Period 4 -- Critical Analysis #13

2/9/2018

Today you will be writing about a photograph by artist Lori Nix. This image is from her series titled The City.

Write 4 paragraphs, 5 sentences minimum per paragraph. Remember to post your analysis as a comment to the blog post that corresponds to your class. If you post your analysis to the wrong class's post, it will not be graded.

Remember, refer to your "How to See" handout for analyzing a photograph--

Describe specifics.
Describe form.
Describe the content.
Evaluate the image.

Your analyses will be graded on:

meeting minimum length requirements
depth of organization
evaluation of the content
grammar/punctuation

Before you write, read the artist statement:

I consider myself a faux-landscape photographer. I build meticulously detailed model environments and then photograph the results. Through the photographic process, the fictional scene is transformed into a surreal space, where scale, perspective, and the document of the photograph create a tension between the material reality of the scene and the impossibility of the depicted narrative. In this space, between evidence and plot, the imagination of the viewer is unlocked, engaged, and provoked. I want my scenes to convey rich, complex, detailed, and, ultimately, open-ended narratives.

Several common themes prevail throughout my work: the constructed photograph, the landscape in turmoil, and danger married to humor. I present these elements as the raw materials of stories with messages, but without conclusions.

The photographs I create do not reflect the tradition of the grand idyllic landscape. Rather than showing the beautiful or heroic vista, I look to the darker corners of life. I am interested in the forces of entropy, in the ruins left in the wake of human pretense of grandeur. My scenes are usually devoid of people, and this emptiness becomes an important element. In this way, the impact of civilization is shown by what remains in the absence of humans. Evidence of humans may still be visible, but the cause for their absence is left unclear, allowing the viewer to complete the narrative.

In my current series The City, I focus on the ruins of urban landscapes. I have chosen the spaces that celebrate modern culture, knowledge, and innovation: the theater, the museum, and the library. Here the monuments of civilization and material culture are abandoned, in a state of decay and ruin, with natural elements such as plants, insects, and animals beginning to repopulate the spaces. This idea of paradise lost, or the natural world reclaiming itself, becomes more forceful as we face greater environmental challenges in the world around us.

Dylan Pegg

2/9/2018 10:01:57 am

The scene pictured is of a Chinese Restaurant after humans have disappeared. It uses a dry color pallet. The studio lighting is used to make the restaurant appear more believable. A picture of a Chinese building is hung on the wall in addition to menus. A scooter lays against the wall and rubble and garbage cover the floor.

The photo has an interesting composition and is filled with small details. The shot is taken at would-be head level, if the restaurant was life-size in reality rather than a diorama. A deep depth of field is used so you can see all the details hidden about. Lines are formed by windows and walls, all of which lead to a mysterious door in the center of the photograph. The photo is asymmetrical with one side being a wall with pictures and the other side being a window with rubble dispersed unevenly and the middle door off centered.

The photo attempts to depict a post-apocalyptic chinese restaurant, which it does very successfully. There is not a clear ending, nor is there a defined struggle shown in the picture, yet it still allows the viewer to create their own narrative by simply creating an interesting setting. The image reminds me of just about any post-apocalyptic game, movie, or book you could list off. The artist likely wanted to show what the Earth would become without humans and how nature would reclaim its land. I think the picture is beautiful due to the delicate balance of calmness and chaos, along with the potential for a story.

Overall, I enjoy the photo, but it can only keep my attention for so long. It lacks a clear subject, which I feel makes it a bit weaker, but is revived by the interesting setting. The photograph is successful in its attempt to show a world without humans. However, it does look a little fake which detracts from a sense of reality. The photo is interesting and unique, but it lacks in some areas which make it weaker overall.

Leon Toursarkissian link

2/9/2018 10:03:11 am

This image is of a trashed Chinese restaurant in a post-apocalyptic world, with garbage on the floor and a scooter against the wall. The image is using very warm colors such as red, beige, yellow, and brown to give a very natural feel. The lighting in the image is very neutral, not too bright and not too dark. The objects in the image are, 2 menus, garbage, a door, a scooter, a picture, rails, and a glass wall. In this image it appears that there has been a disaster and this Chinese restaurant has been both abandoned and trashed.

