Recognitions

Rochester Institute of Technology

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6-1-1980

Recognitions

Elaine Matczak

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Dedication 1

Introduction ... 3

Materials, Methods,

and Results 6

Exposure 6

Blur/Motion Effect 8

Line/Edge Effect 9

Foreground/

Background Treatment 10

Printing

10

Technical Data 12

Conclusion 14

Thesis Proposal 15

Bibliography

22

Exhibition Announcements 25

Copy

Slides of Original Thesis Photographs 27

DEDICATION

This work is dedicated to Owen who encouraged me to

develop,

from my

own _center, a _way of _making photographs. Both his thoughts and work have

"There

seem to be moments of _revelation, moments when

we see in the transition of one part to another the

unification of the whole. There is a sense of compre

hension and of a great happiness. We have entered

into a great order and have been carried into a greater

knowledge

by

it. . . . We may call it a passage into another dimension than the ordinary. If one could

but record the vision of these moments

by

some sort

of sign

I

It was in this hope that the arts were in

vented. Signposts on the _way to what _may be. Signposts towards greater knowledge."

Robert Henri

INTRODUCTION

It was _my intention in this project to compose photographs which were

expressive of

feelings,

_experiences, and

ideas,

while

investigating

the

abstract effects of color and motion.

My

primary concern was not to depict mirrored images of _objects, but

to recognize their physical qualities as abstractions rather than

descrip

tions,

and to arrange them in space and under conditions of light that

would, when transformed photographically, produce images that represent

feelings and ideas.

The photographs began with the "belief" that I had contacted _something

specific about _my experience while _{experimenting} with flash and

long

ex

posures on color film. I knew not what the specific

thing

_{was, only} that I

wanted to repeat

it;

that it brought me great _pleasure; and that I had an

intuitive

feeling

that I was

being

guided towards _something significant

a greater knowledge. _{As my} emotional involvement grew, I felt compelled

to make the images have a definite

"look"

to them. The relevance of the

surface was not altogether _clear, but it seemed to _{be necessary,} essential.

Continuing

with the _work, I _{focused my} attention towards _gaining more con

trol over the

image-making,

the _shaping of the photographic _situation,

the

lighting

_conditions, and exposure controls. The

building

of the image

had to _embody this excitement.

I recognized that the surface effect of blurriness and motion depicted

the idea that all matter is actually energy in an _{everchanging state;} and

that which we perceive as solid is in essence a

temporary

fixing

of energy.

Matthiessen1

this perception:

. . . appearances are illusory. . . . All phenomena are

processes, connections, all is in

flux,

and at moments

this flux _{is actually visible;} one has _only to open the mind in meditation or have the mind screen knocked _awry

... to see that there is no real edge to anything, that

in the endless interpenetration of the _universe, a molecu

"All

architecture is what you do to it when you look upon _{it ;}

(Did

you think it was in the white or _gray stone? or the

lines of the arches and

cornices?)"

Walt whitman

MATERIALS, METHODS,

AND RESULTS

An assumed but not stated objective

in

this work was to achieve a degree

of directorial control over the

image-making.

Understanding

the technical

limitations of the medium gave

insight

into

the development of the pictorial

structure.

Exposure

The structural strategies devised to accomplish the desired "image look"

were based upon extensive experimentation _combining an electronic flash exposure

with a

long

handheld exposure.

Generally,

the exposures were _calculated,

first, by

taking

an incident _reading of the ambient light in the photographic

situation and _selecting an

f/stop

and time combination which would yield

an exposure time between four to ten seconds. Since it was important that

foreground objects as well as the background be rendered not out of focus

but _slightly blurred as though in gentle

flux,

maximum depth of field was

necessary. F/16 provided a range of _sharp focus between 3'6" and 25'. For

medium shot distances f/11 set a range between 5' and 25'.

Secondly,

to calculate the electronic flash _exposure, the flash-to-subject

distance had to be adjusted to match the

f/stop

that had been selected for

the

long

exposure. This was problematic.

Often,

the flash unit was held

off the camera with an extension cord in order to allow for more

flexibility

in the camera-to-subject distance.

Establishing

repeatable exposure control required critical

testing,

because of miscalculations in the duration of the

long

exposure. An exposure

under four seconds did not produce sufficient blur to separate the objects

illuminated

by

the flash from the background illuminated

by

the ambient light.

An exposure time over ten seconds produced an

image

that suffered from ex

cessive camera movement. Too much blur obscured the details of the objects

defining

lines and surface textures were rendered _{unintelligibly, reducing}

the image content to patterns of colored mass.

