Thesis photographs

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5-1-1984

Thesis photographs

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THESIS PHOTOGRAPHS

BY

JUDITH HANLON

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FUFILLMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE

MASTER OF FINE ARTS

MFA PHOTOGRAPHY PROGRAM

SCHOOL OF PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS AND SCIENCES

ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

ROCHESTER, NEW YORK

MAY I,

1984

Charles Werberig

Charles Werberig, Chairp~son Associate Professor of P otography School of Photographic Arts

&

Owen Butler

Owen Butler

Assistant Professor of Photography School of Photographic Arts

&

Gregory Gillespie American Painter

PERMISSION TO COpy

I, Judith Hanlon prefer to be contacted each time a

request for reproduction of my report, Thesis Photographs,

is made. I can be reached at the following address.

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For in the immediate _{world, every} thing is to be _discerned, ...centrally and simply, without either dissection into

science, or digestion into _art, but with the whole of _{consciousness, seeking} to perceive

it as It stands:.. .and all of consciousness is shifted from the _imagined, the _revislve, to the effort to perceive _simply the cruel

radiance of what is.

CONTENTS

DEDICATION i

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ii

I. INTRODUCTION 1

Preliminary Remarks 1

Thesis Proposal ₃

II. EXPOSITION 6

Intuitive Procedure 6

Reality Testing 8

Presentation 10

III . BIBLIOGRAPHY 12

IV. APPENDIX Ik

Technical Procedures Ik

Amidol Formulas 16

Photographic Print 17

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First I would like to thank certain peers and

associates, beginning with Linda McCausland and _Anthony

Guidice who _{enthusiastically} shared _{their work, ideas,}

and passion _{for photography,} and who spurred me on in

my own attempts with their _{flattery, teasing, tirades,}

and moral support.

What would a photographic _outing be without

Linda's gigantic chocolate _{candy bars} or Anthony's

salami sandwiches and beer? I must thank Linda again as

well for her help in practical matters related to _getting

the work done and exhibited. And _Anthony for his re

freshing outbursts of cynical idealisml

Thank-you to _Kathy Collins for the generous use

of lenses before she even knew _me, and later for her

thoughtful questions, friendly support, and open frankness

in her views and for missing an important lecture to

attend _my thesis sharing!

And thanks to John Westbrook in chem lab for

technical information, and to Dick Norman for lens _boards,

uninvited assertiveness _{training books,} and humorous wisdom

about academic preponderancy.

I am grateful to each of _my Thesis Board Members

for different reasons.

I wish to thank Charles _Werberig for his guidance

and patient hours of encouragement for myself and _many

others in our individual efforts; for his enthusiastic appreciation, breadth of _Interest, and subtle understand

ing of various art forms and their inter-relationships;

and _{for his warmth, candor,} and subdued sense of the

ridiculous and the sublime. When I would meet students

who didn't quite fit the _mold, or who were a little tem

peramental such as _Roy Greer or _{Anthony Guidice,} I'd

ask them right _away if they'd met Charles _Werberig, and

if they hadn't, would tell them to find him as soon as

possible; if _they couldn't relate with him then _they were _{probably terminally} hopelessl Charles _Werberig is

a born teacher/counselor an _{intelligent, feeling,} ac

cepting human being.

Thanks to Owen Butler for _{unreservedly expressing}

in his classes his keen insights and sensitive intellCigence

about _photography and photographing; for his demonstration

of what it means to be articulate to _say what needs to be said in a _pointed, clear and _timely manner; to ask the

pertinent _question, and to be silent when it is most ex

pressive and meaningful. I also want to thank him for his

respect and serious consideration of student work. He

cared enough to praise and _enjoy good _work, or to show indignation when gimmickry proudly appeared in displayed

photographs; it would have been simpler to have been

passive or to have overlooked these _problems, and simpler

not to have engaged in dialogue that _occasionally offended

the egos of sometimes pretentious graduate students; but

good _teaching flows from the love and understanding of a

subject, and the unequivocal expression of related know

ledge and feelings.