The composition of the image functions pretty well because the light works well with the colors. The rule of thirds is being used because the scooter is on a thirds line. The photographer took the picture at an angle that makes it look like you are inside the restaurant. A sharp depth of field is being used since everything in the image is sharp. There isn’t a true focal point, but the most eye catching object is the scooter, which isn’t framed. The lines in the image are all over the place and don’t lead your eyes anywhere. The image is not symmetrical at all as each side of the image is almost completely different than the other. The subject takes up little room and there is a lot of extra space. The picture crops off randomly at two walls, a ceiling, and the floor. The positive space is the scooter and the negative is everything else.

The theme of the image is that there has been an apocalypse that has wiped out the human race, and the restaurant is completely trashed because of it. The story being told is of the post-apocalyptic world and how everything is in ruins and nature is returning. The artist made the image because they wanted to make something unique. The image reminds me of a Korean Restaurant i went to once in San Francisco which looked similar to this. It does not question any beliefs. I think that the image is interesting because it's set was built on a small scale and to have such an idea is very noteworthy.

I do not like this image mainly because its colors are too warm for my liking, and it seems so cluttered and dirty that it makes me slightly anxious inside. I personally am a fan of cool, calm colors like greens and blues so i tend to not appreciate warm colors. I also do not like that there is so much disorganization in the picture because I am a person that needs organization to avoid stress. I think; however, that this image is successful because it probably took so much time and dedication to make the set for this image, and it was probably not an easy task. I think that the great theme in the image also contributed to its success.

Kaitlyn Evans

2/9/2018 10:03:28 am

This image is of a dirty broken down Chinese restaurant. The colors in this image are dark and light. I think the lighting in this image is studio setup. In this image there is a menu with food on it, a scooter, a painting , and trash and dirt scattered on the floor. In this image there is barely anything happening because the restaurant is broken down and vacant.
The composition is very pleasing to look at because it’s a well balanced image.The photographer took this image at eye level. The photographer took this at a shallow depth of field to capture the tiny restaurant she made by hand. The lines in this image are the walls because the walls directed my eyes towards the middle of the photograph. At the edge of the frame I think there is more floor space and maybe a counter or tables.
The idea of this image is to show what humans can do to the world and how badly we can affect the environment. The photographer is trying to say that we need to be more aware and watch what we’re doing because if we don’t then the world is going to get more and more corrupt everyday. The photographer is trying to make us change the way we treat this world. This image reminds me of downtown San Antonio because there is a lot of old and run down buildings that look exactly like this photograph. I think this image is noteworthy because it shows how powerful humans are.
I really like this image because there is a story behind it. I love how the artists did this all by hand and it shows that they actually put hard work and dedication into their photographs. Its nice that they showed the real world not just the good things but also the bad things that are happening. The photographers were successful i liked how it made me more aware of how the world is. The photographers did amazing details on all the little contraptions.

Melody Umsted

2/9/2018 10:03:44 am

This picture is of a diorama of a Chinese restaurant. It has been abandoned for some time. The floor is dirty, the ceiling falling down, everything is dusty. There are menus and pictures on the walls. There is a blue moped leaning against on of the walls. Apart from this scene being abandoned, it looks outdated.

I don’t think there is a focal point because I think the artist intended for the viewer to see the image as a whole scene, rather than a small piece in a larger setting. The grout lines of the tile flooring and the panels on the walls are leading lines directing the viewer's eyes to the back wall, where is a darker room. The photo is not pleasing to look at because the set is so dirty. There is a deep depth of field because everything is in focus. The image is not symmetrical.

The idea of this work was to depict important areas of the city in a post-apocalyptic world. The artist left humans out of the sets because she was creating a narrative with no end. This was to make the viewer make his or her own interpretation of the piece. In her pieces, she shows nature overcoming human creations. This struggle shows the challenge between humans and nature, and therefore raising environmental awareness.

