Title: Do the expectations of children affect the reality or fantasy that can be created?

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Introduction:

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My personal study will be an investigation of different artist’s interpretations of children’s behaviour in reality in comparison to what is expected of them in society today. My interest into this field of work began when I closely looked into Vee Speers and Sally Mann’s work, during my GCSE photography course. I explored emotion displayed in portraiture, and I focused a large amount of the topic on my brother who was 2 years old. I was intrigued by the controversial nature of Mann’s work and the abstract but beautiful work by Speers. Through my experience within photography, I have explored portraiture the most, as I am able to feel closer to the images as I am fascinated by facial features, emotions and details of age.  After researching further into this field of work, I was able to build a clearer picture of children’s behaviour, and how it is changed by the environment that they lived in. The study of my chosen artists and subject will hopefully inspire my own work, showing that I have learnt how to refine my work, developing a more expressive approach throughout. I am currently able to understand thoughts and emotions displayed in photographs quite well, but I would like to further my skills in this particular area. I am going to research three main artists that will link to my work but also one that links to the model that I will be using throughout my work predominately (my brother).

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Vee Speers is an Australian, portrait photographer who explores concepts and new forms in her fine art photography. I will be focusing on the birthday party set, which explores the ideas of abstract photography, using children dressed in usual costumes. The photographer took inspiration from her daughter's fancy-dress party to create beautiful yet disturbing portraits of children, designed to evoke memories of our own childhood.

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Sally Mann is an American photographer, who is best known for capturing her young children but then later focused on landscapes showing decay and death. Her black and white photographs of her children often captured them naked, eating, sleeping and playing. However, they showed an adult like appearance that caused a lot of controversy in the media. Mann was an accomplished photographer before the series, but displaying these intimate black-and-white portraits caused a stir in the media.

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Jill Greenberg is an American photographer, renowned for capturing portraits and fine art. Her most popular set of photographs is the End Times.  It displays children’s emotions provoked by human interaction e.g. taking a sweet away from the child. Greenberg studied at Cranbrook Academy of Art and the Detroit Institute of Arts, so was influenced by art early on- ‘Greenberg has been taking photographs since she was 9 years old’. Greenberg took her inspiration from an essay written by Bill Moyers titled "There Is No Tomorrow," which discusses the negative influence of religious fundamentalists on American politics, in particular on environmental policy, foreign policy, gay marriage, stem cell research and abortion.

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Vee Speers – The creative but disturbing side of children

 

‘I don’t like to follow the crowd. I like to seduce, with images that are at once disturbing and beautiful, but leaving a space for the viewer to enter my world. My portraits combine elements which evoke conflicting emotions that can surprise the viewer, telling a story that is somewhere between fantasy and reality, the obvious and the unexpected.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I encountered Speers work in 2017, when I was studying GCSE photography. I looked into her work to help me to look into different portrait photographers, when we had the title ‘order and disorder’ where I looked into the disorder of her work. Due to Speers being an unusual photographer it suited the theme very well. I have selected her as one of my artists now at A-level because she intrigued me widely; she now suits the title I am now looking at as she photographs children in an abstract way. I am interested in seeing how children can be represented even in an adult manner e.g. a child holding a cigarette in their hands. 

My three chosen photographs explore different connotations- Good vs Evil and innocence/ purity of children. The photograph of the girl blowing a balloon is very interesting with the use of the shaped hair which represents the balloon object that she grasps in her hand. I was able to find out through research that this was done on purpose, to link the objects together creating a sense of direction although the photograph is unusual. I like this photograph because although it doesn’t show overtly emotion and meaning, it actually has history behind it- exploring elements of her daughter’s childhood, e.g. the design of the dress was illustrated from her daughters dance show. The photograph explores a sense of fantasy due to the clothing and hair which suggests that the child is happy in their environment. This supports my title as the children are free to explore their identity through the style that is created on shoot and are not expected to act differently; for example, posing like an adult or wearing provocative clothing.  

