Edward Burtynsky

Edward Burtynsky is a world renowned photographer born and raised in a Ukrainian family living in St Catherines, Ont. He began photography at the age of 11 when his father purchased a darkroom and continued to study photography at Ryerson University and Niagara College. Burtynsky’s early work or goal was to capture the beautiful and unspoiled yet diminishing Canadian natural terrain but was soon lured into the intriguing world of the relationship between industry and nature. He says that the sights and images of the General Motors plant in his hometown was the inspiration for the development of his photography into his current style. In his photographs, he tries to portray the delicate and intricate balance of nature and industry. The photos explore humanity’s ever expanding industrial footprint and how we are reshaping the face of the earth. He creates large landscape photographs of the raw elements of the mining, quarrying, manufacturing, shipping, oil production and recycling industries and somehow creates eerily beautiful, vivid, detailed visions which often uncover uncomfortable realities about how much damage we are actually inflicting on the earth.

This first picture of his illustrates his style of photography perfectly. This is a landscape photo of the runoff nickel from a nickel mine in our very own Sudbury, Ontario. This photo is so beautiful and yet what it is showing is so destructive to nature and the face of the planet. The colour and detail of this photo is breathtaking and yet many of us don’t understand the true effect of these photos. Burtynsky makes it his goal not to criticize the industry or get involved in the politics that might ensue from his photos, he merely tries to capture the magnitude and the ways that humanity is taking over the planet. This photo is a prime example of this. We see the huge space that this nickel is running through and often people don’t even know that this is happening to our planet. This monumental sight though, was created by mere humans over land that was at some point a beautiful unspoiled landscape. However, this photo can be interpreted in many different ways; some people may see this as beauty or money whereas other people may see it as destruction. The way he captures this scene makes you have a double take, the colours and detail and just size of the photo and all it captures is phenomenal and truly portrays the beauty and the ugly side of industrialism.


This photo is one of my favourites of Burtynsky’s. It shows an oil slick in a riptide in the Gulf of Mexico. His photos are always so beautiful and yet repulsive at the same time because of the subject matter. The difference in the colour between the oil and the different shades of water is just so appealing and eye catching. Once again, Burtynsky captures the fine line between nature and industry by photographing one of the largest industries and its impact on nature, you can see this how the oil is actually in the water but not taking up the entire ocean so there is still a balance between them, as bad the the oil spill is to nature. Burtynsky’s pictures act as a dialogue between attraction and repulsion of the industry itself. Humans are drawn to the industry because of money and a hope for a chance at success and yet people are equally repulsed because of the damage they know it inflicts on the environment. This picture is a very good backup to that, the oil industry is a very wealthy and sells for a lot of money and yet people are aghast and repulsed when an oil spill actually happens. Burtynsky captures all of this in almost all of his photos.


Although the majority of his work is in fact of industry and it’s effect on nature, he also takes pictures of landscapes that have not yet been spoiled by industry such as this one. This is a picture of highway 5 between Merritt and Princeton, British Columbia in 1983. As you can see, the highway is still a dirt road and the landscape is still in tact, not yet defaced by humans trying to milk the land for all it’s worth. What I like about this photo is that it is before Burtynsky got into the industry phase and it shows the Canadian landscape before industry yet still with the same style: large scale, beautiful colour and amazing detail. Contrary to his other photos, this one lacks the repulsion of the industry in his other photos, and focuses more on the beauty of the landscape and of planet earth and how if we leave it alone, we may not get the money, but we sure get the beauty and the peace of mind that we are not killing the nature in that area. 

I had a lot of trouble getting a picture that mimicked the style of Edward Burtynsky just because there aren't a lot of places around Oakville that have scenes like the scenes that Burtynsky photographed but I feel that this picture is the one that best represented his style. As you know, the aviation industry is one of the biggest industries in the world and airports take up a lot of valuable land that would probably have been claimed by mother nature as her own. As you may probably see, this photo does not really show the balance with industry and nature other than what is implied that the airport took up the space that used to be nature. It does, however capture one of earth's greatest beauties, the sunset.

