The title of my project will be “Insecurity and Beauty.” After COVID-19, our world has entered an “anxious generation,” where children feel absolute insecurity and discomfort when facing people and communicating in person. The chase for fake beauty on social media has led to body dysmorphia. It is interesting how social media can change a child’s psychological thoughts in such a short period. It is funny how the algorithm on social media makes children inhumane. It is so frustrating how social media is changing the beauty standards of children, making society lose eternal beauty and appreciation for the surroundings. I want my audience to realize that beauty isn’t from the first looks; it all comes from the heart, emotions, and attitude. Leave the fake social media life behind and let yourself shine from the inside out. A person’s looks may not satisfy the beauty standards on social media, but affection and heart can make the world a better place. Be more confident, inspiring, engaging, kind, and unique. As an inspiration, I’ll look at photographs that express dominant facial expressions such as a gazed eye, low brows, and weak chins. Also, body features such as muscular, straight postures, and firm stances, and body language such as adopting open and erect stances. Lastly, the theme of the clothes and background should be primary colors like red, yellow, or orange to express dominance. I want photographs that express dominance to show that everyone has specialties and values, so don’t fear the beauty standards on social media, and be confident and express eternal beauty.
Ian
"I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious" - Albert Einstein
Author: Ian (page 1 of 3)
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Annie Leibovitz explores many themes using staged settings, superb lighting, and vivid color. Specifically, the photograph that inspired me the most was Rihanna’s pregnancy. Rihanna, a world-renowned celebrity, loses her values and faces insecurity due to her appearance during pregnancy. But Annie uses this as an opportunity to express that beauty doesn’t only come from appearance but comes from confidence. As seen in Rihanna’s face, she is full of dominance and power. The eyes are staring, showing intensity. The red dress also adds distinctive strength to her appearance, and her intentionally standing sideways, putting her hands on hips, and posing shows her strong mindset of having an appearance that many people may feel insecure about.
Phaidon. “Annie Leibovitz Photographs Rihanna for Vogue | Photography | Agenda | Phaidon.” Phaidon.com, 2022, www.phaidon.com/agenda/photography/2022/April/03/annie-leibovitz-photographs-rihanna-for-vogue/. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.
As a photographer, I would like to explore eternal beauty. We depend on perfection and beauty, continuing to further the people with special abilities from society and living an inhuman life on social media. In reality, all humans will never achieve perfection. So, we must appreciate our confidence, appearance, and abilities because that is where real eternal beauty comes from. The theme of “eternal beauty” portraits is to let humanity understand we all are unique and should be included.
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- A portrait photograph is the subject of identity, personality, or story using light exposure, composition, posing, and expression.
- Selfies are another form of portraiture. In a selfie, the main elements are light exposure, frame, angle, and expressionism. Both selfies and portraits have control over our images because they have the freedom to explore many variations and moods. For example, the photographer can make vintage, emotional complexity, psychological tension, loss, and mortality, or a bizarre mix of serenity and suffocation.
- Firstly, portraits must need a facial expression. Facial expressions can explain or emphasize a mood, concept, or photograph’s theme. The elements of facial expression are the central symbolism of portraiture. Also, portraits should not include any attention-seeking backgrounds. A portrait relies on emotions and facial expressions, but if the background grabs the viewers’ attention, they won’t be able to see the small details and symbolism of what the artwork is trying to possess.
- The definition of a “good portrait” is never to be revealed, but the photographer’s intentions, values, and symbolism make the perfect portrait. Photographers should decide on their portraits rather than listen to what the people say. An ideal portrait comes when the photographer tries to break the rules, attempting new viewpoints of photography, trying out different forms of art elements, and finding the symbolism and theme of the portrait.
- An ideal portrait form would be to close up the photograph and take shots of the small details of a facial expression, like the eyes, mouth, ears, and nose. However, it is never wrong to attempt taking portrait photographs from different angles and not only focus on facial expressions because photographs are never wrong; it’s just it has found itself in another form of trend and fashion, just as John Baldessari once said, “I will no make any more boring art.”
- Again, there is nothing wrong with photographs. So, why not try blurring, cropping, changing the tone, and making it look ripped or faded. If all portrait photos are focused on such a traditional form of taking a clear close-up photograph of a person’s face, photography will lose its uniqueness and value. Trying these new forms of abstract representation on portraits is strongly recommended, as it will create new vibes and trends in art.