Gregory Gillespie when I first met this person

he was an outspoken _young undergraduate student from New

Jersey. I remember him once _striding to the front board

before a class of about _fifty students to debate Dr. Paul

Zucker, a published art historian and a _very formidable

professor and intimidator of students. I was Impressed with

Greg's artless _conviction, and with his sheer intestinal

fortitude. He was also a dedicated worker, a loyal and

generous _friend, and gentle as he was outspoken.

Years later he was a _very successful artist, and

when I approached him about _being on _my thesis board I was

unsure as to his response. He accepted, and was as gracious

and forthright as I remembered. When I drove to see him

with a stack of photographs of _very mixed _quality, he

greeted me with a _big smile and bear _hug and then sat down

to slowly and carefully look through my work. He gave his

opinions directly and _simply, and then _unhurriedly shared

his own work without the slightest _{condescension,} while I

also spoke _my mind. I thank him for the experience of

knowing him in his uncompromised _integrity, his

gravity-free _imagination, and his human kindness.

I. INTRODUCTION

Preliminary Remarks

I make but one reservation in _determining the

objective of _photographyi that It should not be used

to create a work in which it is apparent that a clearer

communication might have been established in other ways. Excepting this, I have no theories which condition _my

work; theories follow practice, are never a part of the

creative process. Logic implies _repetition, the dullness

of _stability, while life is _fluid, ever changing. Under

standing is not reached through vicariously acquired in

formation, but in _living and _{working fully.}

Edward Weston

"A _Contemporary Means to Creative Expression"

As everyone is aware, the thesis work involves

first the proposal the _{system, scheme,} or plans for

goals and procedures; then the project the _body of

work and its presentation; and _finally the report the

written summation in which the work and related experiences

are discussed.

I found the greatest difficulties _lay in com

posing the proposal and _summary report since these were

concerned with verbalizations first as theoretical and

propositional, and ultimately as _{justification,} explanation

or conclusion.

Since I intended _{in my} thesis work to continue

my intuitive way of working, these requirements posed an

conceptuallza-tions could be antithetical to _my creative work. _Regarding

this, I agree with the words of Josef Sudek:

When a _photographer decides on a _theme, he wants to _finish, put it all _together, and

close a _chapter. But that's _forcing it. It Is better rather to do other things too and

to live. When _something doesn't come to gether _by itself it cannot be forced. The

photos then look tired.1

I consider _my work its own _{Justification,} and

question the validity and relevance of verbal summations

of _highly subjective experience.

Nevetheless, I understand the need in an aca

demic environment for some framework and record for

evaluative _purposes, though I needed to exercise care

that _planning and writing would not deaden my awareness

and _enjoyment, and _subsequently limit the range of possibi

lity and quality of _my work.

1 _{Sonja Bulla}

Thesis Proposal

Man is In love and loves what _vanishes, what more is there to say?

William Butler Yeats "Nineteen Hundred and Nineteen:

Purpose

I seek to enjoy the wordless _intimacy with _reality

that _photography permits. I Intend to photograph _any

subject that intrigues me and will proceed _intuitively

and directly. Acceptance is the _freeing precondition that

permits the simultaneous _discovery of self and other

through the work.

Scope

Jacques Marltain's discussions of the

objecti-fication of poetic intuition have long interested me. He

regards the art object as necessarily consistent. There-in

lies its power of simultaneously revealing signs both of

the unconscious self of the artist and of the inner

mystery of objects.

I accept his premise that the resonant strength

of the work is directly proportional to the spiritual

freedom, purity of _instinct, and depth of passion brought

content of the work itself.

Further, I believe that the fidelity of the

artist to his own _need, and the generosity inherent in

his desire to understand what is within and _beyond, demand

freedom from pre-occupatlon with concerns of _{style, merit,}

acceptability, and other external criteria. Continuity of a kind is _inevitable, and emerges from unconscious

levels unavoidably; it is as the fingerprint from one's

finger.

In the work _itself, form and content are

existen-tially inseparable, even though the potential for per

ceptual _emphasis, distortion and _play has always been

recognized. I am drawn to photographs where form and

content are _{simultaneously perceived,} with neither

advancing separately. I recognize Atget and Sudek as

masters of this special kind of _balance, and choose them

as models.

