Final Essay

Modern artwork is often influenced by technology through the enhancement of visual language and the altering of reality. Tom Chambers’ artwork, namely the art piece’s Spring’s Landfall and Maritime Sentry, uses digital technologies such as photography and Photoshop, to enhance the visual language and create dreamlike images that appear realistic yet are surreal. The piece Maritime Sentry, speaks of segregation and control, and the art piece Spring’s Landfall, shows the mixing of reality and fantasy. Surrealism also plays a role in Tom Chambers artwork and is ‘...the irrational juxtaposition of images that release the creative potential of the unconscious mind.’ (New Oxford American Dictionary, 2005).

Tom Chambers’ meaning is communicated through his use of visual language, digital photography, techniques and manipulation of imagery. His body of work, Rite of Passage uses strong juxtaposition through the mix of reality and fantasy. This body of work ‘explores the dichotomy between what is natural and what is fabricated.’ (Chambers, 2010). One of these art pieces, Spring’s Landfall, uses the device of juxtaposition to represent the unexpected journey through childhood to adulthood. As children are protected from the harsh reality of life, this girl is still blinded from these realities. The contrasting colours enhance the juxtaposition in this piece, the girl’s bright dress and colourful flowers against the dull colours in the field and sky. The focal point is obvious through the use of strong tonal contrast and use of negative space. There is movement in this piece mainly seen in the angle of the oars and there is also a sense of balance in the piece created by the angle of the boat and seagulls in the sky. The blindfolded girl, the rowing boat and bright flowers are out of place, which suggests she is in her own fantasy world, whereas the landscape around her has the harshness of reality. She is still caught in the beautiful yet imaginary pretences of childhood and has just arrived on the shore of adulthood realities. This art piece represents the dichotomy of the physical and the imaginary. Chamber’s use of digital technologies, such as Photoshop, enhances the overall appearance, most importantly; it enhances the realism of the piece.

Another art piece from Tom Chambers’ body of work, Rite of Passage, is his art piece Foggy River. This art work relates to Spring’s Landfall through the one element that joins all of these pieces, juxtaposition. Digital technology has allowed Tom Chambers to enhance his body of work through the combination of separate images to create an abstract art piece. In this piece, he has combined the misty river photograph and the floating girl on Photoshop, which gives the piece a sense of surrealism. Without this combination, both images would represent a totally different meaning. Firstly, the monochromatic and cool colour scheme in the background seems very tranquil yet mysterious. The mist on the river hides the realities behind it and seems secretive. The reality of the piece is the floating body. This art piece communicates a fear for what might happen when the young and naive grow up too fast. On the left hand side of the art work is a dark tree and its reflection on the water. It would seem she is being pulled towards this darker side of the river. The girl in the image represents this juxtaposition between the mysteries of the darker realities in life and of the innocent entering into this without knowledge of the consequences. Chambers explores the time when ‘adolescents begin to abandon the natural, untamed state of childhood for the artificial pretences of adulthood.’ (Chambers, 2010). This time that Chambers describes when communicating the meaning of his body of work, Rite of Passage, is obvious in his piece Foggy River as it represents this fear of an early abandonment of childhood and the confusion it brings. Also, Chamber’s use of Photoshop to combine his photographic images has helped to represent the strong meaning this piece has and enhance its visual language.

