Delving Deeper Into The Research

My research so far had focused mainly on other photographers’ work, however, my subject area has been influenced by my own experiences and personal preferences, so I wanted to delve deeper and look for inspiration from other places.

When I'm not working on assignments I always have a book on the go.  I can go anywhere with a book, it keeps me occupied when I'm sitting in a coffee shop alone, or on a long journey (not driving though, I get car sick).  A couple of books I read over the summer immediately came to mind when thinking about this project.

In A Short Book About Drawing Andrew Marr explores the subject of drawing and painting, and how this has affected his own art.  There is a section in there about the natural world.  Marr argues many of us live in crowded cities far from open fields and skies.  "Advertisers, such as holiday companies, tease us with imagery of unspoilt landscapes lending a sense of sentimentality to the scenes portrayed.  A walk in beautiful countryside can induce a feeling of being vividly alive and in love with the world."  This quote made me think of an advertisement I'd seen for First Great Western trains who used the beautiful scenery of the South West of the UK to tempt customers to book a train journey with them.  This campaign was launched in February, when it was dark, cold and wet, in most parts of the UK.  Yet these images offered hope of warmer, sunnier days to come.  Richard Misrach, as discussed in my last blog post, used a similar approach with his photography, making industrial buildings look grand and implausibly beautiful.

Image courtesy of The Leith Agency

Marr also discusses the paintings of Claude Monet and how he recorded the changing environment.


Monet's Impressionist painting style sought to capture a moment in time without the detail and smoothness of previous painting eras, which resulted in stark depictions of the industrial revolution and its more adverse effects such as pollution.  In Le Pont du chemin de fer a Argenteuil shows a new bridge cutting across an idyllic rural scene, with a train belching steam into the air.  This is in direct contrast to traditional, picturesque connotations a viewer would have with paintings of landscapes and creates a bleak and grim view of the changing environment.

Image courtesy of Christie's

I will do some further research into these two approaches of depicting industry and how I can use one or the other in my own project.  Do you think using beautiful imagery is a more effective way of engaging with the viewer?  Is it more effective than showing people shocking, atrocious images?