Nan Goldin

Nan Goldin was born in Washington D.C. and grew up in a middle class Jewish family in Boston, Massachusetts. At a young age her older sister committed suicide and she was forced to cope. In high school she was introduced to photography and focused her first show on homosexual and transsexual communities. Goldin began to photograph images that expressed violence and showed drug abuse. Her subjects usually past away due to their addictions. She focused her art on a culture of obsession. Goldin also photographed love, sex, and the multiple ways they can be expressed. Her artwork was often criticized but was in fact reality.

Gregory Crewdson

Gregory Crewdson is a American photographer known for his photos of staged homes and neighborhoods. His photography was always elaborate and cinematic. His art was like a scence that had been ripped out of a movie. Crewdson was born in New York and attended Yale University where he got his masters of fine arts. His photography were very emotional for the people who studied them. The locations of his photos were of homey and cozy neighborhoods but created emotions including sorrow, anxiety, depression, and solitude. He was a part of several exhibitions where his art became famous including the Yale University Art Gallery where it all began. 

Cindy Sherman

Cindy Sherman was born in New Jersey as the seventh addition to her big family. She grew up in Long Island where she pursued her interest in painting. She felt limited as a painter where paint was her only medium and took up photography. Sherman is a well known American photographer and film director. She was best at taking conceptual portraits. She used costumes, makeup, and other things to create roles for her subjects. Sherman was a big contributor to creating a positive role in society for women. She had a wide range of photographs. She used several different mediums and ideas to portray her message.

Greek Life

This past weekend I was a part of my sororities initiation as a new member.  I would consider this to be a cultural event. As a new member you go through a process of ceremonies and rituals that make you initiated. They ask for your trust and friendship in order to become part of the sisterhood. These events happen all over the country for all sororities and fraternities in greek life. Although there are similar clubs and tribes in other countries that require initiations, they differ from greek life here in the United States.

A cultural event is unique to a specific culture or group of people. Initiation and the series of ceremonies required, are distinctive to the American culture. I was able to experience this cultural event with no background as to what it was all about. I learned a lot not only about my specific sorority but greek life and its ideals in general. I kept an open mind during the process and I have a higher level of respect for the process. It requires putting a lot of trust in people that you may not know as well as you should and gives you the opportunity to network and meet so many new people.

Keith Carter, the Photographers Series

I was absent on the day we watched the video “Keith Carter, the Photographers Series.” So, I did research on Keith Carter instead. Keith Carter was born in Madison, Wisconsin and raised in Texas. Carter taught himself how to photograph and is best known for his imagination. He began with commercial photography and personal projects on the side. Carter believes in that photograph is the writing of light like the Greeks do. He thinks of photography as documenting his life, as if he was making an autobiography. He photographs of places he has visited and people he cares about. This is his form of journaling his life as well as the people’s lives around him. Carter’s work was able to really stand out because of his ability to make it mystical and almost fantastical. In order to do this, he caught himself using a small view camera incorrectly before inserting his film. Carter would later purposefully distort the focus of his photographs.

Myhren Gallery

A couple weeks ago, I attended the Myhren Gallery with my first year seminar class. The Myhren Gallery is the University of Denver’s art gallery located in the art building on campus. The exhibitions change every few months and include art work from a variety of well known artists as well as students. Our class visited the exhibition, Changing Landscapes.

        

When I walked in, all I saw was a display of typical landscape paintings. But, as the guide began to explain and describe the meaning and significance behind the artwork the paintings grew into something more meaningful. He described to us how the landscapes created were very noteworthy because the lack of transportation in the countryside. These paintings allowed people the chance to “travel” to these places and see them in a new light.

Over time, the landscapes changes and evolved due to the transportation by train. The classic landscapes became more industrial. These new landscapes were used to symbolize the new ideas and things evolving in the world. These new landscapes were done with new painting techniques. An example of a new technique used was scattering dots all over the piece of art. This was done in order to create realistic dust and flies in the air.

This event really made me gain and understanding of artist’s intentions behind their artwork. I now have a higher respect for landscape artwork. I stepped out of my comfort zone at this gallery and really learned from a new perspective. This exhibit was definitely a cultural event because it forced me to think in a way I am not accustomed to.

Francesca Woodman

Francesca Woodman was born in Denver, CO and pursued a career in fashion photography in New York City. She committed suicide before her work took off and was well known. Her work was not accepted by society. In general, Woodman's work was in black and white. She was known for using long exposures and creating a blur in her photos. Woodman's work influenced the "Victorian female protagonist," and their work. She worked with abstract subjects in simple and concrete representations and surroundings. It allowed Woodman to challenge reality.