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Luciano Ruiz: Instagram

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Luciano Ruiz

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……….New York City – 1965. 231 East 47th Street. Andrew Warhola, known as Andy Warhol, revolutionized the way in which people look at art. His emblematic technique has become an icon of modern art. As the 50th anniversary of his famous Factory studio approaches, it seems proper to explore the not so conventional aspects of his artistic career.

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Luciano Ruiz: Instagram

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Some of his earlier works show deliberate preparation through photographic images and sketches. Warhol’s “organized mess” took much more than simply selecting contrasting colors and backgrounds to create the perfect design. By taking photographs of the objects he was drawn to, Warhol anticipated the shapes and patterns he would later recreate.

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Luciano Ruiz: Instagram

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His final works do not resemble his initial sketches in any way. The use of color and contrast was purely Warhol’s own creation. Additionally, he developed his own movement by venturing into techniques never seen before. However, without his photographic eye for design, his creations would have never been the same.

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Luciano Ruiz: Instagram

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By examining several of Warhol’s filmstrips, it is evident that he was drawn to peculiar characters. His interest in high fashion provided him access to avant-garde ideas and techniques. Although not commonly exhibited or explored, these filmstrips provide an insight into one of Warhol’s main inspirations.

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Luciano Ruiz: Instagram

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As his interests expanded into other sectors of society, Warhol began using political and social agendas as inspirations for art. Controversial political events and social movements began to spark an interest in Warhol. Terrifying political figures soon took the form of colorful characters, revolutionizing the way in which people looked at them.

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Warhol Exhibition

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Throughout Andy Warhol’s career, he created numerous works of art that express diverse interests and subjects. Anything from fashion to current events caught the attention of this artistic idol. Through skillful preparation and innovation, nowadays his works are amongst the most renowned in the world. Five decades later and Warhol continues to surprise us all.

About The Author: Luciano Ruiz is a Candidate for Bachelor of Arts, University of Pennsylvania – Class of 2013

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Editor’s Note: To access additional articles by Luciano Ruiz, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click green icon.

Jean Ward

……….On July 9, 2012 my mother will celebrate her 92 birthday. Happy Mother’s Day mom and to all the mother’s in the world!

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Mom's Kitchen Mother's Day

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Editor’s Note: To learn more about Jean Ward, go to search bar at top of the page: enter FAMILY LEGACY PROJECT, and click green icon.

Barlow Holley

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Barlow Holley

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……….I despise imposing my own subjective idea of this photographic message upon you the viewer and wish to leave its meaning as open-ended as possible. That being said, one could reasonably say that this image is of a more humorous rather than serious nature in comparison to some of the other exhibits in The Philo Project series. To me, this picture hints at a variety of themes: a parody of the concept of “erotic art” through the absurd juxtaposition of a formal space and stodgy musical instrument with near complete nudity, a glimpse of the sitter with see-through vision, or merely the whimsical appreciation of the human form in the position of musical performance. Is erotic art a nominal practice more than other genres of art, does erotic art require reference to physical acts or parts to be erotic, what is erotic art’s place in the hierarchy of artistic content, assuming that such an ordering exists? These are just a handful of my personal musings.

To Be Continued……….

Christopher

Posted on April 6, 2012 by Madeleine Shiff

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For this series of portraits, I was influenced both by Diane Arbus’s photographs of so-called “deviant or marginal” individuals, as well as Nan Goldin’s candid style of photography. I admire both of their photographic styles for their abilities to create photographs that are blunt and honest. They also both raise questions about a photograph’s ability to reveal hidden truths.

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Christoper

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My series depicts a man getting ready for a night out, and in the process of transforming himself into a woman. Each photograph is a different step in the process and conveys him methodically putting on makeup and changing his clothes until the transition is complete.

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I chose to explore the boundaries of gender and sexuality through my series. In the process, however, I also learned about the boundaries of photography. Diane Arbus’s work is controversial both for the starkness with which she depicts individuals’ defects, and for the questions it raises about a photographer’s potential exploitation of his or her subjects. My friend Christopher, the subject of this series, has never before dressed in drag. This raises questions about the authenticity of the photographs. Is it enough that Christopher was eager to explore a side of himself that he had always been curious about, or must a photograph always depict reality for it to be credible? Does Christopher’s background really matter? Christopher explained to me that as a gay man he is far more open to exploring his sexuality and femininity than a heterosexual man. His point lends itself to questions about the very nature of the society in which we live. If individuals are born with a range of sexual orientations than why does society impose restrictions in which one must adhere to one of two categories completely. Contemporary debates in American society regarding gay rights, address the core of these questions of societal restrictions on gender identities. I became interested in these issues when I moved to America two years ago. I am Canadian and unlike the United States, gay marriage has been legal in Canada since 2005. Although Canada is by no means perfect, it has provided equal rights for those considered by other countries to be “marginal or deviant.” Nevertheless, it is likely that sexual orientation and gender roles will continue to be explored and debated in both Canada and the United States for the foreseeable future.