In Tom Chambers’ body of work Rite of Passage, the role of surrealism is clear. Namely in his pieces Spring’s Landfall and Foggy River. Spring’s Landfall relies on its surreal qualities and juxtaposition to communicate the awkward journey between childhood and adulthood. Foggy River also relies on surrealism to describe the damage abandonment of childhood can do to effect the innocent. When writing about his artwork, Chambers’ said ‘With digital photography I desire to move beyond documentation of the present, and rather seek to merge reality and dreams in musing about possibilities of the future.’ (Chambers, 2010). In Tom Chamber’s artwork the role of surrealism is clear in Spring’s Landfall. This role of surrealism is present in many of Tom Chamber’s artworks in communicating a blur of reality and fantasy. In relation to his artwork, Spring’s Landfall, Chambers writes of the meaning he communicates, ‘…these photomontages explore a place where unexpected circumstances collide’ (Chambers, 2010).  His artwork captures the definition of surrealism, a collision of unexpected images. Surrealism was ‘a means of reuniting conscious and unconscious realms of experience so completely, that the world of dream and fantasy would be joined to the everyday rational world in an absolute reality, a surreality.’ (Comprehensive History of all things Surrealist). This combination of the dream world being connected to reality is what Chambers has communicated through his body of work. ‘…this type of artwork is a genre commonly known as magic realism.’ (Brooks, 2010). Tom Chambers meaning for both Spring’s Landfall and Foggy River is communicated through his use of digital technologies to enhance the aspects of surrealism and create a dreamlike state between childhood and adulthood.

Tom Chambers uses technology to create dreamlike images that appear realistic yet are surreal, enhanced by manipulated visual language. His images capture a dreamlike state through the use of technology such as Photoshop and photography. Surrealism is the combination of reality and fantasy, which is communicated in this body of work to combine the state between childhood fantasies and the reality of adulthood. 

Bibliography

Comprehensive History of all things Surrealist, http://www.surrealist.com/ (6/11/10)

Chambers, T.W, Tom Chambers Photography: Portfolio, http://www.tomchambersphoto.com/portfolio.html (6/11/10)

Brooks, K. The art of Tom Chambers, Huffpost living, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kimberly-brooks/photographys-sex-change-t_b_99886.html (7/11/10)

New Oxford American Dictionary (2005) Oxford University Press

Changes

I have decided to change my second picture from Maritime Sentry to this: Foggy River

As it is from the same body of work as Spring's Landfall.

Describe:  This piece is cold and confronting. The girl in the water is very out of place as the entire scene looks like a landscape painting and it is unusual that in such a natural and serene place a girl would just be floating through. She seems dead, yet there is colour in her skin and her pink dress creates contrat to the cool colour scheme. Also, the fog on the river suggests it is very cold - not the type of place to be swimming.

Analyse: This art piece has a very monochromatic colour scheme and there is strong juxtaposition through the rosy coloured girl floating in the river and the cool and serene backdrop. The picture is surreal through the contrasts in colours and the girl. She is dead as the still backdrop and her motionless figure suggests she is so.  

Interpret: I think this is in connection with Spring's landfall as they are both from the same body of work; Rite of passage. More than that, both of these images represent the juxtaposition between reality and fantasy and both have surreal elements. This image is very dreamlike. It is represented in the misty and serene lake. This image seems to represent the encounter of adulthood and how she has been drowned in the unexpected

Links for Tom Chambers

Huffington Post Article
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kimberly-brooks/photographys-sex-change-t_b_99886.html

Burn Magazine
http://www.burnmagazine.org/?s=tom+chambers

These articles provide reflection on the processes Tom Chambers uses to create his art work/ photography

My Art Essay - Draft

 

Artist Essay

Tom Chambers’ artwork, namely the art piece’s Spring’s Landfall and Maritime Sentry, uses digital technologies such as digital photography and Photoshop, to enhance the visual language and create dreamlike images that appear realistic yet are surreal. According to the dictionary, Surrealism is the irrational juxtaposition of images that release the creative potential of the unconscious mind. The piece Maritime Sentry, speaks of segregation and control. The art piece Spring’s landfall, shows the mixing of reality and fantasy. Tom Chambers’ use of technology, very effectively, enhances the visual language. His images capture a dreamlike state through the use of digital photography and media.