Bibliography:

http://www.ted.com/speakers/edward_burtynsky.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Burtynsky
http://www.edwardburtynsky.com/Sections/Statement_CV/Bio.html
http://www.sundaramtagore.com/artists/edward-burtynsky/biography/
http://www.johnpaulcaponigro.com/blog/9181/manufactured-landscapes-edward-burtynsky/
http://www.edwardburtynsky.com/

ALTERNATIVE PROCESSES

SILK SCREEN: 

For my silk screen I decided to do a two registration print of a picture that I took of the lake that my cottage is on. This view and the place I took it is very important to me as my cottage is basically my second home and I love being up there and want to capture it's beauty in a different way. This print screen turned out a lot better than expected and captures the details of the tree and the reflection and waves in the water very nicely. 

ACRYLIC GEL MEDIUM: 

My acrylic gel medium is a picture of my two dogs at the cottage and it combines two of my favourite things, my dogs and my cottage.

EUCALYPTUS OIL PRINTING: 

For my eucalyptus prints, my first one was 3 pictures combined into 1, of a mountain range, a wolf and a full moon with clouds. The wolf is my favourite animal and I've always been fascinated by the way they live and how they howl at the moon so I wanted to combine these things and although you can see the outline of some of the different pictures, it came together really nicely to make a really cool effect. 

The other two were different prints of New York City. I chose New York because it's a really beautiful city and I've always wanted to visit there and the pictures were really cool and I thought they would look nifty if printed with eucalyptus oil. :)

BREAKING THE RULES:

This photo is breaking a couple of rules. First it breaks the rule of thirds rule as the main subject is almost directly in the centre of the photo. Second, the dog breaks the lines of the photo; the lines of the floor are all leading to the edge of the deck but it seems like the dog just interrupts the lines and cuts them off because the lines of his nose and mouth go the opposite direction. Even though the whole head of the dog is the picture, only the nose is really perfectly in focus. The vantage point of this picture  is on the same level as the dog so it gives you the perspective on being equal to dogs or being yourself one with the dog. Usually pictures of dogs are taken from above making it seem like you are the master and the dog is inferior but taking it at this level sees you and the dog on the same level and as equals. 

My second breaking the rules picture was taken in Florida as we were driving around trying to find the airport. The sun was going down and the lighting was really nice. This photo was inspired by Annie Leibowitz because one of her first photographs was one like this. This breaks the rules because the highway is going in one way and the bridge just kinda cuts it off and stops the path of your eyes following the road. Also the maps on the dashboard are reflecting in the car's front window which shouldn't happen in most pictures. It also seems quite off balance because it seems like everything is sloping down from the left  I wanted this picture to feel like there was an adventure waiting to happen and there may be obstacles blocking your way sometimes but you can always have a map to guide your way and that reflects who you are.

This picture is breaking the rules because it feels very off balance. Since the track/the field is angled upwards from the right of the photo and that the subject is also on the right of the photo, it feels like everything is just going to tip and fall off the right side of the photo. Also the light from the sun is very bright in the far edge creating sun spots which is not meant to happen in good photos. It is also taken from a different vantage point which makes her position look more powerful and important even though she is kneeling on the ground.  

MIXED LIGHTING 

Mixed lighting I found was one of the hardest units just because finding different lighting types and then using it to create something cool was extremely difficult. We came across this lighting by chance when the light was shining through the foyer windows and we figured that it was going to be our only chance to get good mixed lighting pictures. I wanted to make it seem like the lighting was shining through her/all around her, making her seem angelic. I really like this picture because the light outlines her whole body and not just parts of it. It is also dark in the rest of the foyer so it seems like the light is only for her. It is mixed lighting because there are fluorescent ceiling lights above her and I used a flash to make sure her face wasn't completely in shadow because of the light behind her. I did however diffuse the flash to make sure that it wasn't too bright and didn't make her face look shiny like using the flash sometimes does. The shutter speed was 1/125 and the aperture was set to 5.6. 

