2017 06:35:23 am

i believe that nixon chose to photograph the same subjects for 40 years to show how precious time is. nothing effects humans more than time, it takes all, gives all, and controls all. Nixon photographic the same women year after year can show the viewer how precious time is. The aging int their faces, the look in the women's eye all show how time effects all people.

i think initially the sister agreed to be photographed because they were family and who can say no to a family photo. however over time the photos became something more than just photos. year after year the photos were more important to the sisters because it became a tradition.

photographs shows the passage time much better than paintings due to its detail and the emotional effects that photos can have. the images taken by nixon year after year truly show the effects of time on people. rather than seeing a paint portraying age the photos actually show the effects of time.

over all the photos taken by nixon are constant throughout the years. all of them are correctly exposed and have the same black and white look with them. i think the consistency of the photographs helps the viewer see only the differences in the people and not focus on the looks of the photo. over the past 40 years a lot has changed and yet these photos somehow remain constant. i like this wok a lot and i feel like it had a deeper meaning that has a deep message.

Simon Bruhn

1/11/2017 06:35:39 am

The project The Brown Sisters by Nicholas Nixon depicts the 4 brown sisters side by side each year since 1975. Nixon probably started the first image just as a sort of family portrait but he probably got the ida to do it each year because he wanted to display the passage of time in photos that only display a split second, each. The sisters probably have agreed to have their photos taken because it is now a tradition, and because now it is expected of them. Photography is useful to display the tradition and the change in time because it is not subject to the photographers interpretation like painting is. The photo shows what it sees,and the painting cannot manipulate the physical appearance.

Each image depicts the four sisters side by side, and each has a simple background, so that only the sisters only objects you can focus on. Each image is black and white , and each one uses natural lighting. This helps to increase the feeling of a relaxed, somewhat spur of the moment portrait. The black and white also makes the images very easy to look at. In each image no motion is occurring, though they may be in a different position (standing, sitting, etc.).

Each image is pleasing to look at, and they are all different enough that the photos are not boring to look at. This is not because of the rule of thirds though, because it is not used. The images are taken from the subjects eye level. the images are also balanced, and usually they take up the large majority of the image. The negative space that does exist always at the top of the image.

All of the images are nice to look at, though personally I like the later images (1999 and onward), with my favorite being 2011. This is because though they have a bit of a heroic position, because of their age and expression it does not seem tacky but more bittersweet. Overall, though, the images are nice to look at. One of the least interesting reasons I like to look at the images is just to see what kind of clothes people wore during the different time periods, because the sisters wear pretty typical clothes. one of mu critiques, though, is that some of the positions look like they are from a band’s album cover. however, like a band’s picture, the images are surprisingly authentic.

Kyle Meister

1/11/2017 06:35:55 am

In the image four sisters. One picture taken every year for 40 years. The choice for taking these photos can be any possibility. But i believe the reason for taking these photos is to show the age difference in every picture. Every year the sisters look to be aging in every picture.

The reason is to show difference in age and personality. From each picture it is shown by body language and face expression difference. The first couple of photos show independence. At the end of the series the sisters look to show collaboration or a grow in sisters bonding.

By this i mean, in earlier photos the girls are spaced from each other, their arms crossed. In the last couple images of the series, the girls are closer, with their arms crosse round each other. This shows that girls grow in their relationship with one another.

I think the reason they agreed to be taken pictures of is because the sisters could see how the grow and age. They can see their personality change through the image. Pictures show detail and detail can show expressions which show personally. I personally think the sisters really liked what Nixon did. I really like the series. Its not just another picture but shows a lot more beyond what is displayed but what is portrayed. I like the last couple of images in the series because its shows how the sisters grow their relationship.

Olivia Iskander

1/11/2017 06:37:59 am

In the Article The Brown Sisters in The New York times article, Nixon photographs his wife and her 3 sisters always in the same order. At first it was just a picture, but then he decided to experiment with it. He asked them if he could take a picture of them every year in the same order. Nixon probably chose to photograph dos wife and her sisters for 40 years because he wanted to show that every human ages. In the article it states, he didn’t ask them to wear certain clothes or do certain poses because they weren’t his “models” but instead beautiful photographs.