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 “This started off as an intimate project. I thought it would be good to freeze a few childhood moments before my daughter became a teenager – that's her in the picture. My kids used to blow bubbles using their hands in the bath, and I wanted to recreate that. But it's impossible, of course: soap bubbles only last a few seconds. I found something the French call "balloon paste": it's a gluey substance you blow through a straw, and you get these sticky, transparent bubbles that last around three minutes.”

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Speers has taken a surrealistic approach, as a ‘normal child’ wouldn’t be dressed how they are in the photographs. However, this helps to explore how children are creative with the clothing they wear and aren’t stopped by what society expect from them, e.g. wearing a minimal dress. The dress the daughter is wearing in the photograph looks minimal until you look at the bottom where it has a hoop; this aspect makes the dress slightly unusual and contributes to the fantasy feel that is created through the hair shape. The dress shape also replicates the shape of a balloon, and I believe this was also purposely done to create a link between the objects. The colour theme in the photograph is very bright, with the use of high intensity white lighting that can be seen reflecting onto the hair and the dress which creates texture within the photo. I considered that this may because it links to purity and innocence. White is normally associated with this, and this is used within the lighting and the transparency of the bubble. 

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However, photograph two explores a more “evil” side to the child; with the use of the whole black costume replicating a black bird which then contrasts against photo one where the child is all in white showing the sense of purity. In society today the colour white dignifies more innocence and within these images it may link to skin colour. The girl in the black costume appears to be mixed raced and the boy wearing the white costume is white, this may have no link to the image at all but in my opinion it links to other meanings that may not be that clear at first glance. There has been a lot of controversy in history about skin colour and I believe that this is why children who are of a different ethnicity are expected to be more related to crime and all things bad in the world and these photographs together help to explore this. Children that have a white skin colour are expected to have “higher intelligence” and a different persona which I think is reflected upon how they behave and dress, maybe not feeling confident to be different. This theme links to Swan Lake, the battle between the good and evil within us. There is the concept of a white bird and black bird that demonstrates that inner evil can be concealed by the innocence that can be portrayed to an audience. Vee Speers looks into this theme maybe without realising but can be seen in her other photographs.

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 Google search of Black swan.

Photograph one discovers identity with the use of a mask covering the boy’s face. This links to my title as children today are sometimes expected to mask their feelings, whether they feel stressed with school work or aren’t mentally well.  Although this wasn’t intentional from Speers, photographs are able to be analysed in different words and this is what I have done. A mask- ‘a covering for all or part of the face, worn as a disguise, or to amuse or frighten others’. A mask could be a symbol of showing that children need to be protected by society today and how they are becoming too “adult like” hence the fact that they are unable to explore freely. A mask can shadow the identity that a child has and whether they are creative within their personality.

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Sally Mann- Adult side of children

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I discovered Mann’s work also at GCSE, where I linked her work to my order and disorder task, using my younger brother as a model to display a child's identity when acting older than they are. Mann was able to showcase work that was very controversial in the media at the time, and the image of the girl holding a cigarette caused a lot of problems as it was seen to be morally wrong as she is a young girl and it is illegal. The photograph of the little girl naked was taken 1984-1991, this also appears to be a very controversial piece due to nudity being showcased widely. However, children should be able to feel comfortable and “free” and this is illustrated throughout her family work. The first photograph links heavily with the theme of freedom within childhood as the little girl doesn’t seemed fazed by the fact that she is playing naked. I personally believe that it shouldn’t be a problem in society for children to play within their households naked as it doesn’t harm anyone. However, due to Mann then showcasing this to the public then created a stir within the media, as it was suggested that it is morally wrong to sell her work of her children when they haven't provided permission for that explicit photograph to be shared globally.

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Her photographs replicate real life situations with kids that people don’t tend see, as the kids show signs of nudity, dirt and adult like positions and emotions. People today struggle to detach nudity from sex and this is maybe why pieces like this become controversial in the media. Mann’s work allows people to see a different side to children that parents don’t like to see as they are scared of the truth or the fact that their children may not be as innocent as they seem. However, children should be allowed to show a different side within their personality whether that’s them trying to act older than they are or showing more emotions other than happiness.

