Paola Charnichart

Art 21 Project

Robert AdamsRobert AdamsAlong Floras Creek, Curry County, Oregon, 1999-2002gelatin-silver print, 11 x 14 inches (sheet)Robert Adams stresses the importance of light. He decided to travel through Oregon observing the landscape. In his interviews he appears very passionate about trees. To him, every tree has something to say. With every different angle photographed, the tree says something different. In this piece the light accentuates the features of the trees. All his photos are in black and white to emphasize the light as an essential component of photography.

ResponsePaola CharnichartSunset at Falconwood2016Photography5184 × 3456 px

In my piece, I wanted to emphasize the contrast between the smoothness and lightness of the sky and the dark irregularities of the trees. I wanted to embrace the tree concept Robert Adams portrays in many of his works. In this piece, the light is behind the trees, making the trees’ silhouettes very defined against the sky. I like the dramatic feel of black and white pictures.

Teresa Hubbard & Alexander Birchler

Teresa Hubbard/Alexander BirchlerShe 2005Archival pigment print, diptych 62.5 x 81.5 cm (32 x 24.5 in)Hubbard and Birchler always try to incorporate a piece of each of them into their work to create balance. Their work always involves the viewer “making an entrance and making an exit” in their work, rather thank losing yourself in it. Their emphasize is on making the viewer aware of the medium and story—to step in and step out of the story.

ResponsePaola CharnichartLooking out2016Photography5184 × 3456 pxIn the same way Hubbard and Birchler want to draw the viewer in but let one experience what is happening in the image in their own way, I wanted to do the same. Here I photographed a boy looking out the window and up at the sky towards the light. This can represent many different situations for different people. The purpose is for the viewer to take away from the image whatever they want to take away. Whatever the viewer wants it to mean, that’s what it means. But at the same time, I wanted to portray something personal; the familiar feeling of being in the dark and feeling trapped, but searching for the light and longing for freedom.

Jeff WallJeff Wall Tattoos and Shadows 2000Transparency in lightbox Cinematographic photograph1955 x 2550 mm

Jeff Wall says he starts his works by “not taking a photograph.” He tries to find those spontaneous, natural moments of ordinary individuals and recreates to portray something we are all familiar with or have experienced before. In this particular photograph, he saw three people sitting under a tree. They had tattoos all over them and he believed these created a beautiful contrast with the green trees in the background. This image portrays something we can all relate to—spending time with others.

Paola CharnichartQuality time2016Photography5184 × 3456 px

Response

I tried to recreate something similar to that of Jeff Wall’s photograph. However, in my piece, I wanted to portray the difference between what it meant to spend time with other at the time his work was photograph, and what it means now. I think we can all relate to the way the boys chose to spend time together—with technology in their hands—and funny enough, hardly paying attention to each other. This image has become so ordinary and normal in our lives, and sometimes we don’t even realize it. I was inspired by Jeff Wall’s “not taking a photograph,” which, to me, meant not staged. This was the result of not staging my photograph.