- Another form of attraction of portrait photographs can be represented through the arrangement of inanimate objects to visually represent someone’s expression. Why not? The pattern, lines, shapes, colors, textures, and values of the objects could perfectly replace a facial expression, just in a different form or version. Overall, it can still symbolize and deliver the theme the photographer tries to possess.
- A portrait does not need to be in a single photograph. Rather, splitting a portrait into sections may help further emphasize and explain a detail like texture, color, or pattern included in the portrait, helping to reveal a deeper symbolism or theme the portrait tries to exhibit.
The depth anatomy the triptych is hoping to create is ‘anxiety.’ The word ‘anxiety’ comes to mind when technology takes over civic participation, and the human role in society, and humans are in such a rush in their daily lives, forgetting the minor values and aesthetics of life. Today, human society only continues to lose its humanity and values, while humans’ jealousy and egotistic psychology ruin the value of nature and their surroundings.
Aaron Siskind’s abstract photography influenced me. Aaron Siskind used formal elements in art like monochrome, close-up, texture, lines, value, and abstract shapes to symbolize themes ranging from loneliness to regeneration. As the theme of my triptych is “anxiety,” I believe Aaron Siskind’s photograph’s loneliness and sense of decay symbolize how anxiety is thwarting the modernization of humans and causing worry about the future.
As the photographer, I believed the words fading and blandness reflected anxiety. Since technology only continues to take over civic participation and the human role in society, humans feel worried and hopeless. I showed this in my photographs by purposely taking close-up pictures to reflect the little imperfections of human life. The rough textures on the mural bring to mind many connections and form a contrast, creating tension and warning; the contrast creates isolation, forming loneliness and a sense of fading. The photographs have good focus, but the curvy lines and abstract shapes form abstractness and mystery of what is beyond the frame. The patterns formed by abstract shapes, like squares and circles, reflect humans. The monochrome colors, like black, grey, and white, form nostalgia and loss; I purposely used colors like black, grey, and white to grab attention to the small details of the pictures rather than overwhelming them with bright colors. I also added a juxtaposition between the words and the drawing on the mural, which Aaron Siskind’s photographs don’t have.
I hope the viewers understand how humans are depressed from trying to keep up with societal expectations and requirements and how social media causes anxiety in teenagers through manipulating disinformation.
Next time, I could have done better by making my triptych more diverse. My three photographs were all taken on the same mural to show the connection. Still, it was missing the multifaceted nature of art, meaning it was hard for the viewers to see the contrast and difference between the photographs. Also, I want to take abstract pictures of objects rather than murals. In 798, most of the arts were in the form of a mural. It would be fun to photograph objects because they have distinct shapes, and based on the angle, we can change the value of the objects. Not only that, it can also be closed-up and cropped, meaning it can have formal elements of art like texture, pattern, contrast, and colors.
12 Photograph: The photographs are all monochrome. The intention was to let the viewers imagine the original subject’s colors. The pictures have rough and silky textures, and the black and white contrast makes the image look 3D and pop-out. Influenced by Aaron Siskind, the curvy and unpredictable lines form abstract objects.
9 Photograph: I realized that some of the mural photographs were too obvious to define rather than being an abstract photograph. Even though the mural photographs may have trends and stunning visuals, they do not satisfy the word “anxiety” as the lines, shapes, textures, and colors have a clear symbol in contrast to abstractness. In other words, it has a story but lacks the uniqueness and components of an abstract photograph: shapes, textures, and lines.
Final 3 Photograph: The photographs had curvy lines, bland but rough textures, mysterious shapes, and juxtaposition of words; it is pure beauty. The photos and juxtaposition of words tell a story but cannot be defined. The photographs perfectly reflect the word “anxiety” as the rough textures on a smooth surface and the curvy lines moving in any direction from abstractness, mess, and wonder, reflecting the fast-paced society and how humans don’t have the chance to reflect on their daily lives.
The photographs have abstraction because of the curvy lines pointing all the way, making abstract shapes and the rough texture and pattern of the abstract shapes make the picture look like it is moving. Further on, even though the picture’s overall tone may be dark, the abstract shapes cause distinct contrasts. Also, the objects have a connection, but the blandness of the edges builds mood-like fading. The photograph’s angles are primarily from a horizon view but also very closed up, showing small details like the formal art element. The pictures have colors like white, black, and grey, grabbing attention to the small details of the pictures rather than overwhelming them with bright colors. Most pictures have a darker color in the center and get more colorful on the edges, building wonder like what may be beyond the things taken in the image.