I do not like this image. It is dirty and old looking. I like the artist’s idea and goal. I like that she creates something to be photographed instead of looking for it while also spreading awareness of a cause important to her. This picture is successful once you read the artist’s statement because one can see nature battling with human developments. This makes one think about how they are hurting nature and will hopefully do something to be friendly to the environment.

Adriana Vazquez

2/9/2018 10:07:06 am

The image is of a abandoned chinese restaurant. The floor has dirt and there is a motorcycle against the wall. There is a picture of a chinese temple hanging on the wall as well as the restaurant menu with pictures of the food. The colors being used are very neutral and dark, I think they are using this colors to show how empty and sad the place is now that there are no humans in it. On the right wall there are what looks like windows and long menu hanging on the wall.

The picture is pleasant to look at because the way that the walls are aligned makes the picture look very interesting and for it to have many angles. The point of view is the menu that is on the center wall and the door. The photographer took this picture from a standing point of view. The edge of the image is cutting off the two walls and the ceiling. The negative place is the floor because all the dirt and mess that is on it. But i think there really isn't any positive space in this picture, the image is of an abandoned place and that makes it somehow sad.

The theme is of how the chinese restaurant looks like after there aren’t any humans anymore. And when the nature and animals are taking over the places where humans used to live or work on. I think the artist purpose was to make us reflect about taking care of the nature that is surrounding us. The image is very interesting because of its main purpose. Ad also how it is made.

I like this image because of the message that is sending.The image is, for me, successful. I think it did achieve to make us reflect about the world and nature that is surrounding us and to appreciate it before we are gone. I think it also achieved the goal for the place to look like it is abandoned.

Catherine Clausewitz

2/9/2018 10:07:45 am

This is a scene of an abandoned chinese restaurant. It looks very run down and like it has been out of business for a while. Everything is covered in a layer of dirt and dust as well as trash everywhere. There are multiple objects in the scene that are the main focus. However, the motor bike stood out the most. It's propped up against a wall and is covered in dirt. It is a royal blue color and has something hanging off the handle bars. Everything in this scene is in focus and it has a feel were there is an endpoint to it like if you were taking a picture standing in the middle of the road.

There menus hanging on the wall. One is hanging on the left wall, menus are taped all of the right wall right next to where you roder and right above the counter where you place your order that have parts that seem t be faded, most likely from sun. There is also a giant picture of some building that takes up almost half of one of the walls. There is what looks to be mirrors on the upper half of the right wall. On the left side the upper half of the walls is painted white. Part of the bottom half on both sides is wood but it then turns to a dark maroon color.

The floor is covered in trash and what looks to leaves and dirt. The mirror and the window are both very foggy and looks like they’re also covered in dirt. The door to what i assume is the kitchen is off its hinges. It looks like it might have been laying on the ground at one point and is missing a handle. The cycling is made up square cycling tiles and square lights every so often. The cycling is falling apart and it looks to be from mold or water damage.

The are many points that have lighting shining on them. There are the lights in the cycling, but there also looks to be another source of light that you can’t see in the frame. Most of the photo has light shining on it, but behind the windows in the very center it is black and you can’t see beyond that room. I think this picture is very unique and there aren’t many photos like it. I wouldn’t hang it in my house because I don’t like how it’s messy looking. I like the image, but I just wouldn't hang it in my house because the mess in the photo would drive me crazy.