PAINTING WITH LIGHT

In this photo I wanted to represent the inner struggle within the teenager. These days a lot of teenagers deal with internal struggles being pulled this way and that. They could be dealing with their parents being divorced and they have to choose between living with their mom or their dad. It could be their friendship groups splitting apart and they have to choose. It could also represent the struggles of being peer pressured into things they don't want to do. A final thing it could represent and also the one that applies most to me is the struggle internally in the mind. The constant fight of whether you're good enough or not, if you should do something or not. Often the struggle and the tension gets too much and the person snaps. I made this photo dark because often thats what the thoughts or the subjects that are pulling are, dark and gloomy. I made sure that you could not see the things that were pulling her other than the hands because there are an infinite number of things that could be pulling. I took this picture by setting the shutter speed to 20 seconds in the darkroom and the aperture to 4.5. I used a second camera to flash her leaning to one side and then I flashed a second time when she was leaning the other way. 

The Renaissance occurred between the 14th century and the 17th century beginning in Italy in the 14th century, emerging and growing as a distinct style along with other areas in culture such as philosophy, literature, music and science. Renaissance art was the beginning of a manner of art that had perspective, that could show the difference between things that are close and things that are far, to make the paintings more lifelike and to make them seem more "3D". There was new emphasis on the realism of the painting or sculpture by using new forms of 'light and shade'. The renaissance happened because artists wished to distinguish themselves from the low rung on the social ladder that being an artist had always immediately placed them. Artists in the renaissance used mathematical perspective, geometry, optics and anatomy to show and prove that painting actually took intellectual ability which caused them too break away from being known as mere craftsman into a higher level of society where their paintings and work were recognized, and sometimes even praised. Renaissance artists used a range of new techniques such as; foreshortening - shortening lines in a drawing to create the illusion of depth, sfumato - blurring or softening sharp edges by gradually blending tones into each other to create three-dimensionality, chiaroscuro - using strong contrast between light and dark to create dimension (opposite of sfumato), perspective as I have already spoken about and also balance and proportion - to make sure everything was properly sized to create a more life like and realistic piece of artwork. These techniques plus many more that were developed in the Renaissance built the foundation for a lot of art leading up to and including modern art. The Renaissance was the transformation of art being known as a lowly craft into a lifestyle and a form of beauty that should be treasure and taught.

Michelangelo Merisi de Caravaggio was a very well known artist during the renaissance, not only for his paintings but also for his out of the ordinary temperament. Born in 1571 in Milan as a mason's son, he soon moved to Caravaggio to avoid the plage where he showed his talent for painting at the young age of 16 while apprenticing for Titian in Milan. Soon after this he moved to Rome where his temperament became quite noticeable due to many run ins with the police and public brawls. His work was very well known for its extensive realism, almost theatrical use of chiaroscuro, and his use of co-extensive space. His work was often dismissed by his fellow peers or society because it was too detailed and 'vulgar' to represent sacred parsonages. Although painters at the time were trying to become more realistic with their work, Caravaggio often went beyond this, painting dirty fingernails, dirty bottoms of feet, and bruises and worm holes in apples. People thought that these details were not fitting to represent religious scenes of such clout and were apparently "lacking reverence . Caravaggio was also known as a master of the chiaroscuro technique for his ability to use intensely dark and often somber backgrounds and then painting the main subjects in rays of light to highlight the emotions, physical attributes and details of the painting which made his paintings come to life. His paintings were often recognizable for his intense and stark difference between the light and dark areas with little in between value. This style is now called 'Tenebrism'. Another style unique to Caravaggio was his ability to make it seem like the light was coming from outside the painting, basically extending the composition into the viewer's space making the viewer feel like he was actually another member of the painting. Another phenomenal thing about Caravaggio was that he made no preliminary sketches before doing his painting, he just started it there and then, always managing to capture that moment and emotion in such vividness. Despite his being very famous while he lived, Caravaggio was almost forgotten immediately after his death until his influence on western art was rediscovered in the 20th century. He did however, have significant influence on the Baroque style of painting and modern day art and is still known as one of the most influential Italian painters of all time. 

