Jo Ann Chaus

jtk · Mar 18, 2020

http://lenscratch.com/2020/03/jo-ann-chaus-conversations-with-myself/

As a young man I was nearly hard-wired to appreciate conventional feminine beauty, but my growing experience has led me to new perspectives.

Ms. Chaus clearly has a big brain, a unique and developing personal perspective. We're all "unique" but do we cringe at, even avoid new perspectives?

jtk · Mar 18, 2020

jtk · Mar 18, 2020

CMoore · Mar 18, 2020

Not exactly "My Thing"........ but i like these best.
Thanks for the link.

Pieter12 · Mar 18, 2020

pathetic

Maris · Mar 18, 2020

Borderline pretentious narcissism at first glance but considering the fulsome praise heaped on this work maybe it's much better than it looks. Contrast this with John Copelands unsympathetic photographic exploration of his aged corporeality.

Pieter12 · Mar 18, 2020

I much prefer Copelands unblinking, more honest take on his body to this pathetic one.

awty · Mar 18, 2020

Maris said:
Borderline pretentious narcissism at first glance but considering the fulsome praise heaped on this work maybe it's much better than it looks. Contrast this with John Copelands unsympathetic photographic exploration of his aged corporeality.

There seems to be a lot of this in photography, if you look at the link and see the links to other photographers down the right side you can see more similar and there is plenty of others elsewhere. People get wrapped up in their own selves and fail to connect with the viewer, hard to do, most is predictable. I've tried with self portraits, they don't quite get there, but I will keep trying, cant afford models anyway.

jtk · Mar 18, 2020

awty said:
There seems to be a lot of this in photography, if you look at the link and see the links to other photographers down the right side you can see more similar and there is plenty of others elsewhere. People get wrapped up in their own selves and fail to connect with the viewer, hard to do, most is predictable. I've tried with self portraits, they don't quite get there, but I will keep trying, cant afford models anyway.

Perhaps think about similar work by painters.

awty · Mar 19, 2020

jtk said:
Perhaps think about similar work by painters.

I agree thats the way to work from. Think all the great photographers worked from that perspective. Jo Anne has a couple of pictures similar to Francesca Woodman, I believe Francesca worked from drawings similar to the way a painter would work and her pictures reflected this level of expertise. Simple despondency will only go so far, really needs more, even gifted people work really hard to make their pictures exceptional.

jtk · Mar 19, 2020

I periodically think about "method acting"...learning to better express subtle ephemeral feelings...perhaps the difference between selfies and portraits...

removed account4 · Mar 19, 2020

I don't like much of what she has presented, she's not using black and white, ULF and her work doesn't have enough rocks and trees.

macfred · Mar 19, 2020

jnantz said:
I don't like much of what she has presented, she's not using black and white, ULF and her work doesn't have enough rocks and trees.

John, you forgot to mention she's not using the famous Schmuuutzfilter ...
Anyway - inspiring work.

removed account4 · Mar 19, 2020

macfred said:
she's not using the famous Schmuuutzfilter

yeah, THAT too !! ...

awty · Mar 20, 2020

jtk said:
I periodically think about "method acting"...learning to better express subtle ephemeral feelings...perhaps the difference between selfies and portraits...

Admittedly Im thick as two short planks, but arent ephemeral feelings only suppose to last a short time? maybe epic ephemeral, thats very dedicated method acting, bit like the Ramones.

Dali · Mar 20, 2020

jnantz said:
I don't like much of what she has presented, she's not using black and white, ULF and her work doesn't have enough rocks and trees.

And the bokeh is not great.

warden · Mar 20, 2020

Dali said:
And the bokeh is not great.

The appalling lack of critical sharpness in the corners speaks for itself, amiright?

TheFlyingCamera · Mar 20, 2020

jtk said:
http://lenscratch.com/2020/03/jo-ann-chaus-conversations-with-myself/

As a young man I was nearly hard-wired to appreciate conventional feminine beauty, but my growing experience has led me to new perspectives.

Ms. Chaus clearly has a big brain, a unique and developing personal perspective. We're all "unique" but do we cringe at, even avoid new perspectives?

I'm curious as to why you began this thread with a comment about beauty, desirability and sexuality, when her work has nothing to do with those themes.

Her images are themselves quite powerful, and I see why she has gotten lots of recognition for them. But I do find her concept to be derivative of Cindy Sherman's work, at least structurally. I don't know if I would say her message is sufficiently distinct from Cindy's re: women and their roles, but these do have a different resonance.

AndyH · Mar 20, 2020

I really like most of them, there are a few extraordinary images in the group shown on Lenscratch. To me, they honestly express the mixture of pride in the artist's physical appearance and style as well as the honesty of coping with an aging body. This resonates with me, as does the work of the other artists already mentioned in this thread.

