Morbid Curiosity within the Medium of Photography - Essay Example

Morbid Curiosity within the Medium of Photography Rationale There is the normal and there is the absurd. There are those attracted to beauty and colours and there are those who are fascinated by the morbid, the gruesome and the grotesque. There are those who are blindedly comfortable with the normal and the ordinary but there are those who seek the eccentric, the peculiar and the extraordinary. This second type of group is the focus of the essay. It would like to look at this weird segment that focuses on their curiosity and fascination of morbid photography. This type of art has usually the general theme that includes the bizarre, the unreal, those that are beyond normal and those that usually express pain and torture and even death. It would like to enter this different world of the lesser than normal and get into the psychology of this curiosity and understand better this seeming weird oddity for such. It will look into the work of well known photographers who specialized in this type of art and hopefully get a glimpse of the reasons and causes for this peculiar interest into this type of art. Objectives : Present works and related writings, biographies and influences of photographers that are into this peculiar and morbid photography Determine the influences, inspiration and motivation of the photographers who specialize in this type of art Delve deeper and understand better the curiosity and fascination for the morbid and the absurd, the grotesque and the odd Explore into this curiosity towards the different and the lesser than normal; the fascination with seeing pain and torture and the morbid attraction and appeal of death Photographers who are into this type of art : The photography of Joel-Peter Witkin Joel-Peter Witkin is known in the world of photography because of his fascination with the grotesque. In finding beauty in such, he “pursues this complex issue through people most often cast aside by society -- human spectacles including hermaphrodites, dwarfs, amputees, androgynes, carcasses, people with odd physical capabilities” (Joel-Peter Witkin) and the like. He has specialized in forms and subjects that are not popular preference by the society. He has perfected and advanced respect on something unusual, out of ordinary and even terrifying. He somehow sees in his mind these weird forms and conceives them intricately by sketching them first on paper (Joel-Peter Witkin). After making sure that he has all the details perfectly conjured up, he proceeds with shooting his desired photographs and altering them in the dark room to produce what he has envisioned. “The resulting photographs are haunting and beautiful, grotesque yet bold in their defiance – a hideous beauty that is as compelling as it is taboo” (Joel-Peter Witkin). His work of art usually look hideous but has developed a weird attraction of its own that it has become a thing of beauty. Christopher Townsend Chris Townsend is into visual art forms – photography, film and video. He looks into two themes, Temporality and Death and has published several books with these themes which include Art and Death and Vile Bodies : Photography and the Crisis of the Looking. Frederick Treves books on the Elephant Man Frederick Treves had been the surgeon of Joseph Merrick aka the Elephant Man who was a severely deformed man. He performed in freak shows because of his hideous appearance where the producers eventually called him the Elephant Man and created stories about his condition to attract viewers . However, when Dr Treves discovered about him, he convinced him to leave the show. After the death of Mr Merrick, Dr Treves proceeded to become an author after his retirement and he wrote The Elephant Man and other Reminisces. photography by Andres Serrano Cotter espouses that “although many critics have misinterpreted his work as perverse and misguided, the furor has only helped to elevate his reputation as one of our most important and lauded contemporary artists” (Cotter) as Andres Serrano unceasingly and boldly challenges the world’s conservative view and vision of traditional forms and images. He had been infamous with people whom he has disturbed the mindset with his weird concepts that challenge the mainstream and the conventional. He sees subjects as “symbols to be manipulated and reinterpreted” (Cotter) and his desire to mould them anyway he wants to is probably the result of a childhood that was ostracized for being different and a minority. photography by WeeGee/Arthur Fellig Arthur Fellig otherwise known as Weegee got his name because one of his first jobs was removing excess water from prints using a squeegee (Weegee). Although an article in Spartacus Educational puts in that his name was from the Ouija board acquiring it because he was always the first one at the scene of any major incident to be taking photographs. Later, he went on to become a freelance photographer which brought him to cover crime scenes and thus produce the type of photographs he produced. the morbid works of Allison Brady Allison Brady “has a morbid fascination for the macabre”(Lucas). Lucas also wrote that she loves to use subjects that are fit for horror film or thriller because of her focus on scenes of death and mutilated bodies that result to frightening and horrifying but haunting beautiful photographs. Sample Visuals Joel-Peter Witkin Andres Serrano Chris Townsend Arthur Fellig Allison Brady Scope The scope of this essay is within the confines of this rare, but curious look into the fascination and interest for the weird, absurd, macabre and morbid within the realms of photography. It will look into the influences and inspirations of the photographers and artist who chose these different forms of expression. It will attempt to study also the art forms and photography masterpieces and relate them to the viewers’ attraction and appeal towards such subjects. Methodology The study would focus on the analysis of the different photographs that support and adhere to this type (fascination and curiosity for the morbid and the gruesome). Such works could be found in books, in the internet and in museums that display such works of art (if applicable). It will also include a deeper look into the biographies and experiences of these photographers to understand better the influences, the value systems and the inspirations for pursuing such rare type of art, forms and images. A survey would also be done that is specifically aimed to probe information about the topic. This specific survey will be able to generate insights into this different kind of fascination about morbidity. It will try to determine the scope and extent of awareness and interest on the topic and will try to assess the general appeal and reaction of the viewers of this morbidity in photography. Bibliography “Christopher Townsend”. Royal Holloway University of London Department of Media Arts. 29-Sep-2008. 15 April 2009. Cotter, James. “Andres Serrano”. Photo Insider. 15 April 2009. Deborah, Irmas. “Andres Serrano”. Frieze. 2004. 15 April 2009. “The Elephant Man”. Doctor Secrets. 04 April 2009. 15 April 2009. “Joel-Peter Witkin”. Catherine Edelman Gallery. 2009. 15 April 2009. http://www.edelmangallery.com/ witkin-bio.htm>, “Joel-Peter Witkin”. Supervert. 2009. 15 April 2009. Read More