When asked if the sisters would try and become part of his new project they simply said they would try it out. They had no idea what they were getting themselves into and probably never imagines it would last 40 years. The sisters agreed to be his photographer for so long for a couple of reasons. The first was they weren’t bothered by the idea and time does truly fly so it probably went by quickly. The second thing I can think of is they were engaged in his project and enjoyed watching themselves grow old.

In the picture shown above on the critical analysis page of the sisters you can see the year is 1988 and they’re in Wellesley, Mass. This is the 14th of the 40 pictures they would’ve taken and they look happy as can be. One of the main things that Nixon does that I absolutely love is he makes the image black and white to wear you can’t really see their impurities or whether they’re wearing makeup or not. In the background of this picture you see a hill and some hills which brings serenity to the picture. And lastly the way they’re gripping each others arms and hugging shows they’re affection in the picture.

Photography is a useful medium as opposed to a medium such as painting in different ways. I wouldn’t necessarily say that photography is better than art but both have their techniques that are special to people. In Photography its a work of art where you get to arrange the object your working with and photograph it in different ways. In art you can paint your heart away in what you imagine or see. Also in photography you can edit the picture you took with photoshop which you can’t really do in art. BUT BOTH AT THE END OF THE DAY HAVE SUCH A SPECIAL UNIQUENESS!

Raven

1/11/2017 06:38:23 am

This project was not intend until the 2nd photo. The first photo was when Nicholas was visiting his wife’s family, when he asked the girls if he could take their picture. Then a year later, at the graduation of one of the sisters he asked them to line up in the same order. After those two images, he asked if they might do it every year. thus began the project.

I think the sister would agree to be photographed for 40 years because one, they really didn’t care, two, they didn’t know it would become such a famous series.

With photography you can easily depict the passing of time. Unlike paintings, don’t get me wrong I love pantings, and many have shown us things we may have never seen if not panted. But with photography the photo can’t lie, if someone paints you, you can look younger or older maybe completely different then when you are painted, all you have to do is ask them.

As Nixon says, “Everyone won’t be here forever”. Throughout the series, you watch the girls age. you see the girls get closer. Honestly this is a very casual series and that is one of the things i like about it. The girls didn’t try to look all pretty they just when as they where.

Patrick Behrens link

1/11/2017 06:38:32 am

Nicholas Nixon photographer his wife and her 3 sisters for 40 years. The level of commitment that went into this project is astounding. Each year another photo is added to the series, and with each year, time takes its toll onto the subject. The viewer has the ability to see the aging process on the four women, and subsequently feels more connected with the women although they know nothing about the women. This connection to complete strangers makes this work extremely successful and is a cause for its noteworthiness.
One might question Nixon’s motives as to why he undertook such a monumental task. Nixon might’ve wanted to record the effects of time and circumstance on the four sisters. Potentially Nixon started the project on a whim stating something along the lines of “why not”. In the New York Times article, the latter reason seems to be the answer. The articles states how Nixon happened to take a photo with the women in a specific order, and the idea fell into his head that they should do this every subsequent year.
The subjects carry a cryptic quality with them. The articles states how the viewers know nothing about the women (other than their first names). We only know that the sisters are fine with being photographed because Nixon states how “They seemed O.K. with it” (and the fact that they stood in the same position 40 different times for 40 different years, that doesn't happen by chance). The brings up the question as to why the sisters agreed to do this. Possibly to document their sisterhood over time? Regardless the fact that the viewer won’t know this information positively contributes deeper meaning to the series.
Overall, the medium of photography proves to be extremely useful to depict the passage of time. We get a clear image of how people change over time, and subsequently can learn multitudes from a simple picture. The fact that the images have the ability to be extremely precise and contain a large amount of detail proves why other mediums (besides video maybe) pales in comparison to photography when documenting time. Photography allows for the capture of a sliver in time, and subsequently allows for an unbiased depiction of the subjects as well; whereas in painting, where the artist can contort the subjects expression. These images prove the successful nature of photography when documenting time.

