PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT

WANDA WULZ

Wanda Wulz was born on July 25 in 1903. She was an Italian photographer whose grandfather Giuseppe, founded the Studio Fotografico Wulz in 1868. Wulz joined the futuristic movement in 1931 when she met Flippo Marinetti(Italian poet and editor – the founder of the futuristic movement). Wanda was very experimental with photography and carries out photodynamism, employed superimposition and rhythmic scansion to create studies of bodies in motion, multiple portraits, and Futurist still lifes. Her most famous work includes her self-portrait Io+gatto translated to I and cat in English – it is one of the best-known Futurist photographic images. She was very interested in cats as most of her work feature these animals and she superimposes her images in order to merge her own face with that of a feline.

The Futuristic MovementFuturism was largely an Italian trend although there were parallel movements in Russia and England. This movement practised in many different mediums of art including; music,fashion,textiles,film,interior design, architecture, ceramics, sculpture, painting and more. Filippo Tommaso Marinetti pioneered this movement in 1905 when he published his Futurist Manifesto. He loathed anything loathed: "We want no part of it, the past", he wrote, "we the young and strong Futurists!" The futurists idolized speed, technology, youth and violence. It was the representation of technological triumph of humanity over nature. The manifesto of this movement was that objects in reality are not separate from one another and their surroundings. Futuristic paintings featured the blending of objects and surroundings; a new and fresh approach to looking at things and a new form of art.

Photodynamism is the term used to describe the process of high-key lighting and long exposures to capture sudden gestures in a way that depicted movement as an reality, rather than a sequence of static poses. Photographic imagery was seen at on one level the perfect marriage of art and science, but it had a static and lifeless nature that thev Futurists did not immediately accept. Futurists also felt that photography lent itself to the manipulation of reality - that an image could be composed so the camera couldn’t express universal dynamism and reality. The Futurists experimented with and worked with the conception of photography as a constructed reality. They eventually captured something of the dynamism that was so vital to Futurist aesthetics because they discovred an explosive and emotive alternative to conventional portraiture. Futurists had stimulated an interest in experimental uses and techniques of photography.

Superimposition refers to the placement of an image or video on the top of an already existing video or image, usually to addd effect or to cover something up. The technique is used in cartography to place gridlines on maps. This can an effective overall result and is a way of merging different elements to convey meaning – in I + Cat Wulz merges a self-portrait with an image of a cat to unite these two elements of life.

This is superimposed self-portrait of Wanda Wulz but it has been merged with another photograph. An image of a cat has been placed on top of the image of the person in order to merge the two creatures together . The images are positioned thoughtfully as all the facial features are lined up to give an effect that the person is half cat and half human – the cat also acts as a mask and hides a person’s identity.

The main focus of this image is the face and specifically the eyes as they are staring and looking directly into the eyes of the viewer. The lighting is very balanced and as only white and black are featured the layers and outlines contrast really well. The focal point stands out as the black background enhances the lighter shades. The whiskers are very pronounced as this is not easily achievable as they are so thin and light. The image although visually unusually the elements are very simple therefore make the image and message more powerful and dynamic. The black background also acts as a frame and creates a natural edge to the image/subject.

Wanda Wulz had a passionate interest in cats, she only made a small collection of photographs but many of them featured these animals. This image in-particular is very famous and Wulz’s most successful. The meaning behind this image is generated by the fusion of two completely separate creatures, this suggests that although we look different we have a lot in common and we are part of mankind. Wulz chose this image out of interest and felt there was beauty within them. The overall effect is very interesting as we don’t really know what we are looking at as it is very unusual; the features look realistic but the overall idea is not.

This image was constructed by taking two separate photographs and placing the positive layers on top of each other to merge them together – this was achieved by layering multiple negatives on top of each other.

In my opinion this is a very interesting and visually stimulating photograph which is very simple but has been constructed concisely in order to merge the two faces effectively. I am also interested in cats which is one of the reasons I chose to study this artist in further detail.

This is a photograph of a cat, although when studying it, it’s more than meets the eye. The cat’s right eye is a human’s. The image is called Cat minus me’ this suggests that the cat still has human elements. The photograph is black and white and so is the cat, the subject is slightly off centre and positioned in the left intersection. The main focus is the cat’s eyes that are looking directly at you, this makes the picture strong and intense. The lighting and colour are really effective black and white contrast really well and make simple features such as whiskers stand out to ensure more detail. The image is very basic and simple which makes the image more dynamic and avoids confusion, it allows the viewer to concentrate on the main focal point.

This, much like Wulz’s Io + Gatto merges human and cats together however this particular one is unbalanced as the cat features out-weigh the human features. This image would have been made chemically by placing one layer on top of the other; the photographer has thought very carefully about the way they took the photograph and the lighting in order to superimpose the image successfully.

This image closely resembles the meaning of many of her photographs; the combination of different species. Wulz had a keen interest in cats and this demonstrates her passion, it shows how comfortable these creatures can exist together – it shows that this is natural.

I think this photograph is very intense and humorous in a way, yet it has a powerful affect on the viewer as it is strange and causes for a second look as the alteration isn’t obvious at first glance. I find this artist and her work interesting because I am also interested in cats and my pet cat is a big part of my life so I understand the meaning behind these images.