Estefan Zorrilla link

2/9/2018 10:11:51 am

This image is of a chinese restaurant that has been clearly destroyed and abandoned. You can still see some remnants of the past like the motorcycle. There are a couple paintings in the wall with some food items like the menu. The walls and the door are run down. There is a lot of dirt in the ground clearly showing that nature is now taking its place in thus. The colors in this photograph are mainly a creamy white with the walls floor and ceiling. It gives it a warm feel like a home or a familiar place. There is sunlight and a bit of shadows as you go all the way down in the hallway.
There is a painting in the wall of a temple or asian structure. I think what is happening in the image is that some survivors are taking refuge from danger from the outside and then they open up a door that was not used for a long time. As they open up the door the light shines and reveals it is a asian restaurant. The photo is pleasing to look at because the composition of it is set nicely. The walls are the same color as the doors farther down and guide you to the middle. The blue scoter does throw my eyes off tho. The phootprgaper took this as a first person view as of the photographer was in the scenario.
There is a shallow depth of field to get the scooter and the decorations and intricate objects around the surface. The lines are the red ones down the hallway leading up to the door. The image is very balanced and symmetrical. The object fills the page and there is no extra space. The frame crops off some of the mirror, wall, floor and dirt. I think some of the ideas surrounding this photograph is being alone and isolation. If something is left alone or isolated for a long time then the place or object will become very worn out and change completely.
I think the story being told in the image is that we have to be more co csuc of our reality and where we stand in the earth because it can all end in a second and could be devastating for us which a asian restaurant could end up like that. This image reminds of the game the last of us, it's a game about how the world ended and you and a little girl have to stay alive in the post apocalyptic world. I really like this image, it reminds me of a lot of things. I have always loved the concept of post apocalyptic world and being alone in it. It's something i find really cool and interesting and it is why i really like this picture.

Julieta Vazquez Martinez

2/9/2018 08:16:04 pm

This image is about a Chinese restaurant. The creator using a warm pallet of colors, from purplish maroon, to light brown, dark blue and lots of white. The set simulates to have different spaces like back, middle and front. In the back is where people usually take the customer's order. On top of the counter is a menu and another one is visible to the left front part of the image. In the contrary corner of this menu (in the left front bottom) there is a lot of dirt and trash scattered around the floor. Underneath the menu is an old blue motorcycle. The restaurant looks abandoned and untaken care of, there is also a fox coming out of the kitchen behind the counter.

The composition done by the creator of the set is successful, it truly simulates an abandoned restaurant and makes the viewer look more into it. The point of view from where the photo was taken could be compared to a picture taken from the entrance of an actual restaurant ince the light is coming from behind the photographer. This photograph is full of lines directing the viewer’s eye to the center. The lines from the walls and from the ceiling make the illusion of being there. The image is asymmetrical because more things are to the right side of the setting.

Like the rest of this series, it is about a post-apocalyptic world in which humans are gone. Lori Nix says it herself, her work is be open-end, meaning open to interpretation. This image reminds me of a movie by Will Smith, I am Legend. Both are about a post-apocalyptic world and both also show a dark side to humanity. It is very realistic image, regardless of the fact that it is an image of a “what if” it still accomplishes to shock the viewer.

The shot itself I believe is successful, it has good quality of light, good composition, strong lines and many more things to analyse of that aspect. The setting however, is not very real in little details, like the motorcycle or the fox; but to be honest nobody wouldve done a better job than these two. Then there is the theme, which I do not like at all. This is the exact reason that makes this image even more successful because if you really pay attention to it you will soon realize that it is not something good. It reminds you of how badly you are treating your home, the earth.