Julian Gauntlett link

1/11/2017 06:39:18 am

Nicholas Nixon Is a photographer that has caught "The Brown Sisters" every year for 40 years. This series of photos are being to be put in Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. I think it's interesting that he did this and seeing the people age like that is different. In each photo they were placed in the same sequence each year and in black and white so its easy to compare each photo year to year.

I wonder what motivated the sisters each year to get together and agree to do this each year but they surprisingly were ok about it. The photos were not photographed with perfect expressions with gives off the feel that its more realistic. The photos contains four lady's naturally posing and what looks like smiling depending on their mood that day. The photos give off a natural vibe which makes the photo look like your looking outside at them. For each one of the photos they are in a good focus and not overexposed or underexposed. There is no pixilation and the photos are in a adequate resolution.

The series of photos are appealing to look at to look at each one of the sisters age and how each one of them transform and look like a different person. The series of photos are taken with natural light, casual manner, and the look of no preparation. I think the purpose of taking these woman for 40 years is just to see them and how they change each year. To keep memories. The photos are kept real no phoniness, “We just wear what we feel like wearing that day.” This is said by Bebe Nixon so when they look back on these photos it gives off a actual representation of what they looked like and how they dressed at that time and period.

To be totally honest I like how I can see the aging of a series of woman with 40 years and its appealing to see how each one of them change in their own special way. I think this photograph is successful and could be looked on with many years past.

Caden Fincke

1/11/2017 03:49:40 pm

The photographs show four sisters aligned left to right in the same order over 40 years. The sisters hold natural poses and don’t embrace each other much during early images. The images are composed well leaving little empty space and being exposed properly. All of the photos are taken in black and white, which could be a result of the photographer not wanting to have color be a distraction from the women in the image as it could result in less focus being put on the change of time the women represent. The images show themes of dependence and independence as you can see how the women’s dependence on one another changes, and the passage of time and how it affects us as humans can be seen when looking at all the images as a whole.
Nixon most likely chose to photograph wife and her sisters over 40 years to have the ability to reflect on the past. The 40 photos allow for Nixon to create a story of his wife and her sister's life. Nixon is able to represent the passage of time, and how we as humans change over time with these images. The photos allow for relationships between the sisters, their emotions, and styles at certain points in their lives to be revealed. This is not revealed by looking at just a few pictures, but can be seen when looking at all forty photos as a whole.
The story is told by their poses and facial expressions throughout the pictures. This is evident when looking at the first photo and the last photo. In the first photo in 1975 the girls seem very independent as they are not embracing each other, except for the two sisters on the left that are half-hearted in putting their arms around each other. The other two sisters have their arms crossed or their hands in their pockets. This completely contrasts with the last image where the sisters are dependent on one another embracing each other, as they lean on one another.
The sisters probably allowed for Nixon to photograph them as it gives them something to look back on and see how they have changed and their relationships with each other have changed over the years. The sisters are able to see this as a result of the photos being taken naturally, and not having a pre planned wardrobe, poses, or even looking at the camera in some of the photos. They allow for images of their natural self to be taken, so the pictures have more meaning and represent them as they were during that time. Just as the New York Times article says you can see more sorrow in the eyes as they age, but they are not undone by it. We able to see what growing old and enduring life's hardships do to us.
Photography is a very useful tool to depict the passage of time as it allows for a section of time to be frozen still just as it was. Painting usually can only be done with something that is still and not moving for a long time. This does not allow for natural poses or facial expressions as the person or place in the image is picking an emotion or setting that it must sustain. Photos give the artist the ability to capture natural moments of our past that are not fabricated order to obtain the image. I think Nixon does a fantastic job at allowing the sisters to wear what they want and pose as they would like, so that there is a natural progression of change throughout the photos. Nixon’s images show a genuine passage of time that I enjoy and find quite interesting.

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Period 1 -- Critical Analysis #11

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