Concentration Artist Statement
My concentration revolves around the stereotypical roles of women, which mainly took place years ago, but are still prominent in some cases today. I focused solely on photography because I am able to portray my ideas the strongest through an image. I incorporated my mom in all photos doing various tasks to show all the different chores women were expected to do. I wanted to tug at the viewers heart strings by having her emotion very dull and melancholy. This would make a viewer think how silly the idea of a housewife could be.
My work relates to one another in many different ways. The most prominent way would be by editing all photos in black and white to give off an older look and feel. I also kept the subject of all photos in the foreground creating a shallow depth of field in which that way the viewer can focus on the specific object. I also included the hand in all the photos as a symbol of the hard work women were required to perform. Her hand is kept very delicate and gentle in all photos to accentuate the feminine idea. The photos also connect to each other through the use of keeping my mom’s face blurred, so the viewer is always wondering who exactly the woman could be. It adds a sense of mystery to the photographs and lets the viewer fill in the blank in a sense. All photos include a hand that is interacting with a different object, for example a laundry basket, roses, a wash rag, and more. In my photographs I noticed that movement and form are the most effective aspects. Movement occurs when the hand and object stay very clear in the foreground, but then the eye is lead to the background by the arm. Also, form is most noticeable by keeping the hand in focus and allowing it to stand out the most. All in all, I believe these photographs have a very deep meaning in which allows the audience to use some of their own thoughts or knowledge to illustrate and comprehend this important topic.