Well done, I say.

Andy

Pieter12 · Mar 20, 2020

TheFlyingCamera said:
I'm curious as to why you began this thread with a comment about beauty, desirability and sexuality, when her work has nothing to do with those themes.

Her images are themselves quite powerful, and I see why she has gotten lots of recognition for them. But I do find her concept to be derivative of Cindy Sherman's work, at least structurally. I don't know if I would say her message is sufficiently distinct from Cindy's re: women and their roles, but these do have a different resonance.

At least Cindy Sherman's work was about creating/recreating fictional or stereotypical scenes and images, making a certain social commentary about those. This woman's work is about pathos, about herself, and only impacts and probably appeals to a very few. As a comparison, Francesca Woodman at least shows some breadth,

jtk · Mar 20, 2020

TheFlyingCamera said:
I'm curious as to why you began this thread with a comment about beauty, desirability and sexuality, when her work has nothing to do with those themes.

Her images are themselves quite powerful, and I see why she has gotten lots of recognition for them. But I do find her concept to be derivative of Cindy Sherman's work, at least structurally. I don't know if I would say her message is sufficiently distinct from Cindy's re: women and their roles, but these do have a different resonance.

First, I see no relation to Cindy Sherman. But I'm very appreciative of women photographers. I won't say anything negative about Sherman but bringing her up in this context tells me that some of us pay little or no attention to women photographers..or other contemporary photographers.

Second, that Chaus's work has "nothing to do with those themes" is an impressive pronouncement... which church authorized you to make that determination?

Third, women don't participate much in Photrio. I find that significant and more than weird... because in my photographic world, which entails galleries and professional studio work, not to mention a tremendous amount online mention publication, women do most of the creative heavy lifting.

warden · Mar 20, 2020

Pieter12 said:
This woman's work is about pathos, about herself, and only impacts and probably appeals to a very few. As a comparison, Francesca Woodman at least shows some breadth,

The project jtk shared from Lenscratch is not the total of this photographer's output. Check her web site. The attention she is being given is well deserved, and a product of years of effort.

TheFlyingCamera · Mar 20, 2020

jtk said:
First, I see no relation to Cindy Sherman. But I'm very appreciative of women photographers. I won't say anything negative about Sherman but bringing her up in this context tells me that some of us pay little or no attention to women photographers..or other contemporary photographers.

Second, that Chaus's work has "nothing to do with those themes" is an impressive pronouncement... which church authorized you to make that determination?

Third, women don't participate much in Photrio. I find that significant and more than weird... because in my photographic world, which entails galleries and professional studio work, not to mention a tremendous amount online mention publication, women do most of the creative heavy lifting.

How do you see no relationship to Cindy Sherman? She's dressing up in costumes and enacting roles. That's exactly what Cindy was doing in her Film Stills series.

Well, as a viewer/reader/critic of photography, I'm perfectly entitled to form an opinion about the work I see. The work presented in that article was certainly not meant to stimulate heterosexual male sexuality, or as you put it, "appreciate conventional feminine beauty". Saying " but my growing experience has led me to new perspectives" certainly suggests that you're still looking at this body of work in relation to your own sexuality, rather than seeing her work as a critique thereof.

TheFlyingCamera · Mar 20, 2020

Pieter12 said:
At least Cindy Sherman's work was about creating/recreating fictional or stereotypical scenes and images, making a certain social commentary about those. This woman's work is about pathos, about herself, and only impacts and probably appeals to a very few. As a comparison, Francesca Woodman at least shows some breadth,

I'd disagree with that- she's using herself as a cipher for the universal woman, especially the universal woman of a certain age and time period, and expressing the stresses and constraints she has to navigate throughout her life. Notice that the nudes are only in interior spaces. In her exterior existences she's wrapped in heavy garments, concealed behind windows, doors, the glare off of glass or the distortions of raindrops.

jtk · Mar 20, 2020

TheFlyingCamera said:
How do you see no relationship to Cindy Sherman? She's dressing up in costumes and enacting roles. That's exactly what Cindy was doing in her Film Stills series.

Well, as a viewer/reader/critic of photography, I'm perfectly entitled to form an opinion about the work I see. The work presented in that article was certainly not meant to stimulate heterosexual male sexuality, or as you put it, "appreciate conventional feminine beauty". Saying " but my growing experience has led me to new perspectives" certainly suggests that you're still looking at this body of work in relation to your own sexuality, rather than seeing her work as a critique thereof.

I have never thought Sherman's work especially significant, but it gets a lot of New York press.

I don't understand why you think we should not see photos thru our own individual lenses.

I don't generally photograph old barns, etc... That does have to do with my personal relationship with photography.

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