Tom Chambers’ meaning is communicated through his use of visual language, digital photography and media. The art work, Spring’s Landfall, has a strong sense of juxtaposition. It is seen in the flowers in the boat compared to the dry landscape, the boat on land instead of water and the blindfold she wears. The girl rowing blindfolded suggests she is oblivious to the world around her and going blindly through life. Also, the contrasting colours enhance the juxtaposition in this piece, the girl’s bright dress and colourful flowers - the dull colours in the field and sky. The focal point is obvious through use of strong tonal contrast and use of space. There is movement in this piece mainly seen at the oars. There is also a sense of balance in the piece. There is strong juxtaposition through the mix of reality and fantasy. The blindfolded girl, the rowing boat and bright flowers are out of place, which suggests she is in her own fantasy world, whereas the landscape is the harshness of reality around her. She refuses to accept reality but instead lives in her own beautiful world away from others (hence rowing through a field in comparison to water). Yet she is anchored to the ground and at a stand still, trying to row will not get her anywhere. Also, a storm is approaching and she is about to find herself in trouble. This art piece is of a girl at a standstill in her life, as she will not accept reality but contents to be in her own beautiful world. Chamber’s use of digital technologies, such as Photoshop, enhances the overall appearance, most importantly; it enhances the realism of the piece.

The art piece, Maritime Sentry, uses visual language, digital photography and media to communicate meaning. The colours in the art work, Maritime Sentry, are complementary. The mood is cold as the colours are mostly cool colours, the light blue water and light sky. The horse's dark, black colouring presents a strong contrast to the neutral colour scheme. Black horses usually represent power, strength and a quality of viciousness. The fact that the horse is not bridled suggests that it has freedom, yet it is letting the girl ride it so it must be giving her some dominion over itself. This work is balanced and space creates depth in the background of the sea. There is movement in the water by the way it ripples as the horse moves through the water. The focal point of the piece is the both the horse and the girl as the contrast between the white and black draws the viewers attention to both. Chambers is trying to communicate a connection between the dominance humans have over animals, particularly the Marwari horse as they are near extinction. The title Maritime Sentry suggests the girl controls the water or sea. This piece is cold and confronting. There is a connection between the horse and the girl and the power she is given when riding the horse. The girls are all the same, equal yet the power she has sets them apart. This segregation gives meaning to the piece. She is equal to the other girls as she was just previously swimming in the water as well. Now that she rides the horse she has power over the others and can easily use it against them. Chambers’ uses Photoshop to enhance the colouring and contrast in this piece. This improvement of the art works visual language affects the meaning of the piece as the colouring and contrast is a large part of this. Tom Chambers, when writing about his artwork, said ‘With digital photography I desire to move beyond documentation of the present, and rather seek to merge reality and dreams in musing about possibilities of the future.’ (Chambers, 2010). The theme that is strongly communicated in his artwork is the dreamlike awareness that he captures so well. Tom Chambers meaning for both Spring’s Landfall and Maritime Sentry is communicated through both his use of digital technologies and visual language.

In Tom Chamber’s artwork the role of surrealism is clear in Spring’s Landfall. However, his piece Maritime Sentry does not have such a strong aspect of surrealism. Although, there is an aspect of surrealism in this art piece. Spring’s Landfall relies on its surreal qualities and juxtaposition to create an out of place piece that has deep meaning to it. This role of surrealism is present in many of Tom Chamber’s artworks in communicating a blur of reality and fantasy. In relation to his artwork, Spring’s Landfall, Chambers writes of the meaning he communicates, ‘…these photomontages explore a place where unexpected circumstances collide’ (Chambers, 2010).  This description he gives of his artwork captures the definition of surrealism, a collision of unexpected images. However, Tom Chambers is not the first artist to create surrealistic artwork. Surrealism was a movement launched in 1924 that grew out of symbolism and Dadaism. André Breton, the poet and critic who published “The Surrealist Manifesto” in 1924, says Surrealism was ‘a means of reuniting conscious and unconscious realms of experience so completely, that the world of dream and fantasy would be joined to the everyday rational world in an absolute reality, a surreality.’ (Comprehensive History of all things Surrealist). This combination of the dream world being connected to reality is what Chambers has communicated through his artwork. ‘…this type of artwork is a genre commonly known as magic realism.’ (Brooks, 2010). Although Maritime Sentry does not have a strong aspect of surrealism it does have a dreamlike aspect. In relation to Maritime Sentry, ‘In these photomontages I present dreamlike images…’ (Chambers, 2010).  He uses an aspect of surrealism in this piece; therefore this art piece is not absent from Surrealism. Tom Chambers artwork, Maritime Sentry and Spring’s Landfall, both use Surrealism in communicating their meaning.