In addition, the works and ideas of a number of

writers, artists, and teachers influence me. I continually

consult with these _friends, without whom existence and

work would comprise a _lonely journey.

Procedure

The photographic format is selected for its

appropriateness to the expression of response.

Readings and visits to the House Archives will

continue as in the past. Observations about both the

documented in a _Journal.

The final exhibition will consist of _twenty or more

prints selected _{by my} thesis board and myself. Spring

II. EXPOSITION

Intuitive Procedure

I start out with _my mind as free from an image as

the silver film on which I am to _record, and I hope as sensitive.

Edward Weston

"Photography-Not Pictorial"

We should note that the lack of preformed pat

tern or preconceived idea of _{how anything} ought to look

is essential to this blank condition. Such a state of mind is not unlike the sheet of film itself _seemingly inert, yet so sensitive that a fraction of a seconds ex posure conceives a life in it.

Minor White "The Camera Mind and Eye"

I proceed without conscious _{precondition, plan,}

or expectation. My motivation and _{energy spring} from the

pleasures inherent in the process. These result from un

conditionally obeying spontaneous responses to the forces I feel in content.

Placing myself in ordinary situations that attract

or provoke through certain unpredictable visual phenomena

or _dimly sensed psychological aspects, I then use the

camera to explore the content _directly and _intuitively,

maintaining insofar as possible what psychologist Anton

Ehrenzweig describes as an unfocused state of attention.

In a heightened state of _energy and without

effort, excepting that which is _{fully absorbing,} so

that _working is a kind of _elation, there begins an

intense movement _{between my intuiting self,} the subject.

and the now _{newly forming} image on the ground glass.

In this experience of _{giving over,} of _losing

conscious controls and _{expectations,} there develops

a _{growing empathy} or resonance with the subject and the

forming image. _My conscious mind has _only the vaguest

intentions, while _my subjective self _actively and

clearly intuits.

There are no abstract aesthetic principles to

be _proved, nor any a priori visions to be _pedantically

reincarnated. _Image, subject and self are _thereby

free to become more and more _closely and _mutually

affecting, until, at a certain moment of balanced _energy,

synthesis _occurs, and the image becomes autonomous.

The power and character of the _resulting image

will directly correspond with the _Intensity of _my contact.

and the manner in which I reconcile _{my needs,} gravita

tions, and vulnerabilities with the possibilities

inherent in the subject.

1 _{It is Ehrenzweig's belief} that too precise

visualization inhibits low level scanning that the

Gestalt law of closure _may block the creative person's

ability to broaden the scope of the work by forcing a

choice between apparently contradicting patterns

patterns that intuitive unconscious powers could com

fortably reconcile. Anton Ehrenzweig, "Conscious

Planning and Unconscious

Scanning,"

in Education of

Vision, ed. Gyorgy Kepes (New York: George Braziller,

Reality Testing

I'm very disorderly. I never did make notes or set myself a stint of work .... Since I have no order, I know nothing about plots. The stories with me begin with

an anecdote or a sentence or an _expression, and I'll start

from there and sometimes I write the _thing backwards - I

myself don't know _exactly where _{any story} is _going ....

Then when I've got a lot of it _down, the policeman has got to come in and _say, "Now look _here, you've got to give this some sort of _unity and coherence and emphasis,"

the

old grammatical rules - _and then the hard _work begins. But it's pleasure - it's just like _{you get pleasure out}

of a _hard, fast tennis game ....

William Faulkner from "Faulkner at West Point"

The complete _subjectivity I allow myself while

photographing is joined with a colder more objective eye

after the initial darkroom romance has faded. The newly

developed negatives and their first printings always

thrill in the anticipation of remembered feelings and the

desire to re-experience the magical ground glass visions.

After the proofs are matted, I display them in

my home where I am _daily forced to look at the real in

formation and evidence _they contain. _During this time I

make Initial judgments regarding each photograph some

times judgments of _{deep disappointment,} sometimes of

Interest or pleasure. I do not make final prints at this

time.

Before anything else, the main question is whether

in itself? Do the parts feel _{interrelated,} essential?