When the subject of the flash exposure was also illuminated

by

the ambient

light,

a _one-stop decrease in flash exposure yielded a more acceptable

lighting

ratio of _{approximately} 1:4.

However,

when this adjustment was not made the

resulting overexposure was corrected

during

printing. This allowed for color

manipulation of these areas

by

_using color correction filters in the burning-in

process.

(Slide

#24)

When the subject of the flash exposure was in a shadowed area and not

illuminated

by

the ambient

light,

the flash was used as a fill light and

required an extra _stop of exposure.

(Slide

#22)

In cases where the ambient

light was _very

intense,

neutral

density

filters were used over the lens in

order to lengthen the exposure time.

(Slide

#19)

When _working at

close-up distances

indoors,

the flash was bounced from the _ceiling or walls to

cut back on the intensity.

(Slide

#3)

Because exposure was a critical

factor, lighting

situations which were

accessible and _readily available for "remakes" were utilized. The objects

depicted were commonplace things that were part of _my environment. Some

objects offered aesthetic pleasure through their form and color while others

The

"image

look"

embraced all things _{similarly, reducing} them to their

fundamental or _rudimentary elements.

Everything,

whether an object, the

atmosphere, or light

itself

is

depicted as "substance" minute colored specks

or particles _grouping together to give visual definition to even the invisible.

Everything

appears to have

density

and is vibrating or _gently pulsating in

a thick atmosphere.

A _multiplicity of visual _{effects, contributing} and essential to the

surface aesthetic of the

images,

hinges upon precise control of this exposure

technique. The

following

discussion will

illuminate

the technical _nature,

aesthetic usage, and symbolic potential of these effects.

Blur/Motion Effect

The blur/motion effect _resulting from a

long

handheld exposure produces

an overall surface _quality which creates an

illusion

that one is

looking

at _something not _normally seen. The _reality depicted is not the mirrored

reflection of the world that we have come to believe _photography gives.

Nonetheless,

owing to our _conditioning to accept photographic _reality as

truth,

the image holds some _authority and challenges the eye and the mind

regarding the fundamental nature of things. An alternative vision represented

is an altered state of perception or consciousness _perhaps, a dream vision

or etheric vision

(the

_ability to see energy-substance) which penetrates

the surface appearance of things.

As a structural

device,

the blur/motion effect unifies and holds the

picture elements _together; the

forms,

_space, and

illumination

share common

It is as though one could see through things and get a glimpse of how the

material stuff of the world

is

put together. Our perception of solid mass

is _actually an

impression.

Things are _merely a

temporary

confinement of

rapidly moving molecules.

(Baker,

b,

p.

5)

This

instability

is characterized

in the

floating

_quality of the objects things do not seem to be

firmly

fixed

on the picture plane. The hard-edged outlines of the objects dissolve into

soft _{vibrating energy} fields. There is a sense that what is "caught" in

the photograph is a

transitory

_moment, not _only in time and _space, but also

in the state of matter or _energy itself.

(Slide

#9)

Line/Edge Effect

The

intensity,

_quality, and duration of the exposures tend to produce

variation in the

density

and thickness of the

defining

lines. The _quality

of the "line/edge" produced

by

the flash exposure is both razor _sharp and

mechanical in feeling. The precision of this line is true to normal photo

graphic vision and appears to be etched into the print surface.

(Slide

#16)

The

long

exposure fixes the outline of the object with a _pastel, charcoal

like effect. The edge is soft and nondistinct with a translucent _quality

suggesting the _energy field around all things.

(Slide

#11)

When light sources are photographed

directly,

the boundaries dissolve

presenting an apparition of radiant energy.

(Slide

#27)

The line/edge effects

Foreground/Background Treatment

The differences

in

color temperature of the combined light sources set

up relationships of color

harmony

that separate and

integrate

the foreground

and background. The range and richness of colors produced

by

this effect

is somewhat

disorienting

_{very bright} saturated colors harmonize with soft

pastels.

(This

_quality is created in part

by

the line/edge effect.) The

sensation appears analogous to

being

at a carnival or in a dream state where

objects and colors that do not _normally coexist are joined _coherently in

a single context.

(Slide

#18)

This treatment of the foreground/background is enhanced

by

the phenomenon

of flash falloff. As a result of flash

falloff,

the definition of distant

background objects is _{obscured, unifying} the elements in a related dimension

and

forming

the semblance of a backdrop.

