Rain at Piccadilly Circus & A Female British Artist that causes a stir?

Rain at Piccadilly Circus

Part 1: Rain at Piccadilly Circus

This photo  was taken at Piccadilly Circus on a damp, drizzly and gloomy day, when there was not much light around and everything was looking grey, flat and lifeless, the dazzling adverts certainly injected some much needed light into the day.

Was looking for something as an introduction to a British Artist in Part 2 that looks painterly but a bit "drawing" as well as a hint of abstract and this fits the bill.

It's just somebody walking across a pedestrian crossing and I took numerous shots of people walking through, but this one for me hit the spot.

This is a person in silhouette with an umbrella but with some detail in the shadows, not a new idea and  done by many before but normally in colour. I think the monochrome look and the strong light, high contrast and the slight blur brush like strokes give it a painterly effect.The strong vertical lines with the posts add even more tension and energy to the scene.

Apart from that I rate this one as a moderate shot though, I would say a 7/10.  It's a sort of Saul Leiter meets Daido Moriyama. It's silhouettes and blur meets shocking blacks and blown out highlights but not much more. But it does look nice!

Enough of that, lets take a look at this mysterious artist that has me intrigued. Important to look at other art realms beyond photography...it will improve your work no end. A small portion of this artists work resonates strong with me and that is her "life drawings" in black and white.

Tracey Emin

Part 2. The Artist Tracey Emin. A closer look
A controversial artist on many fronts, she is a love or hate character, a bit of a wild child back in the day, but she has risen to International fame and exhibited globally. A rebel for sure. A lot of people rate her, some do not and all shades in between.

Born in Croydon, South London but raised in Margate in Kent, she had a large studio in East London near Spitalfields Market but has now moved back to Margate in recent times.

She was a YBA ( Young British Artists) member and was nominated for the Turner Prize.

Her work covers a broad spectrum and  includes paintings, sculptures, films, neons, photography and drawings and mono prints amongst others.  Other famous works include "My Bed" and the famous Tent called "Everyone I have ever slept with 1963-1995".

You could say in some ways she is a modern day Andy Warhol, challenging the accepted norms in the art world, breaking boundaries and moving into new territories.

Her work is classed as "Modern Art" or "Contemporary Art" and a lot of it is "Confessional" in nature, it's about her own life and it's dramas.

A lot of her work is quite graphic, sexual in nature in her earlier days and she tackles topics that most people are not comfortable talking about.

Her inspirations are mainly two artists that include Edvard Munch of "The Scream" fame  and  Egon Schiele  Do I like her work. Some of it, but the real question is would I have it hanging in my house and the answer is "NO". I love the work of  Marc Chagall and have had some of his prints in my past homes, but that's just personal taste.  BUT I like her as a person, she's been through a lot and although her work mostly is not for me, some of it I find incredibly inspirational. 

Part 3: Her Personality

Just like Robert Frank if we went down the pub for a chat, we would be there for a considerable period of time and we would have a right laugh exchanging stories. She's a straight talking sort of woman and her direct  bluntness would be refreshing in these screwed up times we are living in!

To get the inside track on this woman I'll hand you over to the artist via a BBC documentary called "What Do Artists Do All Day", some other artists from the series have featured here before.

A good insight into what it's like to be an artist of international fame and see her working and get inside her creative mind. Another eye opener, it's yet another video I watches when the creative fuel tank is running on empty and things are looking pretty hopeless. Slap on a bit of Tracey Emin and a spark of creative hope returns!

WARNING: Contains some graphic nudity in art form

VIDEO: Part 1 Tracey Emin: What Do Artists Do All Day

VIDEO: Part 2 Tracey Emin: What Do Artists Do All Day