Tom Chambers uses technology to create dreamlike images that appear realistic yet are surreal and enhance the visual language of his artwork. His images capture a dreamlike state through the use of digital photography and media. Also, Surrealism is strong in his piece Spring’s Landfall, and present in the piece Maritime Sentry. Surrealism is the combination of reality and fantasy, which is communicated in his artwork and used to express their meanings.

Bibliography

Comprehensive History of all things Surrealist, http://www.surrealist.com/ (6/11/10)

Chambers, T.W, Tom Chambers Photography: Portfolio, http://www.tomchambersphoto.com/portfolio.html (6/11/10)

Brooks, K. The art of Tom Chambers, Huffpost living, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kimberly-brooks/photographys-sex-change-t_b_99886.html (7/11/10)

Appraisal of Tom Chambers Maritime Sentry

Describe: In the foreground of this art piece is a young girl, no older than 8, riding a black horse through the water. On their right are another three young girls swimming in the water. The girl riding the horse looks cold and wet, as though she was just swimming herself. She is looking down at the girls swimming with an almost reproachful look. In the background of this art piece, the expanse of the ocean and plain yellowy sky. The background is a pale, dull colour that gives a empty and cold feeling to this piece. However, the black horse is in stark contrast to not only the background but the young girl as she is wearing white. 

Analyse: The colours in this art work are complementary. The mood is cold as the colours are mostly cool colours, the light blue water and light white. The horse's dark, black colouring presents a strong contrast to the rest of the neutral colour scheme. Black horse's usually represent power, strength and a quality of viciousness. The fact that the horse is not bridled suggests that it has freedom, yet it is letting the girl ride it so it must be giving her some dominion over itself. This work is balanced and space creates depth in the background of the sea. There is movement in the water by the way it ripples and through the horse as it moves through the water is creating waves. The focal point of the piece is the horse and the girl combined as the contrast between the white and black creates draws the viewers attention to both.

Interpret: The contrasting colours and height difference between the girl on the horse and the girls in the water suggests segregation between them.Also, her facial expressions express cold and disgruntled emotions. The way she looks down at the girls and her facial expressions suggest she is trying to drive them away. The dark reflection in the water suggests the girls are being driven away from the horses dark presence. Tom Chambers is trying to communicate a connection between the dominance humans have over animals, particularly the marwari horse as they are near extinction. The title maritime sentry suggests the girl controls the water/sea. 

Evaluate: I find this piece is cold and confronting. I can see the connection between the horse and the girl and the power she is given when riding the horse. The girls are all the same, equal yet the power she has sets them apart. This segregates them and gives meaning to the piece. In this piece an innocent child freely rides the horse but she misuses this power only to abuse others. She is equal to the other girls and was only just previously swimming in the water. Now that she rides the horse she has power over the others and can easily use it against them. Hence why thy are swimming away.

Appraisal of Tom Chambers Springs Landfall

Describe:  In this art piece a blindfolded girl rows her boat through dry grass fields. Her boat is full of colourful flowers yet the landscape is fairly barren. Seagulls fly over head which suggests the sea must be nearby or they are just as lost as she is. Also, the sky is overcast and dark storm clouds are approaching. The girl is rowing the boat with not oars but sticks and dust flies out from behind as she rows over the mound as water does when rowing over a wave in the sea. If one were to look closely at the bottom of the boat, one would see an anchor that is embedded in the soil and vines. This image seems surreal and out of place.  