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Photograph three shows the three children strong and bold, I believe this image is trying to show adult like behaviour from their body positions they are demonstrating. There is a representation of gender in this image as all of the three children are in masculine pose. This therefore creates the idea that children are free to act a certain way until puberty hits as society then claims it is morally wrong for children to play around with no tops on. The children are naked from the waist up within this image, demonstrating that they perhaps careless and feel as if they can behave how ever they want to.  This photograph is in a muted black and white, showing a slight filter of sepia that creates an older feel which may replicate the older body langauge. Their hands crossed and behind their back also links to the adult behaviour, which would be seen to be wrong by many people as they should stand  delicately in a child like manner. Colour photographs would have made it feel more cheerful and make it feel more like a story of their childhood. The photographs are interesting in the sense that Mann has decided to have the backround all blurred and the main focus is the children. It helps draw the attention to the issue within the image- nudity so they cannot be hidden in any way. Mann's work focuses on the darker side to childhood which is not normally portrayed. Although children may be aware of things that happen in the world they are encapsulated and isolated to “protect” them from all things bad but Mann’s work shows that children can grow up normal even with a slightly more adult like childhood. Children are expected to behave a certain way but her children show signs of normal child behaviour as they are placed outside which is a more traditional scenery for children but nowadays kids are stuck inside on their phones which is another massive debate, showing that children will always be expected to act a certain way but sometimes do not perform to the best level. Due to Mann’s childhood being in an untechnological period she didn’t have access to the internet where today people are able to access naked photographs very easily. Mann therefore believed that her work was normal and never thought that explotation could have been a rising issue. Mann’s work is somewhat beautiful when the troubling ideas are stripped back but people were shocked and outrages that she displayed her photographs for the whole world to see. Some said that it appeared that there was an imbalance of power as her children were unable to decide whether that was acceptable. “The person behind the lens claims something for herself that the subject might not have wanted to give.” Mann may be seen to be admirable to some as she is a well known photographer who did push the boundary when it came to childhood. Mothers today try to ensure that their children are seen to be innocent and this isn’t always the case as children do have their bad points were they can behave in a naughty manner. So that does raise a question to why people were so shocked by Mann’s work as she was only showing the natural and pure side to childhood that most try to hide.

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The artist has explored space and depth in an interesting way as all of the children are the closest objects in the scene and the furthest is the blurred background of nature. This was intentionally done in my opinion as the children are the whole reason behind her work as she wanted to display her family. Mann’s work is photographed in black and white in muted tones which I really like as I often edit to that colour as I feel as if it strips back any factors that can be created in the mind, were as black and white creates a story through the personas eyes. The scale of Mann's work is on a smaller scale as it is displayed in a book but smaller prints at exhibition. If I was to create work like hers this would benefit me with limited resources available at school. I tend to complete work on a smaller scale, although I have started to increase scale sizes to push myself more- Photoeast competition, Outside competition with the University of Suffolk due to me being one of the four winners.

Mann’s work has influenced me to explore working with children in a documentary styled piece of work, to focus on the childhood that they have. It would be interesting to see how children have changed and whether they are doing the same things that her children did in the set of photographs. The children of the 21st century have a very different life to what her children did, and I would like to try and document this as a past and present piece, perhaps including photographs from my family’s childhoods and them now today. A question to ask- Did their childhoods have an effect on the people they are today?

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Jill Greenberg- How children learn emotion and poses, showing distress.

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I discovered Mann’s work whilst researching into this topic this year and found her work very disturbing but intriguing due to using children in a distressing way. This work links heavily with my title for my personal study as children are known for their temper tantrums and is normal behaviour however Greenberg took that idea into a whole new level forcing the emotions that the children displayed.   The series was captured in 2005 that caused a massive stir in the photography industry and a cultural community. The children were aged 2-4 and were required to be photographed and as shown in her work can be seen agitated and distressed. This was due to some of the children being handed a lollipop or mobile phone by the mothers who were on set and then would be removed from the children. This acted as I stimulus for them to react and that was caught on camera.  The Photographs were supported by the fact that children’s cries are the main methods of communication, and the short tantrum provoked by gentle manipulation. Toddlers’ natural state, like 30 percent of the time, is crying, and it doesn't indicate pain or suffering,” Greenberg said. Jill Greenberg created portraits of crying children in 2005 to reflect her frustration with the politics of the Bush era. As a parent she had to reckon with the knowledge that our children will suffer for the mistakes our government is making.