Pedro Mejido link

2/11/2018 09:44:14 am

The image is of an abandoned restaurant with dirt and trash all over the floor. Some vegetation is growing from the dirt on the floor and the place doesn’t seem to have been left in a hurry since the moped is still in the restaurant. The image mostly uses warm colors with the light of the image coming from the right side of the image. The place appears to be a restaurant because of the images of food on the wall but the “restaurant” is only a hallway with no tables and a door which probably leads to the kitchen. It appears that nature is taking back the restaurant because of the vegetation growing on the floor and the fox peeping through the door.
The lighting of the image looks pleasing and the rule of thirds is not being used because the focus of the image is the entire image. The camera angle looks like a person’s point of view and the image uses a shallow depth of field. The leading lines of the image points to the metal door of the image. The image is balanced and and the subject fills the frame. The only thing the photo crops off is the entrance of the place and the image’s negative space is the dark room behind the doorway.
The theme of the image is supposed to be about humanity disappearing and nature taking back the space taken over by man. The image is part of a series called The City which are photographs taken of tiny sets which are sculpted by the artists. The image reminds me of Chernobyl where a power plant meltdown caused the city to be full of radiation which caused everyone to leave. I think of the image is cool because it's something you don’t usually see. I also like how the artists had to sculpt the tiny sets and made it look realistic.
I like the image because I like how the artist had to sculpt every little part of each image just to make the set look realistic. I also like the idea of a world that once had humans that suddenly disappeared. The image is successful because the image created an illusion that the restaurant was a real place. I actually thought the restaurant was a real place in this world for awhile until I realized that the set was sculpted. Overall I think the image is one of my favorites because of the illusion to fool people into thinking the restaurant is a real place in this world.

Andi Feik

2/11/2018 08:00:47 pm

This is an image by Lori Nix and Kathleen Gerber. It is of what looks to be a very run down restaurant. It uses very dark and sort of old-fashioned colors. The lighting isn’t that dark but it looks very white. In this image, there are no people it is just a run-down restaurant with a motorcycle in it and grass growing up from the floor. This image is what Nix and Gerber say to be post-apocalyptic. The image definitely matches their description of the image.

I think this composition is pleasing to look at. This image is at an eye level view. This image has a very deep depth of field because everything is in focus. I think the focus point in this image it the motorcycle and the menus on the wall. The main lines are the lines going inward towards the back of the set. The subject fills the image because everything in this image is the subject.

This image is telling the story of a post-apocalyptic situation. There are no more humans on earth and only buildings are left and nature has just taken over. I think their intention was just to make really cool art and then put a story behind it. I think this image is very interesting because it makes you wonder what would happen if something like this happened. I like how they also sculpted this whole thing and then just took a picture of it.

Overall, I really like this image. I like it because you can’t find a setting like this so they made one and made it look real. When you first look at it you don’t realize that it's not real life and that it just clay and other materials. I think it’s cool how they can just find stuff around their studio and make it look really cool and then just throw it away when they're finished. I think that this photograph is successful because it makes people think and has a story behind it.

Chase Blackwell

2/13/2018 09:26:49 pm

The image shows an abandoned and trashed asian restaurant. To convey this, the artist uses very muted colors and creates a very destroyed environment. In the bottom corner, the grass and dirt is coming in to the restaurant. Combined with the fact that the image does not have any humans or people in it, these two factors hint at nature's reclamation of that land. The scene has no definite subject but rather is a subject itself, as the entirety is in focus.

The image is composed of a scale model of what the scene would look like. This scene is likely maybe feet tall at most, But at 1st glance it appears to be a photograph, due to intense amount of detail in it. But upon closer inspection, It becomes clear not everything is not as real as it seems. The scene has very strong lines leading new to the open and destroyed door. Despite being a scale model, the camera seems to still be placed so that the point of view is of a normal human’s height. It seems like you are standing in the scene.

The scene was created in the artist's The City series, which focused on the aftermath of what would happen if humanity were to vanish. I find the photos non-realism to be very interesting as it is almost unnoticeable at first. The sheer detail is impressive, as you can even see the menu of the restaurant. I think the photo is very beautiful in a sense, as it portrays a perfect stillness, but counters it my adding in the plant growth, contrasting stillness with growth.

I personally enjoy the image very much, as I'm believe that the quality of the work and dedication to the work that the artist shows are both highly impressive. Her work is stunning once you realize that it is not a real scene rather a constructed one. The photographs themselves are very successful, as not only do they force you to question what is and isn't real, but they also make you consider what would happen if humanity were to vanish. What aftermath would be left behind us? What would the Earth look like, What evidence of our existence would there be? The purpose of any photograph is ultimately to make the viewer think, And I believe that the artist has done an incredible job of making do so.

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Period 4 -- Critical Analysis #13

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