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Rationale
Rationale
My concept for the exhibition was creating depictions of Greek myths. Each of these
timeless myths I have used have some connection to the world we live in now. For this project I
wanted to not only connect a subject I am quite passionate about, but also to show how little the
human condition has shifted away from its primal tendencies. I hope my audience will gain a sense
of familiarity with ancient humans as they view my pieces. Each of my pieces intends to convey an
aspect of human nature (narcissism, greed, curiosity, pride, etc.) and the consequences brought on by
those aspects.
I knew from the beginning I wanted to improve my use of Photoshop and Lightroom,
because of this I felt that digital photography was my best option. This also made me discover my
interest in night photography. In my virtual exhibition I have created quite large images because the
myths that I used to create them are seen as larger than life. I hope my audience will see that these
myths strive to describe the morals of the time and also the morals of any society. Every character in
my pieces can be seen in all of us at different points of our lives.
Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical depictions of Greek mythology such as Caravaggio’s
painting of Narcissus have heavily inspired all my pieces. Each piece centers around one of the two
aspects of humans. On the right side bothMidas and Tantalus center around the physical: Midas,
connecting greed and the irrational need to possess, and Tantalus who is adversely never able to
possess. On the left side both pieces focus on the intangible. Pandora’s Box focuses on curiosity and
the human need to observe despite warnings. Eurydice is the only piece in my exhibition that sets the
perspective as a character (Orpheus), and also depicts curiosity and its consequences. At the center
of my exhibition is Narcissus who is able to depict both physical and intangible, as he is completely
enchanted with the sight of himself.
At a base level everyone who has ever lived consists of the same materials; the unique aspect
of us is the concentration of each material. While-we like to believe we have dramatically changed
over the course of thousands of years, we still cycle through the same range of emotions.
Narcissus
Narcissus warns of the pitfalls of one too focused on themselves. Narcissus stares into the pool, and his self obsession brings up questions about today’s world. For example, on social media, people gaze at their perceived imperfection, but do little to accept them. When applied to the modern world, this myth suggests Self obsession leads to a lonely existence. I intended for the water-distorted light and the night time shoot to depict commonly distorted perceptions of beauty and isolation.
Pandora's Box
In the myth of Pandora’s box, Pandora opens a box she has been told to not open, releasing all evils into the world. The myth warns of curiosity; despite it being a basic human instinct, it can lead to dangerous outcomes. The decision to shoot at night was to create a sense of secrecy in the action of opening the box, and represent childhood ignorance. I intend to remind the viewer that common sense isn't inherent, and we can only understand the world through curiosity and self discovery.
Eurydice
This piece was the moment Orpheus looked back. In the myth of Orpheus, makes a pact with Hades to revive his dead love Eurydice, he must return to the world of the living with her following behind, but not look back at her. Because of curiosity his love is forever dead. Curiosity is a dangerous part of humans and is best held under control or the affected will be bound to suffer. The daylight in images shows just how close Orpheus was to freeing his wife, only for her to return to the darkness
Tantalus
Tantalus was a man punished by the gods for his arrogance; he was forbidden food and water forever. In my photo I represent the avaricious nature of arrogance, and how petty it is in the face of knowledge. I depict this in the bound hands reaching for an apple (a common representation of knowledge). My use of lighting also depicts the nature of these two subjects. Arrogance is cast in darkness, and the apple is set in the light. This myth warns how arrogance will only lead to suffering
Midas
Today people plate themselves in gold to reach happiness, but this only distracts from the joy of life. Midas begins as a greedy king, but later realizes that the only way to free himself from his cursed greed is to wash away his riches. My subject rubs away the gold, perhaps realizing how little worth it actually held. The water cleanses Midas of his greed. Once we are able to wash away our materialistic ways, much like Midas, we will be free of our shackles.
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