Bibliography
http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/patc/twins/
http://www.recirca.com/reviews/2005/trishmorrissey/tm.shtml
O R Croy Croy’s Creative Photography Focal Press London and New York
Electa Fabrica Files Benetton Group Elisabeth Prando
Contextual Studies Assessment Task 3: Major Essay- Two artists who address identity
In this essay I am going to discuss in detail a single piece of work by two different artists whose work addresses identity. I am going to explain what each artist is trying to represent and how these ideas are expressed. I will also discuss how they are made and to what they refer.
The first piece of art I have chosen to write about is a photograph called “Identical Twins, Roselle, N.J 1967” by an artist called Diane Arbus. The second Piece of work is also by a photographer called Trish Morrissey. The picture is from a series of works called seven years.
Diane Arbus is known for her black and white square photographs of surreal or unusual looking people such as dwarfs, giants, transvestites, nudists and circus performers. This photo features twin sisters Cathleen and Colleen Wade wearing dark corduroy dresses. I think Arbus chose to photograph identical twins because they are unusual to look at. The first thing you notice is their eyes staring straight down the camera lens or staring at the viewers, returning your gaze or maybe challenging you. I think this makes you feel quite intimidated and creates a spooky atmosphere but I also think that by looking into their eyes you get a sense of how different they are from each other. Especially because one twin is smiling and the other slightly frowning, giving you an insight into each of their personalities. The fact that they are pulling different expressions shows that they might look identical but they have different personalities. The use of black and white may have helped to convey this because it is easier for your eye to concentrate on the details when there is no colour. I don’t think this would have worked as well if the photo was in colour because it would be less spooky. The black and white adds to the haunting nature of the photo and enhances how freakish looking the twins look.
Arbus photographed people who looked visually different and seemed surreal. She used black and white to make it look haunting but the different facial expressions prove that twins do have their own identity and I think Arbus wanted to refer to the fact that twins have different personalities but are still visually surreal and interesting.
Trish Morrissey’s ‘7 years’ is a series of large scale portraits based on Morrissey’s sister and her, who are seven years apart. The series consists of family memories from photo albums which she recreates. These are mainly childhood birthdays or holidays. I think this is good because it reminds me of my childhood birthdays and holidays which, I think, Arbus wanted when she took the photographs.
When Morrissey shot the series of photographs, 7 years, the expressions on their faces are blank. “In contrast to most family photos, the people in her images rarely smile, allowing the viewer to concentrate on the gestures and body language.”² I think Morrissey wanted to convey the fact that there are hidden tensions within the family. I like this because a forced smile hides a person’s identity and true feelings, whereas if you concentrate on body language you get a sense of what their personality is like, So Morrissey wanted to draw our attention to their body language instead of the false expressions. There are many photographers who also photograph people with blank facial expression. An example would include Thomas Ruff who is a portrait photographer. Ruff quoted that the photographs capture only “the surface of things”. Maybe this means that the expressionless faces are hiding something beneath the surface, such as, emotions or hidden conflicts, similar to Morrissey.
“Morrissey took the photos at her old family home in Dublin. She used old clothes found in her parents’ attic or went to charity shops, to recreate the atmosphere of the seventies and eighties.”² This will bring back memories for a lot of people who look at this picture. “The imagery; the settings and the characters are familiar to us all. The semi-detached, redbrick houses, the white rusting garden gates, the busily patterned sitting-room curtains, the ever-evolving fashions we all love to cringe at.”¹ When shooting the series of photos 7 years, I think Morrissey wanted people to look at the photos and relate to them in some way. Even if you weren’t born in the 70’s or 80’s you are still able to relate to pictures because the scenes are in familiar landscapes, such as the beach or in the park.
I think Morrissey wanted to show how people change over time. You can see how the person was then when the picture was taken. Or I think maybe she wanted to go back to the time when the picture was taken and change things, maybe with her family, because there is evidence of family conflicts. The fact that she is recreating the photos may be showing that she wants to re-live those times.
In conclusion, Diane Arbus uses surreal looking people to convey individual identity. In this photo the twins look strange and surreal because they are so similar. But, you can see that because they are pulling different facial expressions, giving you a sense of their individual personalities, they are actually different from each other and have their own identities. But, like Arbus Trish Morrissey approaches identity but does so in a different way. You can see what the person was like in the 70’s or 80’s instead of who they are now. But, unlike Arbus, she doesn’t use facial expression to convey what they were like. Instead she uses body language to hide emotion. This body language may be hiding family tensions or conflicts. These are usually hidden in family photos by fake or forced smiles.
Footnotes
1 http://www.recirca.com/reviews/2005/trishmorrissey/tm.shtml- Clair Flannery
2 http://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/2005/11/14/33461.html
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