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Christopher

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With regards to the question of the authenticity of these images, one might argue that my photographs are inauthentic because Christopher is not a “real” drag queen. However, I do not believe that any photograph can truly be “authentic.” Every photograph demonstrates either the subject or the photographer wishing to portray himself or herself in a certain way. The power of photography to distort reality yet also reveal hidden truths about its subjects is a concept that I find particularly interesting and have explored throughout all of my photography assignments this semester. As Diane Arbus once said, “A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.”

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Christopher

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Christoper

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Madeleine Shiff: Self-Portrait 2012

About The Author: Madeleine Shiff is enrolled in the College of the University of Pennsylvania, Class of 2013.

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Editor’s Note: To access additional articles by Madeleine Shiff, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click green icon.

Photo: Luciano Ruiz

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Luciano Ruiz

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Photography is the medium by which one creates art through visual observation and careful deliberation. Over time it has allowed us to see the world in a different way by recreating images that are often overlooked by the naked eye. Being able to explore this contemporary form of expression over the past months has dramatically changed the way in which I interpret the environment around me. Throughout the course of this semester I have learned to make sense of every situation that surrounds me in order to produce frames that are both innovative and captivating. For this individual project I have decided to explore fashion and its relation to this flexible medium.

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Photo: Luciano Ruiz

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……….Fashion and photography have been evolving side-by-side for decades. Photographers are essential in capturing novel tendencies, while their images at the same time create trends themselves. It is this interplay of novelty and creativity that inspired me to create a fashion project. The subject’s exotic traits were my main inspiration. The subtlety of her skin along with the fine features of her face presented me with a blank slate from which to produce unique photographs.

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I was quickly moved by the subject’s reminiscence of the casual interplay between texture and color that characterize the Incas, native peoples of her home country Peru. For that reason I decided to use opposing colors and fabrics in order to create the perfect contrast between the subject and the setting surrounding her. By layering different clothing pieces and accessories I was also able to create this contrasting effect.

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Photo: Luciano Ruiz

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I soon realized that fashion shoots do not only entail good styling, but also require detailed preparation of the setting in which the subject will be placed. As stated above, the model’s subtle facial features were one of my main inspirations. In order to create that contrast I was trying to achieve throughout the shoot, I decided to place her in a setting with rough lines and strong textures. The presence of concrete walls and stainless steel elements fit perfectly with the subject. This allowed me to manipulate her and draw attention towards the aspects that I found most intriguing. As soon as I took out my camera I began to see with different eyes the environment around me. I set my imagination free and naturally captured what caught my attention. Allowing my creativity to wonder not only yielded results that were amazing, but that were also in tune with own personal beliefs and pleasures.

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Photo: Luciano Ruiz

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As I look back to the progress I’ve made throughout this course, I cannot help but feel proud of what I have achieved. I was able to produce amazing results by positively incorporating feedback into every subsequent project I undertook. The fact that I was able to integrate a setting and adapt it to the needs of this project is a vast improvement from previous assignments. Additionally, I kept true to my interests and desires throughout each project. Individually, they reflect different facets of our daily environment, but as a whole they mirror my own creative, social and political agenda as an aspiring photographer.

About The Author: Luciano Ruiz is a Candidate for Bachelor of Arts, University of Pennsylvania – Class of 2013
Photographs by Luciano Ruiz – Copyright 2012

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Editor’s Note: To access additional articles by Luciano Ruiz, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click green icon.

Jennifer Cole

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Jennifer Cole

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MOVING ON

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……….Here is something I think everyone ought to know: Sometimes in order to get anything done, or maybe just progress to the next step in life, you need to have your heart broken. The emotional devastation caused by heartbreak – forces us to exist at an emotional bottom so low that there arises only 2 options: 1. We Die, or 2. Climb out of the hellhole we have found ourselves in.

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This dilemma is actually a good thing. It is not only the state of misery that teaches us so much, but it is also important to understand the journey and the reason for the misery (when we thought we were happy), where we must realize, acknowledge, and accept the truth of the situation in it’s entirety. Upon acceptance, there is no turning back. More importantly, opportunity is now so obviously in the forefront, that wallowing simply isn’t an option, nor do I feel the need to even pretend it’s an option anymore (turning back, that is).