Analyse: There is a strong sense of Juxtaposition in this piece. It is seen in the flowers in the boat compared to the dry landscape, the rowing boat on land and the blindfold she wears when she would need to be relying on her sight to row. The girl rowing blindfolded suggests she is oblivious to the world around her and going blindly through life. Also contrasting colours enhance the juxtaposition in this piece, the girls bright dress and colourful flowers - the dull colours in the field and sky. The focal point is obvious through use of strong tonal contrast and use of space. There is movement in the piece mainly coming from the  oars and the birds flying. There is also a sense of balance in the piece but not harmony as the objects in the piece are out of place and strange. The expected place of a rowing boat is in the water not in a field. This makes the art piece seem confusing and difficult. Also, this piece seems surreal as the girl in the rowing boat is so out of place, as are the seagulls. Even the fact that she is wearing a long dress, not the attire you would expect one would wear rowing, this suggests she is lost. 

Interpret: Tom Chambers is trying to create a surreal image that creates a confusing and bizarre image. He uses juxtaposition to give express this as well as strong tonal contrast. There is strong juxtaposition through the mix of reality and fantasy. The blindfolded girl, the rowing boat and bright flowers are out of place which suggest she is in her own fantasy world, whereas the landscape is the harshness of reality around her. She refuses to accept reality but instead lives in her own beautiful world away from others (hence rowing through a field in comparison to water). Yet she is anchored to the ground and at a stand still, trying to row will not get her anywhere. Also, a storm is approaching and she is about to find herself in trouble. This at piece is of a girl at a standstill in her life as she will not accept reality but contents herself to be in her own beautiful world. 


Evaluate: I find this piece of work hard to confusing but it communicates it message quite clearly. I like it for its surreal and unrealistic qualities. I pick up lost and alienated feelings from this art piece. I find it is almost shocking as it seems unreal to see a blindfolded girl rowing aimlessly on land. Her refusal to move on but row without purpose or direction is very strange and she is completely out of place and about to approach a storm of problems. 

Tom chambers final pieces with comments

NigelD said: there is always another way

Bonnie said: It looks like a nice afternoon at the beach. It seems a bit depressing and melancholic, like someone's pondering over their childhood memories. It has a cold feeling, which I don't really like. 

As for meaning, it seems to say 'segregation'. It's illustrated in the physical sense, but I guess it could be spiritual segregation or separation as well. I think the girl on the horse is lonely. She seems to be in her own world, mentally removed from the physical reality around her, or perhaps removed from the mental reality of her friends' world.

Award said: if you ever played marco polo as a child you might kind of know what i mean ... when you're playing around in the pool as a kid and you're waiting for people to catch you, but they swim right on by? there's a sense of relief, but also this "why didnt they know i was there?"she's slowly become the outsider and she doesnt seem to like that idea...

Jaebin said: The girl on the horse looks left out of the girls group. The lonely girl doesn't know where to go, she is following the group. The girl looks quite lost and cold. From my point of view this piece is quite depressing.

NigelD said: Rowing blindly and inadequately to eternity?...

Bonnie said: I've never associated happy feelings with dry fields and old style clothing, so I feel largely negative when I look at it. I guess the symbolism of the boat paddling in the same place, on ground, means that she's at standstill or really confused. It looks like there's a storm coming or something like that and she'll get drenched and even more confused. She looks lost and defiant, despite the fact she's in a bit of a pickle. A very big pickle.

Award said: the boat images poses an interesting juxtaposition: so out of place, rowing blindly through a field. i get this feeling of alienation and confusion (who wouldnt be, i guess?)the storm, as bonnie mentioned, i think really captures this juxtaposition. it looks like the kind of sky you see over the water - and the seagulls add to this. i think it's about blindly searching for something when youre looking in the wrong place to start with.

Jaebin said: The girl's life has been ruined. She doesn't know where to go and she is just paddling in the same place, like she's not moving forward. The world seems to be a beautiful place in her own world, like flowers, but when you look around everything is dead.