BELINDA FUENTES REVIEWS MICHELLE ROGERS PRITZL

          At first glance, Michelle Rogers Pritzl's series Not Waving But Drowning feels like its hard to breathe and tight chests. There is an automatic tension amongst the images with closed images and circle borders. Simultaneously, there is an inner scream with the faces being quiet yet the figural gestures being aggressive. The woman feels powerless. In her description of this series, Pritzl writes of representing an Evangelical marriage and the "cult-like manipulation". In a broader sense, Pritzl discusses gender roles and the hidden home.  This series speaks of marriages that appear flawless on the outside but inside the home is war. This type of oppression can be seen in other types of relationships as well, thinking about the amount of abuse that has been present among children. Additionally the circle frames and the photo process used aids in the dating of this lifestyle. Overall, Pritzl strives to be truth amongst this issue, once being in this situation, sharing, "This is my protest. I will no longer be silent. I choose to live."

 

Sylvia Gutierrez Reviews Duane Michals

        Flourishing with his photography in the 1960’s, an era mostly influenced by photojournalism, Duane Michals manipulated his imagery in a cinematic format to create narratives rather than illustrating reality at the time. Michals is an American photographer who is know for his creative usage of multiple exposures, photo sequences and his integration of text in his work to add to the emotion of the the imagery versus being informative. When this photographer was first introduced to me, what I found to be the most alluring were his photo sequences and how Michals’ work seems to blur the lines between photography and philosophy. Rather than paying attention to the aesthetic of his work, he focuses on how the imagery makes the viewer feel and manages to bring them into his narratives in a deeper level.

        Duane Michals has two sequences that I found very intriguing and similar to each other, Grandpa Goes to Heaven and The Fallen Angel. Although both sequences have a similar theme of angels, the emotions that come forth and the actual situation are different. In the first series of the grandfather passing away we as the viewers sympathize with the emotional transition of melancholy, peace and acceptance as he turns into an angel, versus the angel turning into a man as he experiences desire, lust and desperation. Michals is capable of displaying these emotions and narrative transitions with the usage of lighting, specially on the main characters, whenever they show their humanity there seems to be shadows and a darker essence cast upon them contrary to their divine and luminous presence in the scene.

Grandpa Goes to Heaven

1989

Five gelatin silver prints with hand applied text

The Fallen Angel
1968
Eight gelatin silver prints with hand-applied text

Jesusa Vargas reviews Pedro Meyer

Pedro Meyer is a renowned Mexican contemporary photographer born in Spain Madrid. He was the founder and president of the Consejo Mexicano de Fotografia, this was an institution that promoted research in photography. Pedro has also been a teacher, curator, and director of a website name ZoneZero. ZoneZero has been quoted as being a "space for dialogue with photography as a starting point and subject.

The Announcement, 1980
Ocumicho, Michoacan, Mexico.
35mm b/w negative

The highly contrasted image captures my attention in this black and white photograph taken in Mexico. The tonal contrasts include all tones from white, middle grays, to dark blacks. The low key approach the photographer takes creates a mysterious scene. My eyes are, first drawn towards the person in white on the right side of the composition. The white figure is facing left, guiding my eyes in that direction towards the darker background. This, then, pulls me into the image to take a closer inspection and inventory of other subject matter. I feel that this dramatic image becomes visually powerful when creating a highly contrasted composition and places a large focus on the subject in white and creates a serious mood.




The Cornered Virgin, 1975
Mexico
35mm b/w negative

Centering the subject matter and creating a deadpan aesthetic not only forces your full attention but creates a direct relationship, a sense that the woman in the image is looking directly at you. She is forcing us to see her, a voyeuristic approach is then to be had when viewing this photograph. Her body follows the lines of the wall behind her. Her back is up against the corner of the wall and her legs are open, following the lines of each wall to the left and right of her. She becomes the corner of the room. I feel that because the image is black and white, I focus more on the forms, lines, light, and shadows than the nude body as a sexual object.





















Self-Portrait in Hell, 1978
New York, N.Y., USA
Poloraid 3.5x4.2" Modification during developing


I chose to share this image because of the different approach taken in creating this photograph. Pedro created a self-portrait on a polaroid and altered it in such a way, during developing, that it created an entire different environment and texture. You can see that the entire image space is not altered/modified, Pedro's image in the left side of the composition is untouched and visible. The surrounding space appears to be distorted, melting or giving an appearance of flames in the bright yellows, orange, and reds. He may have very well taken the image indoors, a bedroom with natural light coming through windows on both sides. Perhaps a yellow curtain changes the tone of the room. The altered environment also creates dimension, depth similar to a bas-relief.



http://zonezero.com/en/
http://www.museum.oas.org/exhibitions/2000s/2008-pedro.html
http://www.pedromeyer.com/heresies/heresies.html
https://www.latinamericanart.com/en/artists/pedro-meyer/biography.html