Body of Work Assignment 2: Review in the Light of Tutor Comments

Assignment 2: The River

My body of work for Assignment 2 is about The River Witham. I grew up its banks, travelled to Lincoln, Boston and Kings Cross on steam hauled and, later, diesel trains by it, fished in it, collected train numbers by it, ran in cross-country races beside it and swam in it. I see the river as a metaphor for life; mine and the river's. The journey of the river is a poignant reminder of the transience of human life, when compared to that of the river as it flows out to sea to continue its infinite life.

Not only does the river have its own current life, it has been influenced by the hand of man for over 2000 years. More prehistoric weapons and tools have been found in the Witham than any other UK river, apart from the Thames (The Collection, Lincoln). 2500 years ago the river may have been regarded as a sacred place by the people who lived here. Perhaps the still, marshy pools with their reflections may have acted as mirrors to the heavens or as portals to the underworld. These tools and weapons, many beautifully decorated, were not just thrown away, but deliberately placed there as offerings to the gods or for the leaders to demonstrate their wealth (The Collection, Lincoln). Some of these treasures can be seen in the Collection in Lincoln, including the Fiskerton Log Boat, but the most famous is the Witham Shield made of iron, inlaid with bronze, now in the British Museum (although there is a replica in The Collection).

Whilst photographing for this assignment I have researched photographers who have, themselves photographed rivers: Alec Soth's Sleeping by the Mississippi (2004), Jem Southam's The Red River(1982-1989) and Andreas Muller-Pohle's The Danube Project (2005-2006). I have recorded my observations about these photographers in my blog under Reading and Research 17. 18 and 19. I find that each of them has relevance to my work and have found inspiration from them, more especially for how I intend to develop the project.

Although a few of the images in this assignment have been taken in softer more topographic lighting, many have been taken in bright sunny weather often with white, fluffy clouds; perfect for picturesque photography. Many authors are highly critical of the picturesque as it portrays an idealised, romantic view of the countryside. A view, which it can be argued, does not exist. Graham Clarke (1997) is critical when he writes that English tourists took up photography and, using a romantic picturesque style, idealised the countryside. Established practitioners such as Roger Fenton, he says, rarely showed evidence of work. Jesse Alexander (2015) argues that the picturesque is prevalent in the postcard industry and these photographs idealise the countryside. He suggested viewpoints are marked on maps in the same way that William Gilpin did in the 1700s with his picturesque tourist guides, even suggesting that they take their Claude Glasses with them. Alexander (2015) also quotes Fay Godwin who stated on a 1986 Southbank show that she was very wary of picturesque pictures as they are a very soft, warm blanket of sentiment, which covers everybody's idea about the countryside, idealising it in a very unreal way (Godwin, 1986). Liz Wells (2011) agrees when arguing that there are 'no storm clouds to interrupt the welcoming picturesque' in these postcards. Alexander (2015) also writes of Constable's painting The Haywain arguing that it shows an idealised view of the countryside and continues to argue that picturesque imagery gives a romanticised and idealistic view of the land, offering only a limited and superficial view and suggests that it panders to a compulsive, escapist view. In this he agrees with Wells (2011) who argues that 'the picturesque continues to manifest itself in signposted 'photo-opportunities', encouraging tourists to take pictures from spots that facilitate conventional Cartesian aesthetics.

On the other hand authors also write in defence of the picturesque. Bate (2009), although agreeing with the criticisms of others, argues that it can be valued positively as it gives people pleasure and fulfils a social function. People enjoy picturesque images as they represent the composition and order that they would like to see in their own lives. Malcolm Andrews (1999) argues that people may be genetically programmed to prefer the 'ideal, picturesque landscapes' of Capability Brown, because they resemble the savannah scenery first settled by early man as they allow both predator and prey a good view of food or danger. Andrews (1999) also informs us that, in Italy in the 1500s, the landed gentry liked to enjoy picturesque landscapes as an antidote to the rapid urbanisation of the country, so not just a phenomenon of today. Wells (2011) also makes this point. Andrews (1999) tells us, in defence of the picturesque, that awesome and beautiful landscapes can detoxify the mind and spirit.

My reading suggests to me that, although a defence can be made for the picturesque, on the whole it is not highly regarded. Knowing this I was happy to use some picturesque imagery in this assignment, not because I agree with a Victorian Romantic picturesque point of view, but because it suited the narrative style of the project and a mix of overtly picturesque and some images less so reflected the up and down nature of the river's history and of human lives. One or two images are of my childhood playground, when, my memory tells me, the sun always always shone. As Glynn Wilson (2012) states in the New American Journal a river may be viewed as the ultimate metaphor for life.

Research into the work of painters depicting the Witham has also been useful and I have recorded this in my blog under Reading and Research 20.

References and Bibliography

Alexander, J. (2015) Perspectives on Place, London, Bloomsbury

Andrews, M. (1999) Landscape and Western Art. London: Oxford University Press

Bate, D. (2009) Photography, The Key Concepts, London, Bloomsbury

Boyes, J. & Russell, R. (1977) The Canals of Eastern England London, David and Charles

British Waterways, Lincolnshire County Council and the Environment Agency information boards

Clarke, G. (1997) The Photograph. Oxford: Oxford University Press

Godwin, F. (1986) Southbank Show. Cited in Alexander, J.A.P. (2015) Perspectives on Place: Theory and Practice in Landscape Photography. London: Bloomsbury

Hunt, N. (2014) Walking the Woods and the Water, London, Nicholas Brealey Publishing

Leigh Fermor, P (1977) A Time of Gifts, London, John Murray

Leigh Fermor, P. (1986) Between the Woods and The Water, London, John Murray

Muller-Pohle, A. (2005/06) The Danube River Project [online] andreas mullerphole website. Available from: http://www.muellerpohle.net/projects.html [Accessed 27.10.15]

Nicholson(2006) Nicholson Waterways Guide (Vol 6) London, Harper Collins

Sloth, A. (2004) Sleeping by the Mississipi [online] Alec Soth website Available from: http://alecsoth.com/photography/?page_id=14 [Accessed 27.10.15]

Southam, J. (1982-1989) The Red River [online] Landscape Stories website. Available from:

http://www.landscapestories.net/issue-12/ls_12-001-jem-southam-the-red-river?lang=en [Accessed 25.10.15]

The Collection, Lincoln

Wells, L. (2011) Land Matters: Landscape Photography, Culture and Identity. London, I.B.Tauris

Wilson, G. (2012) The Ultimate Metaphor: Life is Like a River [online] The Locust Fork News Journal. Available from:

http://blog.locustfork.net/2012/11/the-ultimate-metaphor-life-is-like-a-river/