Yosemite

Research Question: How did Ansel Adams use visual rhetoric in his photography to attract people to Yosemite National Park?

I will focus specifically on Ansel Adam's photography in Yosemite National Park. His photography there has had a widespread impact on the park by drawing visitors to it from all over the world. He did this by taking beautiful photos of the park and using traditional photo editing techniques. His presence was so significant here that there is a gallery dedicated to his work within Yosemite National Park.

Ansel Adams: Yosemite Valley Thunderstorm

Ansel Adams's photographs at Yosemite encompasses a number of design elements that are aesthetically pleasing to a viewer's senses. The two most effective ones are value and arrangement. The contrast in his photography is amplified as a result of all the photos being in black and white and the use of traditional photo editing techniques such as dodging and burning. The natural elements that stand out the most in these photos are the waterfalls and snow. Their radiance comes as close to a true white as they can without leaving out any detail. This heavily contrasts other elements in his photos that are noticeably darker, like the trees and granite rock formations. What completes the synergy between these two is the sky, which is always several variations of grey that compliments the other light and dark elements. Adam's display of value in these natural objects gives the photos a strong sense of depth and texture by bringing out the fine detail in the mountains and giving viewers an awing insight of how massive the park is.

The arrangement of objects in Ansel Adams's photographs of Yosemite also has a significant role in aesthetically appealing to viewers' senses. The bottom part of these photographs usually shows either some sort of water, or wildlife on the ground. The middle part displays large rock formations or mountains and the top always shows the sky. This consistent arrangement showcases three of the natural elements; earth, wind, and water. It shows how naturally beautiful the park is.

Adams's photographs at Yosemite consistently reflect the relationship between man and nature. He often shows the sky in a rather surreal way that evokes a divine feeling. The perspective he took the photos from shows how a human stacks up to the colossal mountains and waterfalls. These elements symbolize how small humans are in the world and that they are at the mercy of mother nature. In contrast, Yosemite was a place where Adams felt at peace and he often symbolized this in his work as well. The calm waters and occasional clear sky show the natural healing powers nature can have on humans.

Missing from every one of Ansel Adams's photos at Yosemite are humans. Humans have been known to destroy nature and at the time, Yosemite was barely touched. Leaving humans out sends a message that nature is beautiful by itself and should be preserved. Those who saw these photographs at the time also felt the same way and it lead to the government regulating humans interfering with Yosemite National Park.

Yosemite

Ansel Adams: Yosemite Valley Thunderstorm

Research Question: How did Ansel Adams use visual rhetoric in his photography to attract people to Yosemite National Park?

I will focus specifically on Ansel Adam's photography in Yosemite National Park. His photography there has had a widespread impact on the park by drawing visitors to it from all over the world. He did this by taking beautiful photos of the park and using traditional photo editing techniques. His presence was so significant here that there is a gallery dedicated to his work within Yosemite National Park.

Ansel Adams: Yosemite Valley Thunderstorm

Ansel Adams's photographs at Yosemite encompasses a number of design elements that are aesthetically pleasing to a viewer's senses. The two most effective ones are value and arrangement. The contrast in his photography is amplified as a result of all the photos being in black and white and the use of traditional photo editing techniques such as dodging and burning. The natural elements that stand out the most in these photos are the waterfalls and snow. Their radiance comes as close to a true white as they can without leaving out any detail. This heavily contrasts other elements in his photos that are noticeably darker, like the trees and granite rock formations. What completes the synergy between these two is the sky, which is always several variations of grey that compliments the other light and dark elements. Adam's display of value in these natural objects gives the photos a strong sense of depth and texture by bringing out the fine detail in the mountains and giving viewers an awing insight of how massive the park is. 

The arrangement of objects in Ansel Adams's photographs of Yosemite also has a significant role in aesthetically appealing to viewers' senses. The bottom part of these photographs usually shows either some sort of water, or wildlife on the ground. The middle part displays large rock formations or mountains and the top always shows the sky. This consistent arrangement showcases three of the natural elements; earth, wind, and water. It shows how naturally beautiful the park is. 

Adams's photographs at Yosemite consistently reflect the relationship between man and nature. He often shows the sky in a rather surreal way that evokes a divine feeling. The perspective he took the photos from shows how a human stacks up to the colossal mountains and waterfalls. These elements symbolize how small humans are in the world and that they are at the mercy of mother nature. In contrast, Yosemite was a place where Adams felt at peace and he often symbolized this in his work as well. The calm waters and occasional clear sky show the natural healing powers nature can have on humans.