(Slides

#34 and

#39)

Printing

The final interpretation and _modeling of the images occurred in the

darkroom. Kodacolor II film can be shot under _any light source and be color

corrected in the printing. Since all of the images mix light sources of

varying color

temperatures,

it was at this point I decided for which light

source to balance and set the overall image hue. I began

by

_rendering at

least one object with what I felt was its true color. Trial and error

testing

lead to _making this decision and _establishing the color relationships within

the image. To achieve color

harmony,

the technique of burning-in with gelatin

color correction filters was

freely

used to

locally

emphasize and adjust

value, chroma, and hue.

(Slide

#23)

Subtle changes beyond this were made

with Flexicolor dyes. These dyes were applied with cotton to the desired

intensity

and _permanently fixed with steam.

(Slide

#26)

For the _consistency in

density

and color

balance,

each piece was worked

in relation to the entire

body

of images.

Initially,

the enlargements were

6"

x 9".

During

the final stages of _reworking a few prints, I experimented

with

increasing

the magnification to 8" x 12". The _resulting exaggeration

of the grain structure gave a more perceptible _unity to the picture surface.

Through these combined _{effects, reality} is rendered into an abstraction,

thus _enabling the viewer to perceive beneath the surface of ordinary appear

ances. This _going beneath surface appearances, or Perreality,* _may be used

as a tool to interpret our illusions of perception.

*Perreality

[per

through beneath + reality]

TECHNICAL DATA

Camera and lens: Leica M2 with Summicron 35mm 1:2

and Elmar 50mm 1:2.8 lenses Nikkormat

with 35mm 1:2.8 lens

Electronic Flash: Honeywell Strobolite 620

Lightmeter: Gossen Luna Pro

Film: Kodacolor II rated at ASA 100

Machine processed _normally in

C-41 _chemistry at a professional

laboratory

Enlargements and

Print Finishing: Ektacolor 37 RC paper N surface

processed in Ektaprint 2 _step

chemistry on a Colenta Expediter

(Hope 095)

All negatives were printed full

frame either 6" x 9" or 8" x

12"

and window matted _respectively

on 11" x 14" or 16" x 20" white

2 _ply conservation board

Spotting: _When

necessary was done with Peerless Watercolors and Flexicolor dyes

Transparencies:

Copy

slides of individual photographs

were made on Ektachrome Professional

50 film. Installation shots were

originally taken with Kodachrome 40

5070

(Type

A) film

To improve the color _rendition,

they

were later duped and color

balanced on Ektachrome

Duping

Film 5071

CONCLUSION

My

experience with this

body

of work has brought to light the

confinement of our perceptions. I have come to recognize that

surface appearances consider things in their _singularity and _{separateness,}

where _as, to go beneath this surface reveals the _connecting force between

all things.

This recognition has lead to a greater knowledge and understanding.

Thesis Proposal

1

THESIS PROPOSAL

for the

MASTER OF FINE ARTS DEGREE

College of Graphic Arts and

Photography

School of Photographic Arts and Sciences

ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

TITLE:

PURPOSE:

SUBMITTED BY:

DATE:

RECOGNITIONS

To make photographs of objects that are expressive of

feelings,

experiences and ideas.

To investigate the effects of color and motion _resulting

from the use of multiple exposures and multiple light

sources in the making of an image on color negative mater

ial.

Elaine Matczak

February 21,

1977

THESIS BOARD:

Chief Advisor: Owen Butler

Assistant Professor

School of Photographic Arts and Sciences

Rochester Institute of

Technology

Thesis Proposal

2

Associate

Advisors: Charles Arnold

Professor

School of Photographic Arts and Sciences

Rochester Institute of

Technology

Lawrence Williams

Professor

College of Fine and Applied Arts

Rochester Institute of

Technology

Thesis Proposal

3

SCOPE AND BACKGROUND OF THESIS

I believe that it is

instinctive

for man to seek expression of his feel

ings and to desire to know of and about himself. For the _artist, it is his

passion. "And the _{only way} in which we know our feelings is

by imaging

them

or _embodying them or _expressing them in words or _something else _sensuously

apprehensible."

This is what I am after.

I am interested _{in photographing} objects _any kind of object: natural

objects, man-made

things,

whole

things,

parts of

things;

objects in their

functional contexts or objects displaced. Objects become alive for me reveal

ing

specific qualities of _energy in their

form,

shape,

line,

texture

density

and color that relate to human feelings and emotions. Just as photographs

of people _may arouse in the spectator a sense of

loneliness,

_sadness,

joy,

fear,

movement, silence, etc. so _may photographs of objects.

