Photo by Nigel Shafran, Titled, 4th January 2004. Three bean soup, cauliflower vegetable cheese. Morning coffee and croissants. From the series Washing-up. Available to view online: http://nigelshafran.com
This image has a tell-tale clue that this is a man’s washing-up from the drying paint-brush hanging over the sink. It doesn’t surprise me that these photos are taken by a man; but the choice of subject matter does. I am sure many married men (I being one) often do the washing up. My father often washes up for my mother but he often does such a poor job of it needs cleaning again. Thankfully I don’t follow in this tradition.
I would agree with the opinion that gender does contribute to a the creation on an image. for the reasons that certain issues will have more of a personal interest to one gender than the other for example – various feminine social, private and public politics; sexuality; male and female health issues to mention just a few.
These images have been composed without including people in the frame. The angles and vantage points of the camera puts the viewer at normal head height relative to the subject matter. This gives the impression to me of putting the viewer in to the picture; so that this not only can represent the artists daily chores but also offering up the chore to the viewer to do.
As a still-life the concept of putting the viewer in to the picture I do find interesting but these images as they stand as photos of washing-up, I wouldn’t spend much time in a gallery scrutinizing. Has these images been carefully arranged? Perhaps, perhaps not.
shauncn512659 Context & Narrative 