Carvaggio actually painted two versions of the "Head of Medusa" one in 1956 and the other is presumably 1957. The 2nd painting was actually a ceremonial shield commissioned by Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte, Caravaggio's patron, to be presented to the Grand Duke of Tuscany for his courage in defeating his enemies. Medusa in the 16th century was said to symbolize the triumph of reason over senses which is why this was a suitable gift for the occasion. Some say this painting was directly related to a piece of work by Leonardo da Vinci, who had once had a shield in the Duke's armoury depicting medusa but had long since been missing. Medusa had always been associated with a disturbing power, that of a gaze that turns people into stone. In Greek mythology, Medusa had always thought of herself as invincible. This painting is the said to represent the moment that she recognizes she is not invincible as she has just been decapitated and her facial expression depicts just that through her mouth being frozen in a scream and her brow furrowed, like she couldn't believe it was happening.   This painting was about art and power, and Caravaggio unleashed his imagination and techniques on this war-made object to produce an image that conveyed a disturbing power. Decapitation was a reoccurring subject in Caravaggio's paintings, making an appearance in paintings such as Judith beheading Holofernes and The Beheading of St John The Baptist. This reoccurring theme may have influence Caravaggio to use this image of the shield.In this painting, Caravaggio once again demonstrates his love and talent for depicting realism and detail of the emotion and subject in the painting. He paints everything in complete detail, from every single snake to the inside of Medusa's mouth. He also managed to complete a milestone in the name of perspective by using his infamous chiaroscuro techniques; he manages to first of all make a convex shield look concave and secondly to make it seem like the head is being projected out of the shield and makes it seem like the blood from the head is going to drop on the floor. All in all, another phenomenal piece of artwork by Michelangelo Merisi de Caravaggio.

Original Painting: The Head Of Medusa (1957) 

ALL LINED UP AND READY TO SHOW 

Cows at the Royal Winter Fair strut their stuff while hundreds of spectators enjoy the show. 

The Royal Winter Fair in Toronto is apparently very well known for its infamous "Cow Shows". I, for one wasn't even aware they existed. But upon walking into the main show hall and seeing the masses of spectators all sitting intently focused on the arena of well-bred cows before them, I experienced first hand the farming phenomena that is "Cow Showing".

I wondered what was so fascinating about watching all these large cows being led around the arena being judged until I interviewed a spectator hurrying to the lemonade stand so he didn't have to miss too much. Luckily he was generous enough to give me a quick interview.


Frank Walkerman, 63 years of age, hails from Durham, Ontario and makes the two and a half hour drive down to exhibition place at least twice a year with his wife to experience the "pure beauty" of the cow shows at the Royal Winter Fair here in Toronto. When asked why he drove all the way down here just to see some cows he replied; "The quality of the shows and the cows in them are absolutely breathtaking to any farmer with any knowledge of the cow industry. Every farmer who owns cows knows that to have goodlookin' cows is absolutely essential. It's a matter of pride I guess. If ya' have ugly cows there's really no point in breedin' them at all. Seeing all these cows bred to almost perfection gives us cow fellows something to strive for when breeding our cows." Who knew cows were such an important part of a farmer's life! In reply to the question of what he enjoys the most about the shows he answered with "I think the best part is when the cows all line up in a long row across the arena for the final round of judgement and predicting which cow will be the winner. It's a thing a' beauty to see all those fine cows lined up like that, almost as fine as seeing those frisky young fillies lined up at a pageant," he chuckles to himself, "but all in all it's a really good atmosphere where cow lovers such as myself can come and experience the best of the best of the cow industry here in Canada and on the plus side they serve a mighty fine lemonade at this place, gotta remind my wife to pick up a couple of jugs on the way out!" After thanking him for his time he bustled off back to his seat in order to catch the remaining judging of the cows. All in all it seemed like a great time for experienced and new cow-lovers alike so if you have time during your week and would love to learn more about these fascinating cow shows, make your way down to the Royal Winter Fair located at the Exhibition Centre in Toronto.

-Ellie Cookson
Devil's Report