photoGrant

In referral to my previous post, I did some research into how some photographers tend to ‘lend’ their ideas from past artists in past eras. What interested me in my research was a blog post on Subjectify which found an eerie similarity between a scene in Batman: The Dark Knight and Dian Arbus’ infamous ‘Child With Toy Hand Grenade‘ photograph.

The Joker

Child with a Toy Hand Grenade

The relation between these two images is immediately apparent. The Joker, whom at heart isn’t truly aware of the moral consequences of his destructive nature, likewise the Child in Dian Arbus’ photograph sees the grenade as a toy, and not for what it truly represents – destruction. Whilst an almost shallow look into each scene, it’s still relative entirely.

To assume the creators of The Dark Knight took this iconic image and translated it into a cinematic portrayal of the same ethical debate is almost too easy to swallow – but it allows us to realise that this ‘lending’ of ideas from previous generations of work doesn’t just stop. It’s a continual progression in nature, and something you could almost relate to Darwinism, the enhancing and positive progression of art.

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The introductory lecture in Critical Studies today got me really excited. The one thing I’ve missed over summer is the ability to engage with work produced by the creatives of the world – the ability to deconstruct and analysis the thought processes behind the tool used to create the art, and not necessarily the art itself. Given that, I still find I lack any passion or drive when concerning Art History. Today’s lecture gave me a little food for thought however. Seeing that many of the magazines I read are influenced, and almost blatantly plagarised the artists of the past, it was astonishing to see how brutally obvious it was that the modern day photographer in magazines such as POP, iD, Dazed & Confused, etc. – are practically taking a contemporary approach to a vast array of art from periods quite literally ranging from Medieval Art all the way up to Modernism.

So why am I limiting myself to researching photographers, and photographers only? Some photographers whole body of work stems from influential artists of forgotten era’s – so I would be a fool to disregard what the most successful photographers are lapping up!

I’m happy that we have our first semester brief that asks us to research and discuss the invention of photography, as I believe this overlaps the art with the photograph – and with thorough research, should enable me to appreciate both mediums in a light that doesn’t differentiate them, but embrace them. With that said, and after reading part of James Etkins ‘Stories of Art’ (Intuitive Stories) I feel that no matter how, or what I research, the fact remains that Art History is a vastly subjective discipline to study, and that there are no right and wrongs, no period was more important than the other, no artist more famous than the next – but their ability to take cultural, political and social issues, communicate them without language, without barriers – and allow viewers from any nation, any culture, any language, to understand, appreciate and comprehend in their own right. That’s the power of art, and photography too.

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