Missing from every one of Ansel Adams's photos at Yosemite are humans. Humans have been known to destroy nature and at the time, Yosemite was barely touched. Leaving humans out sends a message that nature is beautiful by itself and should be preserved. Those who saw these photographs at the time also felt the same way and it lead to the government regulating humans interfering with Yosemite National Park. 

Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams: Clearing Winter Storm (1944)

Ansel Adams (1902-1984) was a well known landscape photographer from California during the mid twentieth century notorious for his photographs of Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks (Peeler, 1998, p. 1030). Adams's photographs have inspired many in such a way that there has been effort to turn his work into landscape ideology (Berman, 1998, p. 115). His photography represents nature in its most natural form and leaves its viewers with a sense of grace.

Though Adams took a plethora of photos from different landscapes around the United States, the ones he took in Yosemite are arguably the most compelling. As a founding member of the Sierra Club, Ansel Adams spent a chunk of his life in Yosemite Valley. Adams described Yosemite as a place where “the clear realities of nature seen with the inner eye of the spirit reveal the ultimate echo of God.” (Stoll, 2008, p. 238). This is where he took photos for Eastman Kodak advertising campaigns, as well as vacation promotions for the park (Hales, 1997, p. 1460). 

One facet of Adams’s photographs at Yosemite that is particularly intriguing is the time period which he took them . Adams’s photo Clearing Winter Storm (1944) was taken towards the end of World War II, a time when propaganda was at an all time high. In contrast, his photography showed the beauty of nature rather than a persuasive display of nationalism. Adams did not partake in World War I or World War II and was not affected by the Great Depression. Because of this, he had a different outlook on life than most people at the time. It allowed him display the United States in a way that was unrepresented, though his photos during this time did not become popular until the 1960’s (Peeler, 1998, p. 1030). 

Despite the recent evolution of digital photography, Adams did not let a film camera hinder his work. Clearing Winter Storm (1944) is a true display of serenity. It shows Yosemite Valley in natural state, as if humans didn’t exist at all. This photo, as well as the majority of Adams’s photos purposely evoke a spiritual feeling as a result of Adams intentionally cropping any man made objects (Peeler, 1998, p. 1031). The contrast of the landscape reveals wildlife extending through miles of an awe-inspiring valley that lies beneath towering granite domes piercing through an almost surreal cloudy sky. It is this detail that inspires the preservation of his photography both physically and emotionally. 

Ansel Adams’s photographs are a gift to the American people that captures pure beauty and encourages its viewers to emancipate themselves from everyday life to seek the same spiritual triumph that Adams sought after. For this reason, his images are still popular today (Peeler, 1998, p. 1032).


References

Peter, Bacon Hales. "Ansel Adams and the American Landscape: A Biography." The Journal of American   History 83.4 (1997): 1460-1. ProQuest Research Library; ProQuest Social Sciences Premium Collection. Web. 14 Oct. 2012.

David, P. Peeler. ""Ansel Adams, a Legacy: Masterworks from the Friends of Photography Collection"." The Journal of American History 85.3 (1998): 1029-33. ProQuest Research Library; ProQuest Social Sciences Premium Collection. Web. 14 Oct. 2012.

Berman, Ronald. "Ansel Adams: California / Photography: An Independent Art." Journal of Aesthetic Education 32.2 (1998): 115-. ProQuest Art, Design and Architecture Collection; ProQuest Social Sciences Premium Collection. Web. 14 Oct. 2012.

Stoll, Mark. "Milton in Yosemite: PARADISE LOST AND THE NATIONAL PARKS IDEA." Environmental History     13.2 (2008): 237-74. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 14 Oct. 2012.

Frans Wildenhain

Whether intended or not by the designers of Frans Wildenhain's exhibit at RIT, absence plays a significant role. One thing that is noticeably absent from the exhibit are descriptions of the art. Background information on art pieces is typically provides viewers with some insight as to what a piece might represent. It is important when an artist has a specific message, or response they want to evoke. There are a few possible reasons why little to no information was provided at the exhibit on each individual piece.

Frans Wildenhain may not have had specific intents for each piece  because of the sheer quantity he produced. It could have been too difficult to provide a detailed description of the hundred and fifty or so pieces in the gallery, therefore it was left out.

Another possible reason is the exhibition coordinator may have wanted to leave information absent so people would be more inclined to purchase the catalog that does provide more information. The exhibition obviously needs capital to operate.

Regardless of the reason, the effect of leaving information out is significant. It leaves interpretation of Wildenhain's art almost entirely up to the viewer, which for some, may make the exhibit more interesting.