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Editor’s Note: To see more pictures of Jennifer Cole, go to the search bar at the top of the page: type in name and click the green icon.

Andrew

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Andrew Jakubowski

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………The image that I envision is a mishmash of roughly applied body paint and color-driven sensations; it also includes a body position that excites but does not reveal. This image is based on a personal belief that the erotic is a state of mind resulting from the desire but inability to know reality. For me, the act of body painting is an extension of juvenile tendencies, a return to the very stage of life during which human curiosity (and ignorance) is at its peak. It denotes playfulness, innocence, and imagination – all of which contribute to my erotic, sensual, and sexual feelings.

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Andrew

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Within the context of Philo, this image is a seemingly striking juxtaposition against the wealth of knowledge present in the halls and possessed by the members. However, I contest that such knowledge is the result of innate inquisitiveness:  intellect itself is a product of refined interests. Therefore, the image gets at the root of what Philo is as an organization. It is a reminder that we are all motivated by childish curiosities and aroused by the unknown. Both the book and the body serve as means for satisfying our personal desires.

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Andrew

To Be Continued………

Jennie

Posted on April 19, 2012 by Jennie Shapira

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MISPLACEMENT

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……….For me, eroticism tickles the uncomfortable; it’s the delicate play of contrasting themes, acting perversely to make the viewer experience the combative feelings of ease and unease. It’s the product of a dichotomy between overt sexuality and something that both pushes you back and draws you in. What defines erotic as erotic is precisely this interaction. The concept of seeing only enough to force you to fill in the rest plays strongly with my views of eroticism, allowing a not-fully nude image to sometimes be more sexually driven than one where everything is purely raw.

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Jennie

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As a deeper conversation with the viewer, the creation of a scene which beckons for an accompanying narrative causes the interaction to deepen. In the end, it doesn’t matter if the story is the same as the stories imagined by all the others, nor the story imagined by the subject at the time of creation, as long as it is one that spawns a desire to know the character and know how the depicted situation managed to occur.

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Jennie

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In order to embody these themes and appropriately have them relate to the ‘philo’ environment located at UPenn’s College Hall, I imagined one half of the dynamic play to involve the concept of purity and intellectual soundness. The Philomathean Halls are gilded with knowledge, so a fair counter would be one that’s slightly disturbing and somewhat scandalous, which would eject itself from the ‘ivy-bubble’ as much as possible. To show eroticism, I plan to pose myself in an uncomfortable, tied-up fashion, as if just left in this building, for non-specific torture to ensue. Such would invoke much internal conversation, a discomfort with the image, and a great contrast with the neat, orderly, olden feel of the library.

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Jennie

To Be Continued………..

Jennifer Cole

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Jennifer Cole

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This recent shoot truly symbolizes this time period of my life where many “epiphany” moments seem to just keep on occurring. A more polished, sleek, mature look coupled with “edgier” fashion in these photos accurately depicts my new found self-confidence and Leo pride! The energy and aura captured in these images truly expresses my charisma, and refreshed appetite for life.

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Jennifer Cole

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Below is a list I came up with which through my experience, has shown me the ways I see myself maturing into the kind of woman I want to maintain:

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What it is to really “Grow up”.
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1. Taking better care of my physical self.
2. Dealing with my emotions and fears directly instead of numbing the pain.
3. Accepting failure & defeat as a means of forming new learning opportunities, thus becoming wiser, and stronger.
4. Walking through life with a strong confidence in my step.
5. Letting go of what I can’t control.

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Copyright 2012
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Editor’s Note: To see more pictures of Jennifer Cole, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click green icon.

Jennifer Cole

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Jennifer Cole

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……….In the past several months, I’ve arrived at many conclusions about my behavior, and how it has affected others, as well as myself. I realized I have a problem facing reality and tend to act out in extreme ways to distract myself from it. I’ve become so skilled at stifling and numbing my hurt feelings, fears, anxieties, and my inner anger, that anticipating a drink every single evening seemed like normative behavior. Then it became apparent to me that feelings are just feelings… no matter how uncomfortable they are, sometimes you just have to sit with them, go to sleep, and wake up with a better, rested, and fresh outlook.

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I started to reteach myself how to think and live. My ambitions of being an event planner and starting my own business came to the forefront of my goals once again, after being buried somewhere back in college. Entering this type of business has been anything but easy…coupled with my “partying” tendencies: I have realized this business will never happen – unless I properly fuel the fire that needs to ignite it; me.

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Jennifer Cole

Copyright 2012

To Be Continued………..
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Editor’s Note: To see more pictures of Jennifer Cole, go to the search bar at the top of the page: enter name and click green icon.