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The first photograph is very different to the other chosen two as the boy is less distressed and appears that the photograph may have been captured towards the end of the tantrum. The boy has slight signs that he had been crying as his eyes are watery and there is snot around the nose area. I like this photograph as the young boy seems to have pride from the body position of his hand on his chest although the distressing situation they are put into. The hand on heart also has religious connotations to it and it suggests that he is trying to tell the truth, which may link to the true meaning behind the series (frustration with the Bush era). The background of the photo is slightly darker than the others and this may be due to trying to match the ethnicity of the child. There is a sense of purity and innocence in this photograph and makes the audience feel sorry for the child. Children are expected to behave and are taught this through childhood, although this contradicts this as she encourages tantrums to create this piece. The other two photographs shows the children to be more distraught, the girl screaming and the boy looking like he is aching from the pain of crying for so long. Photograph two shows pure anger, as the little girl is screaming perhaps showing the frustration with what is happening in society. The rage that is showcased could suggest that Greenberg went too far with forcing emotions and actually caused real distress to the child which was very unethical. Photograph three has the sense of sorrow which refers to the idea that someone feels disappointed; which therefore again links to the true meaning behind the series so Greenberg’s work should be awarded for creating a piece that linked heavily to the context, which stayed true to her meaning. The background of image three is slightly brighter than the other two and this may be because the boy is willing to forget about the past and move on with the future. The gradient decreases in power and strength as the images move on and may symbolise this growth within society.

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Greenberg has explored depth of field by focusing the children as the center (focal point) of the photograph and has the blue background so that they are the main focus for the audience. “Blue calls to mind feelings of calmness or serenity. It is often described as peaceful, tranquil, secure, and orderly. Blue is often seen as a sign of stability and reliability.”- Google search, colour blue psychology. The Google search says that blue often symbolises stability which contradicts to what Greenberg’s idea was when creating this set as she wanted to represent her frustration with the politics of the Bush era and that the children of the future will suffer because of this. Alongside this, the blue coloured background does also suggest security which the children however it is clear from the photographs that there is no security present as they are isolated and made to feel distressed for a shot. Greenberg’s work is very controversial as it can be argued that people should be frustrated with the fact that the children perhaps didn’t want to be part of this work and their voice was taken from them. It makes Greenberg look hypercritical as she argues that children will suffer from the work of the government that would therefore take away the rights that they have.

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“It's upsetting to get emails sort of randomly saying I’m a horrible person,” Greenberg said. “I have two children of my own. Crying is not evidence of pain or any real suffering. It’s really just the way children communicate.”- Google Slate article

Even though people argue that the children are suffering pain, I do agree with Greenberg’s view slightly that it is just displaying communication. Babies are not able to talk straight away and their only way of communicating is crying when responding to a stimulus. Therefore, can her work be slated for her “being horrible to children” when she is only recreating natural communication they demonstrate?

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Although her work is distressing I like the concept behind it, as she pushes the boundaries using children as models to represent this anger she feels for society. Pushing children to feel the displayed emotions wasn’t necessarily the best idea as it isn’t ethically valid; however it has made the photographs seem very realistic although forced. It is a very interesting topic to focus on and I believe I could recreate this but in a more ethical way by making it a more documentary styled project. Incorporating Mann’s documentary style work would enable me to capture these sort of demonstrated emotions without having to force people to feel distressed but instead capture them in the moment- The natural tantrums children display in childhood. Greenberg’s work will help me to explore emotion, not necessarily with children but with all ages. I would like to document emotion displayed by humans and whether this is created through biological processes or through external influences learnt. I will be able to link in to psychology as that is one of my other A-level subjects and it would be interesting to see whether what I have learnt about behaviour would affect my interpretation of this idea in photography.

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