Growing up in an age strongly influenced by computing, I have a personal preference for digital and interactive art. I still respect art that is hand crafted, but it looses my attention much quicker. This is an inherent bias that I have to be aware of when evaluating almost any type of art, especially the ceramics of Frans Wildenhain because his art is pretty simple and straight forward visually (although creating the ceramics is complex). He generally used only a few colors and maybe a basic pattern on most of the pieces displayed in the exhibit. This is not a bad thing, my eyes are just used to more busy art. Wildenhain's art would have a stronger appeal to an audience who grew up with primarily hand crafted art.

On the on a different side of the spectrum, the history nerd part of me tends to enjoy art that is or represents relics of an ancient civilization. The piece to the right appealed to me most because of this. I personally see history in this piece, maybe an old piece of furniture left from the ancient Egyptians. This was created in the mid 20th century, nowhere near the time of the ancient Egyptians. I need to be conscious of things like this when interpreting such art.

The simplicity of Wildenhain's art is matched by simplicity in the way the exhibit is organized. The space and separation of the art makes it easy for one to focus and interpret a single piece without any distraction. Some of the larger and more complex pieces were given their own display case with lighting. This left me to believe that these pieces may be more valuable in some sense. The lighting in the exhibit overall provided a welcoming, sort of homey feeling while not being too harsh and glaring off the art. As mentioned previously, the lack of information provided on each piece made it difficult for me to interpret. I was personally unsatisfied with this (lack of) feature in the gallery, but to someone more familiar with this type of art, it would not be as big of a problem.

The Sentinel

"The Sentinel" is a piece of art on RIT's campus that is quite abstract, but I'll do my best to interpret it. Broken down, this piece is actually pretty simple. It is a few large pieces of metal bound together and sits in the near the front entrance of campus as a landmark, but why was it put there? And what does it mean?

In my opinion, the metal contents of the structure represent strength. It is amazing to think how something so heavy and tall stays together when it appears that the pieces are barely attached to each other. The artist most likely did this on purpose because strength is a characteristic one would use to represent a successful institute.

Helmer would agree that the purpose of this icon is to "make a mark on the world". It represents the creativity and strength of RIT and being located at the front entrance of campus, it is one of the first structures visitors see when the come to RIT. It has success as a signature of RIT, because it is a common place many students choose to meet up at because it is easy to find, being over 30 feet tall.

Burton Kramer

CBC logo

There were two things I found particularly interesting about Burton Kramer's presentation. One was the sheer amount of worked he produced in his lifetime. He has designed for hundreds of organizations while maintaining quality throughout his work. It astounds me how he did not run out of ideas. Kramer mentioned how he enjoyed using shapes and geometry in his work. This is prevalent in one my favorite designs by him, the CBC logo.

Another thing I found interesting about Burton Kramer was the fact that he produced all of his work without a computer. I can use a computer to design, but I would have no idea where to start if I had to design something without one. This strengthened my respect for him as a designer.

LineDance 3C

While Burton Kramer is unarguably a talented designer, I personally don't believe his designs reflect what popular in contemporary design. A look at his piece LineDance 3C gives me an "80's wallpaper" vibe. I don't personally find this art as appealing as his earlier work, but it is open to interpretation. A combination of different sized, asymmetric shapes gives a feeling of movement in this particular piece.  The proximity of the shapes makes it feel is if one is looking down on a city. The two red triangles on opposite sides of the canvas contrast the rest of the shapes. They display a brighter red and that pushes the eye across the piece. I think of a subway map in the 80's because of the pastel colors and the longer lines that could represent a train or a station.

Landscapes

A photo I took from the top of the Grand Canyon.

Visual phenomenons that never cease to capture my attention are landscapes, typically nature ones. I am one who loves to travel and will never turn down an opportunity to experience a new destination. I have a bucket list of places that I plan to travel to sometime in my life and this summer, I was fortunate enough to knock one of those off my list, the Grand Canyon.

Most people have the same initial response when they see the Grand Canyon for the first time. It's an overwhelming feeling of amazement as you become consumed by the natural beauty of this vast landscape that took millions of years to form. One cannot help but to stare in awe. This photo does not justify seeing the Grand Canyon first hand, but it does give you an idea of how gargantuan and breath taking it truly is.

In context, I took this photo for my personal remembrance. This is most likely the only time this photo will be displayed publicly, and it might not have significance to many people, but every time I see it I will remember the once in a life time opportunity I had to hike the Grand Canyon. Those who have also been to the Grand Canyon are likely to have similar emotions evoked. It is a display of experience, but also the miracle of nature.