'Critical Perspective Essay on Cecilie Harris' work.' - College Essay

How can examining art and design work from different critical perspectives help us understand the impact of the work?

For this critical essay, I have chosen to analyse the work of photographer Cecilie Harris using a range of different critical perspectives in order to understand the impact and the message portrayed through her work. My aim is to review her work with a non-biased opinion and also to consider all aspects of society when analysing her work, such as social, historical, contemporary and professional. I have chosen a photograph from the artist’s portfolio which was issued in volume 4 of ‘Boys by Girls’ magazine. This magazine company takes pride in using female photographers to photograph predominately male models, hence ‘Boys by Girls’.
Harris is a Norwegian born freelance fashion and portrait photographer, currently both living and working in London. I have decided to review her work as not only do I take an interest in it, but I also appreciate the work that she puts into the magazine ‘Boys by Girls’ as the editor-in-chief. I also feel that her pieces, specifically the one I have chosen, have a strong message which she successfully portrays. She mainly focuses on shooting menswear models, as she “find(s) that (they) have a very relaxed approach to modelling and they like to be challenged.” Lynam, A (2013) Cecilie Harris Photographer http://www.1883magazine.com/features/features/cecilie-harris (Accessed: 21^st November 2013) Harris first found her love for photography through the work of her uncle who was a Norwegian journalistic photographer.

In a recent interview with 1883 magazine, Cecilie Harris tells of how the place she is born still inspires her daily photographs, “In my town back home there are also a lot of white wooden houses, which probably explains why I’m often drawn to using white elements in my work.” She then goes on to say “And another element is that I grew up by the ocean and my view out my kitchen window was simply the ocean creating clean lines as it divided the land and the sky. So I like working with lines and simple elements when composing an image.” Lynam, A (2013) Cecilie Harris Photographer http://www.1883magazine.com/features/features/cecilie-harris (Accessed: 21^st November 2013) The white elements and clean lines are clearly visible, not so much through the image I have chosen to analyse, but through many of her other pieces, including these images which were taken from the latest issue (Volume 5) of ‘Boys by Girls’ magazine of boy-band Union J and model Anders Hayward, who she claimed was “the 1^st model to inspire her this year”. Harris, C (2013) http://cecilieharris.blogspot.com/2013/06/anders-hayward.html (19th November 2013) In this issue of ‘Boys by Girls’ magazine titles ‘Lessons’ Harris explains that “‘Lessons’ takes a look at the young male of today, presented through the eyes of female artists.” She then continues to say “It also encourages us to look back at our own stories, brushing the dust off old memories and helping us to learn something about how we got to where we are now.” Finally, she finishes with “One thing I know for sure; there are always lessons to be learned, and that is what makes it all so exciting.” Harris, C (2013) Boys by Girls magazine: Lessons, Volume 5, p.3  I would definitely say that her photographs tell of her passion for what she does and the hard work that she puts into everything that she does.

This is the image I have chosen to analyse, as previously stated; was featured in volume 4 of ‘Boys by Girls’ magazine which was titled ‘A Place Called Youth’. I have chosen to discuss this image as I feel it has a strong meaning, background and message that is portrayed through the photograph, which I believe Cecilie Harris has beautifully captured. Timothy Kelleher is the male model seen in this picture and in order for Harris to obtain these shots; she was invited into Kelleher’s home to capture his editorial. He has previously worked for a number of top designers including ‘Topman’ and ‘Dior Homme’ as well as featuring in two issues of ‘Boys by Girls’ magazine. (2012) Timothy Kelleher for APCY http://www.boysbygirls.co.uk/index.php/news/timothy-kelleher-for-apcy (Accessed: 19^th November) This image is extremely thought provoking to any viewer, as it makes you query the background story behind the photography and why the photographer chose to edit the photo in the way that she has. The image has used Photoshop in a clever way, in order to merge together two completely different scenes into one.  Both images alone are quite simple compositions, however when fused together they create an interesting and complicated piece. When I look at this picture it leads me to believe that the model could be looking out of a window, or thinking back to a special memory or time in his life, possibly his childhood. The blank emotion on his face explains that he is deep in thought; I feel that this expression is reinforced by the simplicity of his clothing, as he purely wears a white vest top for American Apparel. A lot of thought had clearly gone into how the trees were going to be edited into the image, what parts of the picture to replace and whether or not to have the background remain plain. I feel that each of these decisions have impacted on the piece and that the picture has been edited incredibly, to portray the deeper meaning.

In my opinion, the chosen image has a contemporary feel to it, as do a lot of Harris' pieces. She puts a lot of thought into her shots, including the setting, lighting, filters and effects and most of all, the models that she usses. She says she "look(s) for innocence" in a model to then allow the photo to "have it's own story." Lynam, A (2013) Cecilie Harris Photographer  http://www.1883magazine.com/features/features/cecilie-harris  (Accessed: 21^st November) This image is just one of Harris’ pieces that I would consider as contemporary or modern. Contemporary photography can be defined as abstract or unusual in comparison to other photography of this time. My original chosen image is extremely contemporary, due to the fact I have never seen anything like it before. The individuality and uniqueness of the edited trees, is what makes it stand out from the usual menswear photography. This image to the side is another piece of Cecilie Harris’ work which I would also consider as contemporary, purely because of the composition of the piece. Despite the fact she is advertising the clothing items worn by the model, she doesn’t let this idea control her images, which is what makes them appealing. I also think that this concept allows her to appeal to a more youthful target audience, as they are on-trend with the images that are floating around a number of social networking websites and inspiring our next generation of photographers.