My

primary concern is not to describe

literally

or _accurately the objects

I choose to _photograph, but to consider their physical _qualities, and to

arrange them in space and under conditions of light that will, when transformed

photographically, produce images that correspond to feelings and ideas.

One example of a photograph that I experience in the ways I am

describing

2

here is the apple image

by

Paul Caponigro. This apple is more _acutely felt

to be a representation of the cosmos than a literal description of an apple.

With the physical substance of an _ordinary apple, Mr. Caponigro has portrayed

a sensation of cosmic space a

feeling

of _atmosphere, of

immensity,

of distance.

Specifically,

I am interested in _exploring the structural and pictorial

possibilities that occur in using a short electronic flash exposure as well

Thesis Proposal

4

as a

long

(sometimes

over exposure) on the same color negative. The flash

renders one select area of the image with _sharp, well-defined _edges, while

the

long

handheld exposure adds an overall blurriness _{suggesting energy} flow

and movement. Incorporated into this process is the _combining of light sources of _varying color temperatures which has the effect of _extending and modifying the range of colors _normally seen and depicted under standard exposure condi

tions. Print manipulation techniques of

burning

and

dodging

with color correc

tion filters offer further control over image color.

PROCEDURES:

The thesis will be a

body

of work _consisting of fifteen to twenty-five

color prints to be

hung

in the MFA

Gallery

_early in

September,

1977- All images will be made with a 35mm camera _using Kodacolor II film. Observations

of the results and experiences will be recorded and included in the thesis

report which will be submitted _according to the MFA Committee requirements.

Thesis Proposal

5

Footnotes

E. F.

Carritt,

"Beauty

as Expression," in

Introductory

Readings in

Aesthetics,

ed. with an introduction

by

John Hospers (New York: The Free

Press,

Macmillan

Company,

1969),

p. 130.

^Paul

Caponigro,

An Aperture Monograph

(New

York:

Aperture,

Inc.,

1967), p. 57.

Thesis Proposal

6

GLOSSARY

The

following

explanation of terms taken from Webster's New World

Dictionary

of the American

Language,

College

Edition,

_{may clarify} the intentions of

the proposal.

emotion - implies

an intense

feeling

with physical as well as mental manifesta

tions.

-a _strong generalized

feeling;

psychical excitement.

-any specific

feeling,

any of various complex reactions with both psychical and physical

manifestations as

love, hate,

fear,

_anger, etc.

energy

-force of expression or _utterance; potential

forces;

inherent _power;

capacity for vigorous action.

experience

-an actual

living

through an event or _{events; personally undergoing}

or _{observing something} or things in general as

they

occur.

-all that has

happened to _{one; everything} one has seen or done.

feeling

-any of the subjective reactions, pleasurable or _{unpleasurable,}

that one _may have to a situation.

-what is attributed to some

thing

as a

result of one's own impressions are emotions.

idea

-a thought; mental conception; mental

image;

notion; a

hazy

_perception;

vague

intention,

inkling.

Thesis Proposal

7

quality

-that which makes _something what it

is;

a characteristic element

(physical or _{non-physical,} individual or typical).

represent

-to present or picture to the _mind; put _clearly before the mind.

-present a likeness or image _{of; portray} or depict.

-to be a sign

for,

stand

for, denote,

dessignate,

symbolize.

transform

-implies a change either in external form or inner _nature, in

function.

-to change the form or outward appearance of; to change the condi

tion, nature, or function of.

I have not listed the _many meanings of the above _words, but have chosen the

specific meanings that pertain to the contexts in which I am _using them.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Reference Note

The

following

bibliography

represents the literature that was explored

during

the development of the photographic images as well as the written

report.

Method of Citation

The author's last _name, the year of _publication, and the page number

(all

three items separated

by

commas) are cited at the end of the notes.

Complete references are given in the bibliography. In _cases, when the

author has two works with the same year of publication or when no date

is given,

they

are distinguished

by

_appending an _a,

b,

_c, etc. to the year.

Anderson,

Mary. Color Healing:

Chromotherapy

and How it Works. New York: Samuel

Weiser,

1975.

Arguelles,

Jose A. The Transformative Vision. Berkeley: Shambhala

Publications,

Inc.,

1975.

Besant,

Annie and

Leadbeater,

C. W. Thought-Forms. Adyar: The Theosophica

Printing

House,

1925;

Wheaton,

111.: Quest Book

Printing,

1975.

Birren,

Faber. Color in Your World. New York: Macmillian

1962;

revised ed.