Is the whole contrived and _forced, or does it exist _freely, with its own energy? Can I see anew and continue to see

the content with _{interest, respect,} and pleasure?

Usually within a _very short time I have divided

a new _group of pictures into the 'nos'

, 'maybes', and yeses'. The *nos'

are _{Immediately disenchanting;} I

can _clearly sense that the subject has been done a dis service, and I have not been able to meet it with ad

equate _energy and openness.

The 'yeses'

and 'maybes' continue to engage me.

These are photographs that confirm the _reality of _my original feelings _during the actual _{photographing,} or are photographs that present unexpected but provocative

information. In either _case, further _study is _necessary

before I feel inclined to begin final printing.

Unlike the writer whose individual works can

be made, reordered and reconstructed over a period of _time,

the photographer must learn through repeated isolated attempts with the _camera, and _{long looking} at a multitude

of separate images. Much growth and _learning take place

long after the ground glass adjustments and the _printing,

in the intervals between, when memories strive and

Presentation

My work was _displayed at Linda McCausland's

gallery, 28 Arlington. The _gallery area _{is in the}

renovated downstairs of her home in the 6th ward. The

space there is intimate and _{varied, including} a pleasant

entry hall with fireplace and stained glass _window,

two windowed larger rooms connected with an open _archway,

and also a _smaller, more secluded room behind these.

The _chirping of a multitude of finches and other birds

fills the _{air, adding} to the _prevailing warmth and charm.

This space was _ideally suited to the exhibition

of _my work which was diverse in content and small in

dimensions. The broken wall spaces of different _sizes,

the _interesting corner areas and _{the variously inclusive}

views allowed _flexibility in the _grouping of _photographs.

The _sharing and _opening were held _{simultaneously,}

with a _lovely celebration feast prepared _{by Linda.}

Interestingly, several close friends and pho

tographers, whose work and opinions I _respect, expressed

distinctly differing points of _{view, favoring} or not

favoring very dissimilar pictures. This helped me to

realize the subjectivity we all _bring to our _judgments.

Staying with the exhibit _during all the _gallery

hours, I had ample opportunity to examine _my own work

with a more objective _eye, and to gain the overall view.

The _diversity I knew as inherent _{in my} work

and _way of _working had at first worried me _slightly

in terms of potential exhibition problems. This _concern,

after _all, proved groundless. No one voiced _any discomfort

with the _diversity in the work, or with the manner of

exhibition, and _my original beliefs about style as a

simple extension of personal involvement were confirmed.

III. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Adams, Ansel. Camera and Lens. Hastings on the _Hudson, N.Y.: Morgan and _{Morgan, Inc., 1970.}

. The Negative. Hastings on the Hudson, N.Y.:

Morgan and _{Morgan, Inc.}

, 1968.

. The Print. Hastings on the Hudson, N.Y.:

Morgan and _{Morgan, Inc., 1968.}

Agee, James, and _{Evans, Walker.} Let Us Now Praise Famous

Men. New York: Houghton Mifflin _{Company, 1941;} Ballantine _Books, 1966.

Bullaty, Sonja. Sudek. New York: Clarkson N. Potter,

1978.

Dickey, James. Poems 1957-1967. New York: MacMillan

Publishing Co., Collier _Books, 1978.

Ehrenzweig, Anton. "Conscious _Planning and Unconscious

Scanning."

In Education of _Vision, pp. 27-^9.

Edited _{by Gyorgy} Kepes. New York: George _Braziller,

1965.

Faulkner, William. "Faulkner at West Point."

In The Writer's Craft, pp. 31-^5. Edited _by John Hersey.

New York: Alfred A. _Knopf, 197k.

Gas son, Arnold, Handbook For Contemporary Photography.

3rd ed. _Athens, Ohio: Handbook _Company, 197k.

Lerner, Abraham. Gregory Gillespie. _City of Washington:

Smithsonian Institution _Press, 1977.

Maritain, Jacques, Creative Intuition In Art and Poetry.

New York: Pantheon _{Books, Inc.,} 1953? Meridian

Books, Inc., 1955.

Pittaro, Ernest M. , ed. The Compact Photo Lab Index.

Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.: Morgan and _{Morgan, Inc.,} 1979.

Roethke, Theodore. The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke.

Garden _City, N.Y. : _Doubleday and _{Company, Inc.} 5

Anchor _Press, 1975.

Rogers, Carl R. On Becoming a _Person. Boston: Houghton

Mifflin _Company, 1961.

Solan, Joseph. "Second Nature."

MFA Thesis Report.

Rochester Institute of _{Technology, 1981.}

Stafford, William. _"Finding the Language."

In Naked Poetry, pp. 82-83. Edited _by Stephen _Berg and

Robert _Mezey. Indianapolis and New York: The Bobbs-Merrill _{Company, Inc.,} I969.

Szarkowskl, John, ed. The Work of Atget. New York: The Museum of Modern _Art, 1981.

Turabian, Kate. A Manual for Writers. 4th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago _Press, 1973.

Vestal, David. The Craft of Photography. New York: Harper

and _Row, 1972.

Weston, Edward. "A _Contempory Means to Creative Expression"

and _"Photography Not Pictorial,"

In Photographers

on _Photography, pp. 158-159 and pp. 154-158. Edited

by Nathan Lyons. Englewood _Cliffs, N.J.:

Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.

White, Minor. Zone System Manual. 4th ed. Dobbs _Ferry, N.Y.:

Morgan and _Morgan, 1972.

White, Minor; Zakla, Richard; Lorenz, Peter. The New Zone System Manual. Dobbs _Ferry, N.Y.: Morgan and _Morgan,

Inc., 1976.

Yeats, William Butler. Selected Poems and Two Plays of

William Butler Yeats. New York: The MacMillan

Company, 1962; Collier Books, 1966.

IV. APPENDIX

Technical Procedure

The photographs presented were taken with a ₅ X ₇

view _{camera, using} a 10" _{Commercial Ektar f/6.3 and} a

Symmar 180 mm _f/5.6.

The 5X7 negatives were made on Kodak Tri-X pan professional film and _individually developed in Edwal FG7.

The zone system was used to calibrate exposures and devel

opment times. Using a _{densitometer I then found the density} range of all _my negatives and grouped them accordingly.

Because I did not feel any single paper/developer

combination was _equally suitable for the best expression of each _image, I did a series of experiments with various

papers, including Portriga, Brovira, Kodabromide, Azo, and

Polycontrast.

I tested each paper in each of three _developers,

Platinum II, Amidol, and Beers 4. Within each experiment

I did further experiments. For example, with Azo and

Portriga I used several paper grades to notice color changes,

grade to grade, while the developer and toner remained constant.

When I found a paper/developer combination I judged to be compatible with a particular negative, I then ex

perimented _further, varing dilutions, exposure _times,

development _times, and _toning times with selenium toner.

I tested with three different amidol formulas _Bullock's,

Gowin's, and Weston's. Occassionally I used a water bath

treatment for more control. On a few prints I applied

potassium ferricyanide for local reduction.

Except for the FG7 and Platinum _II, I mixed most

the chemicals _used, and so have gained some control in the

process. I feel that I have merely begun to understand

some of the possibilities of expressive printing.

In the near future I would like to _try the Ansco

130 developer and the Edwal 106 warm tone glycin developer.

Also I intend to enlarge certain _highly detailed images.

I have purchased a _very old _5^-7 Elwood enlarger that I

intend to repair for this purpose.

Amidol Formulas

Wynn Bullock's Amidol

(from Second _Nature. Joseph Solan)

water _| gal

sodium sulfite 3T

amidol 2t

potassium bromide lOcc _10# solution

BB solution lOcc _10# solution

citric acid ^t

Emmet Gowln's Amidol

(from Gowln's lecture at _RIT, 1977)

water 32oz

sodium sulfite _30g

amidol _5e

potassium bromide _6g

BB anti-fog or 1 tablet

(coller Dupont _BB)

Edward Weston's Amidol

(from The Print. Ansel Adams)

water 800cc

sodium _sulfite, dessicated 35g

amidol llg

potassium bromide 7.5g

BB compound 60cc

(stock solution)

water to make 1200cc

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