Cecilie Harris has strong views on feminism, along with all of the other women who work for 'Boys by Girls' magazine. The company thrive on employing "female artists (to) explore the beauty of the contemporary young man". About Boys by Girls http://www.boysbygirls.co.uk/index.php/info/ (Accessed: 20^th November) The bi-annual magazine, first released in May 2011, produces issues with individual, unique and specific titles, which focus on menswear and the young male of today. “Portrayed through sensitive and poetic view, the images fall somewhere between art and editorial.” About Boys by Girls http://www.boysbygirls.co.uk/index.php/info/ (Accessed: 20^th November) These women are obviously aware of the statistics involving female photographers however, as surprisingly stated in the ‘National Endowment for the Arts’ report, “42.8% of all professional photographers are female.” (2011) Photography: Is it still a man’s world? http://fstoppers.com/photography-is-it-still-a-mans-world (Accessed: 25^th November) When I researched this statistic, I was amazed at how high it actually was, I thought it would be considerably lower due to the number of famous male photographers that I know, compared to the limited number of famous female photographers I know, but this doesn’t seem to be the case. These women are keen to work as a unit to focus mainly on photographing menswear clothing and models, I like the idea of a team made up entirely from women, as I feel they send out a strong message to all aspiring female photographers.

Over the years, Harris has been inspired by a number of people and not just photographers. She is constantly influenced by the world around her, however she has said that “visually (she) find(s) the work of Craig McDean, Steven Meisel, Lean Mark and Patrick Demarchelier inspirational” She also “love(s) the work of Jolijn Snijder as it really seems to capture who she is and her personal journey.” Margary, A One to One: CecilieHarris-The girl from Boys by Girls http://www.metrovelvet.com/interviews/one-to-one-cecilie-harris-the-girl-from-boys-by-girls/ (Accessed: 27^th November) I have included a piece by Jolijn Snijder in order to visually realise how her work has influenced Cecilie Harris’. There are similarities in the simplicity of both of the pieces (this image and my chosen one) and also in the sense that both photographers like to focus more on the composition and the message that is received, than often the purpose of the image, which is to advertise the men’s clothing.

‘Film noir’ is a style or genre of cinematographic film marked by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, and menace. The term was originally applied (by a group of French critics) to American thriller or detective films made in the period 1944–54. (2013) Film noir http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_noir (Accessed: 25^th November) I have researched this genre as I feel some of Cecilie Harris’ photographs reflect this historical style of work. The image here shows one ‘film noir’ photograph and one of Harris’ pieces in order to visually compare the two. The image to the right is a photo taken and edited by Cecilie Harris, I have chosen this to compare to ‘film noir’ photographs due to the way it is edited. Harris has cleverly merged two photographs together and washed-out areas of them both in order to create this effect. I think that this gives the piece an eerie and mysterious feel to it as it creates an almost ghostly effect, which I believe in similar to the smokey images of the ‘film noir’ genre.

The second image is taken from a 1955 film titled ‘The Big Combo’ and was captured by the cinematographer John Alton, who a creator of many ‘film noir’ style images. In my opinion this image reiterates my previous point surrounding the ghostly effect that these photos display. Although the monochrome colour scheme is apparent throughout both of the pieces, Alton’s image is predominantly darker. In this, the silhouettes are the main focus point, which instantly makes the whole piece feel dark and gloomy, despite the white smoke in the background.
From these images alone, it is clear to see that Cecilie Harris’ work has been somewhat influenced by the historical art of the ‘film noir’ genre. Although the photographs initially may not look so alike, when you research deeper and view them from a historical point of view, it becomes known that there are indeed similarities and deeper meanings in the work.

Cecilie Harris’ photographs do not always take the direct approach and focus exactly on advertising the menswear, but this is what I believe makes them unique, contemporary and inspiring. She has been influenced by a number of photographers and historical period, such as ‘film noir’ and along with her feministic attitude, they have all helped to form her into the photographer that she is today and allowed her to produce, in my opinion, a number of masterpieces. After researching into the work of Harris, it has inspired some of my own photography. I have included a black and white piece of my own; that I feel shows the influence of Cecilie Harris in particular.

Bibliography:

Harris, C (2013) http://cecilieharris.blogspot.com/2013/06/anders-hayward.html (19th November 2013

Harris, C (2013) Boys by Girls magazine: Lessons, Volume 5, p.3

 Lynam, A (2013) Cecilie Harris Photographer http://www.1883magazine.com/features/features/cecilie-harris (Accessed: 21^st November 2013)

Margary, A One to One: CecilieHarris-The girl from Boys by Girls http://www.metrovelvet.com/interviews/one-to-one-cecilie-harris-the-girl-from-boys-by-girls/ (Accessed: 27^th November)

(2011) Photography: Is it still a man’s world? http://fstoppers.com/photography-is-it-still-a-mans-world (Accessed: 25^th November)

(2013) Film noir http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_noir (Accessed: 25^th November)

(2012) Timothy Kelleher for APCY http://www.boysbygirls.co.uk/index.php/news/timothy-kelleher-for-apcy (Accessed: 19^th November)

About Boys by Girls http://www.boysbygirls.co.uk/index.php/info/ (Accessed: 20^th November)