Collier

Books,

1978.

. Functional Color. New York: Crimson

Press,

1937.

Monument to Color. New York: McFarlane Warde

McFarlane,

1938.

Principles of Color. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold

Co.,

1969.

Caponigro,

Paul. Paul

Caponigro,

An Aperture Monograph. New York:

Aperture,

Inc.,

1967.

Capra,

Fritjof. The Tao of Physics. Boulder: Shambhala

Publications,

Inc.,

1967;

Bantam

Books,

1977.

Cirlot,

J. E. A

Dictionary

of Symbols. New York: Philosophical

Library,

Inc.,

1962.

Coe,

Brian. Colour Photography. London: Ash &

Grant, Ltd.,

1978

Dewey,

John;

Barnes,

Albert C. ;

Buermeyer, Laurence; Mullen,

Mary;

De

Mazia,

Violette. Art and Education A Collection of Essays.

Merion,

Penna.: The Barnes Foundation

Press,

1978.

Dijkstra,

Bram. The Hieroglyphics of a New Speech. New Jersey: Princeton

University

Press,

1969.

Gernsheim,

Helmut and

Alison,

ed. Alvin Langdon Coburn Photographer An

Autobiography

. London: Faber &

Faber,

1966.

Geothe,

Johann

Wolfgang

van.

Theory

of Color. Translated

by

Charles

Lock Eastlake. London: John

Murray,

1840;

reprinted ed.

Cambridge,

Mass.: M. I. T.

Press,

1970.

Graham,

Lanier,

F. The Rainbow Book. New York: Random

House;

Vintage

Books edition, 1979.

Hattersley,

Ralph. Photographic

Lighting

-Learning

to See. Englewood

Cliffs,

New Jersey:

Prentice-Hall,

Inc.,

1979.

Heline,

Corine. Color and Music in the New Age. California: New Age

Press,

Inc.,

1964.

Henri,

Robert. The Art Spirit. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott

Company,

1960.

Herbert,

Robert L. , ed. Modern Artists on Art. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice

Hall,

Inc.,

1964.

Hess,

Thomas B. , and

Ashbery,

John,

eds. Light in Art. New York: Collier

Books,

1971.

Hospers,

John,

ed.

Introductory

Readings in Aesthetics. New York: The

Free

Press,

1969.

Hunt,

Roland T. The Eighth

Key

to Color. London: L. N. Fowler & Co.

Ltd.,

1965.

Johnson,

Kendall.

Photographing

the Nonmaterial World. New York: Hawthorn

Books,

Inc.,

1975.

Jung,

Carl G. Man and His Symbols. New York: Dell

Publishing

Co., Inc.,

1972.

Kandinsky,

Wassily. Concerning the Spiritual in Art. Translated

by

M. T. H.

Sadler. New York: Dover

Publications,

1977.

Matthiessen,

Peter. The Snow Leopard. New York:

Viking

Penguin,

Inc., 1978;

Bantam

Books,

1979.

Nash, Margaret,

ed. Paul Nash Fertile Image. London: Faber & Faber

Ltd., 1951;

The Paul Nash

Trustees,

1975.

Rainwater,

Clarence. Light and Color. New York: Golden

Press,

1971.

Samuels,

Mike and

Samuels,

Nancy.

Seeing

with the Mind's Eye. New York: Random

House,

1975.

Scharf,

Aaron. Art and Photography. Baltimore: Penquine Books

Inc.,

1968.

Sontag,

Susan. On Photography. New York: Dell

Publishing Co.,

Inc.,

1978.

The I Ching. Translated

by

Richard Wilhelm. New York: Bollingen

Foundation,

Princeton

University

Press,

1967.

Van

Dusen,

Wilson. The Presence of Other Worlds The Psycological/Spiritual

Findings of Emanuel Swedenborg. New York: Harper & Row Publishers

Inc.,

1974;

Perennial

Library,

1975.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Elaine Matczak

Thesis

Exhibition

September 18-24

J

977

MFA

GALLERY

Rochester Institute

of

Technology

PHOTOGRAPHS

Elaine Matczak

Thesis

Exhibition

September

18-24,

1977

MFA GALLERY

Rochester Institute

of

Technology

COPY SLIDES OF ORIGINAL THESIS PHOTOGRAPHS

Images

#1

-

#34

comprise the thesis exhibition. Related images

were realized beyond this point and are included

#35

-#41.

#35

-#38 were shot at the time of the thesis _project, but were not considered for inclusion

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