Artist Assignment, Part 1.

1. Gillian Wearing

2. These images are of people on the street wearing their own clothes, holding signs that they wrote. The subjects do not appear posed at all, but look as though the photographer just happened upon them on the street and they paused to be photographed.

3. The simple stances and the everyday clothing of the subjects both add to the personal feel of the photographs. The concept seems to be to extract the subjects' thoughts and secrets completely honestly, and I think that the candid appearance of the subjects lends to that concept.

4. Each photograph consists of one or more models, their sign, and a street or building in the background.

5. I feel as though the choice to photograph the subjects on the street, unposed and candid, strengthens the connection that I as a viewer feel with these strangers. The first images really strikes me, because the man appears to me to be an upper-middle class business man, but his sign says "I'm desperate". I would never guess that this man felt desperate if I passed him on the street. The series is like giving the viewer a taste of what it would be like to be a mind-reader, because we see these people in their natural state but know exactly what they're thinking.

6. The artist seemed to be concerned with capturing purely the subject, and nothing else. There are no crowds, no fancy costumes or props, no dramatic makeup, nothing that would suggest that the subject is not completely showing their normal self during the moment that the photograph was taken. I think that this concept was expressed very well. I really like the title of the series, "Signs that say what you want them to say, and not signs that say what someone else wants you to say".  I feel like I spend a lot of time crafting my conversations and comments to please, if not pacify, my audience. But if I could make a sign that says what I want it to, I would be able to get a lot off my chest that I would never actually say out loud. So, this series now makes me think of the Post Secret project: Post Secret.

1. Francesca Woodman

2. These images are of the artist, I presume, since the series is titled "Self Portraits". There is sometimes another subject. The objects in the photographs range from bare walls to mirrors to the ground. The objects and locations appear to be found, or typical.

3. The artist arranges herself in front of, around, or, in the case of the peeling wallpaper, behind, the objects in the image. She uses her body to interact with her surroundings in a very compositionally-friendly way. I find the images to be aesthetically pleasing and interesting to view. I think her concept is the idea of using her body as an object in the image as opposed to the human subject, so like a shape or form, just like the things with which she's holding or surrounding herself. It is obvious in most of the images that she is a human and not actually part of the background, but I don't think that's an issue or unintentional.

4. The images consist of the artist, a space, and usually some type of prop or unique background.

5. The objects in the image serve as a counterpart to the mundane nature of her body, as a human. She is neither glorified nor ignored, but simply exists beautifully within the space.

6. If I have at least somewhat correctly interpreted this artist's concept, I think this series is a success because I am thinking about the relationship between the artist and her surroundings. Although actually, I am not concerned with whether I have fully understood her intent because the series is captivating to me, even without an explanation, which is something I usually want to have available to me.