Dora Maar – Jennie Meadows MA Photography

AGM60 Seminar Strategies for Writing 18 February 2020

On Tuesday 18th February, the class had a seminar with Xavier and Fergus. The focus of the seminar was:

Writing and Managing Proposals
Artist Statements
Contexts
References
Resources
Planning
Time Management

During the seminar, the class discussed various strategies for writing and managing formal written proposals, and how to present clear, in-depth and focused proposals that support, promote, and clarify photographic work for both myself and others.

The class considered questions such as:

What is the function of a proposal and an artist statement?
What is my specific idea, and how can I express it clearly?
What is fundamental/central to my project and how can I emphasise this?
What is the context of my work – specifically within the field of photography (both historical and contemporary), as well as within other fields?
What are my references (visual, conceptual and/or otherwise)?
How can I plan and manage my time effectively to serve both the intellectual and the creative process?
What makes a good artist statement?

The following is an outline of the presented considerations for my reference:

Proposals

Outline intentions
Describe wider concerns
Focus thinking
Assist initiating work

Artist Statements

Introduce practice
Articulate concerns, motivations, processes
Support interpretation by others
Can be adapted and used for various applications/opportunities
Enhance ongoing reflection
Acknowledge development

Volume

Purpose
Adaptation and expansion
Draw upon tutorial notes and discussions with peers

Qualities

Accuracy
Clarity
Focus
Objectivity

Content

Media and materials
Rationale
Working Processes
Ideas, themes, concerns
Influences
Aims

Case Studies

The class also looked at and discussed the following websites:
http://www.eleonoraagostini.com/about
http://www.estherteichmann.com/biography
https://www.edwardburtynsky.com/about/statement/

Seminar Task

The seminar task was to find an artist statement, exhibition press release or photographer’s proposal and prepare a short, informal, 5 to 10-minute presentation (for discussion purposes) that considered the clarity, effectiveness and supportive role of this text, specifically in relation to the work at hand.

This was my presentation. I had recently visited the Dora Maar exhibition at Tate Modern. This was, in my opinion, a very strong example of a clear and effective exhibition description.

agm60-research-experimentation-seminar-presentation-week-30

AGM60 Dora Maar Tate Modern Exhibition 30 January 2020

In my previous photographic studies, the starting point was predominately based on looking at and researching other photographers and artists in conjunction with their work. I hadn’t been to an exhibition for a while, so thought it a good idea to get back into the habit. I find that with each exhibition I visit, I always find inspiration and potential ideas as well as learning something new.

Tate Modern on the South Bank is one of my favourite art venues in London, so I checked on the institution’s website to see who and what they were exhibiting. One of the current exhibitions featured the work of surrealist photographer, Dora Maar.

When researching Maar, I discovered that she was an artist and poet as well as a photographer with a long and extensive career spanning many decades of the 20th century. I have to admit (somewhat ashamedly) that I hadn’t extensively encountered Maar’s work previous to this. Some of the images seemed familiar and I was intrigued enough to make a visit, which I did on 30th January 2020.

During the 1930s, Dora Maar’s provocative photomontages became celebrated icons of surrealism. Initially trained as a painter, Maar turned to photography and became a commercial success in the spheres of fashion and advertising. Maar was also involved with the surrealist movement, offering her photographic services to Man Ray as an assistant. This eminent photographer turned Maar down, famously stating that ‘he couldn’t teach her anything’.

On visiting the exhibition, I was not disappointed. The exhibition itself was split into nine rooms, each focused on a particular aspect and era of Maar’s work. These were:

Room 1: The Invention of Dora Maar
Room 2: On Assignment
Room 3: On the Street
Room 4: The Everyday Strange
Room 5: Surrealism
Room 6: In the Darkroom and the Studio
Room 7: The War Years
Room 8: New Landscapes, New Surfaces
Room 9: Return

The following works were the ones that had the most impact on me.

I also bought the accompanying book to the exhibition, which I will be reading in much more detail with regards to research.

References:

Tate. (2020). Dora Maar – Exhibition at Tate Modern | Tate. [online] Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/dora-maar [Accessed 23 January 2020].