I believe the word fading and blandness reflect the word anxiety. Since technology only continues to take over civic participation and the human role in society, humans continue to feel worried and hopeless. Aaron Siskind shows that by using bland values and movement, showing how human society is rapid and we forget key values of our daily lives. Also, the small patterns created by the curvy lines, abstract shapes, and rough textures create small circles and squares, reflecting humans. The colors black, white, and grey reflect a mood of loss and hopelessness, showing how human society has lost its values and goals.
Fully evaluate one photograph.
The contrasting textures bring to mind many connections. The connection between the white objects and the dark surfaces makes the photograph look like a beach shore. Also, the rough and sketchy textures of the object and the silky surfaces build a sense of fading, as if leaves are decaying from the autumn dusk. The photograph’s close-up helps us see the white objects have small dots, showing patterns. The line’s directions are heading all ways, forming mysterious shapes between the lines. A rough texture surrounds the lines, creating value and moods like smokiness. The colors and shapes of the white objects are different, making it look like there is movement. There is a contrast between the surface and the white object, making it look like a geographical territory viewed from the horizon. The texture of the surface looks smooth and silky, but the small cracks on the white objects give the mood of an earth. The photography sets a mood of sadness because the color is grey and bland, and loneliness because of the connection and isolation between white objects and the dark surfaces.
Gauvin, Jean-Baptiste. “Aaron Siskind : The Life of Traces.” The Eye of Photography Magazine, L’Œil de la Photographie, 28 Nov. 2018, loeildelaphotographie.com/en/aaron-siskind-the-life-of-traces-bb/. Accessed 17 Feb. 2025.
Mooly. “Aaron Siskind.” Pinterest, 21 June 2020, uk.pinterest.com/pin/60798663708016326/. Accessed 17 Feb. 2025.
de, L’Œil. “Aaron Siskind, a Painter’s Photographer.” The Eye of Photography Magazine, L’Œil de la Photographie, 11 Sept. 2017, loeildelaphotographie.com/en/aaron-siskind-a-painters-photographer/. Accessed 17 Feb. 2025.
“Aaron Siskind.” Meer, Meer.com, 11 Oct. 2017, www.meer.com/en/31401-aaron-siskind. Accessed 17 Feb. 2025.
Intern. “Aaron Siskind: A Painter’s Photographer and Works on Paper by BMC Artists – Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center.” Black Mountain College Museum + Arts Center, 9 Nov. 2018, www.blackmountaincollege.org/aaron-siskind/. Accessed 17 Feb. 2025.
“Aaron Siskind Viewpoint on Magma — Cercle.” Cercle, 2019, www.cerclemagazine.com/en/magazine/articles-magazine/aaron-siskind-viewpoint-on-magma/. Accessed 17 Feb. 2025.
“Lumiere» Blog Archive» Aaron Siskind.” Lumieregallery.net, 2021, lumieregallery.net/202/aaron-siskind/. Accessed 17 Feb. 2025.
MartinVorel.com. “Aaron Siskind: A Pioneer of Abstract Photography – MartinVorel.com – Medium.” Medium, 4 Jan. 2024, medium.com/@marvorel/aaron-siskind-a-pioneer-of-abstract-photography-d9f1884c216d. Accessed 17 Feb. 2025.
“Aaron Siskind «Stephen Daiter Gallery.” Stephendaitergallery.com, 2025, stephendaitergallery.com/artists/aaron-siskind/. Accessed 17 Feb. 2025.
The message of my triptych will be to represent the anxious generation. The jealousy and ego of humans and the busy society sometimes make humans forget the value of nature and their surroundings, only becoming depressed from trying to keep up with societal expectations and requirements. Also, Social media causes anxiety in teenagers through manipulating disinformation. I want the audience to gain deeper insight into their life’s highlights, daily routines, and patterns. For inspiration, I will try to find a photographer who explores the abstraction of buzzing streets, buildings, and people to show the missing nature and peace in daily life. I want to find photographs that explore the blurriness that is out of focus. In my opinion, we must understand how the fast pace of life and social media influence is causing anxiety in the community and that we should respect and cherish the nature surrounding us. Anxiety is thwarting the modernization of humans and causing worry about the future.
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