Reflection on Catherine Opie: Four images of the Garden

The photographs below were all taken by Catherine Opie in 2000, and were specially commissioned for a travelling exhibition organised by the American Federation of Arts entitled 'Contemporary Photography and the Garden - Deceits and Fantasies'. Opie visited a wide variety of gardens across the United States varying from the formal, to the inner city to a men's prison. Her purpose was to investigate ' what commonalities would emerge in a construct as intellectually elevated as a garden' whilst capturing the 'ordinary moment'.

Catherin Opie (born 1961) is a contemporary American photographer who at the age of nine stated that she wished to be a 'social documentary photographer'. Her stated aim is "to capture America, in faces and on streets, from the centre to the fringe, in ways that are stylised, shocking and everyday". Many of her self-portrait images from the 1990s are indeed difficult and shocking. ( “Self-Portrait /Pervert” (1994);  "Self Portrait /Cutting" (1993))


Below are 4 images scanned from 'Contemporary Photography and the Garden - Deceits and Fantasies'.

The first three form a triptych and as such should be viewed together; all are sized 30 x 40 inches.

Untitled, 2000 (Triptych)
This image has the trunk dead centre, and this draws your eye to it. The branches pull you up and round, whilst the overexposed lawn at the back draws you back from where you can explore the mirror image of the shadows. I believe it is the shadows and their clarity that make this image so special. It has been taken in full sunlight, when conventional wisdom states you DO NOT take photographs; but the canopy of the tree softens the light which is so essential for the shadows. The adjective for the colours is 'natural', hence they complement each other perfectly with the light lifting all the dark colours out of the 'sombre' zone.

Untitled, 2000 (Triptych)
I find this a most clever image. The water tap lies centre front, dominating the image. The dullness of the green tap and hose are lifted by the yellow of the sprinkler. Immediately behind the rough path acts as a leading line to take you into the picture. You see the neat rows of vegetables - more shades of green, but so varied. From there the sheds - this is a man made image and the sheds reinforce this. Behind lie the more natural trees, the only area bathed in sunlight. I am sure there is allegory here. An image both exceedingly ordinary and thought provoking at the same time. Wonderful!

Untitled, 2000 (Triptych)
Yet another image where green ids the dominant colour - yet the use of light highlights all the varying shades possible within the nature of green. The central ivy appears unsupported and acts as the leading line into the photo. The light space to its left allows your eye to move down with the trees at the far left back acting as a frame. On the right is another tree in the mid-distance which is paler and separate, again allowing the eye to return, with the thin trunk and dark ivy pulling the eye back to the starting point, whilst passing just visible man's influence - the house! A restful image one familiar to so many of us where we can use our own memories to re-enter our mind.

Comments on the Triptych
Three most 'ordinary' subjects, each amazingly different. Were they from the same garden? No clues there. For me the first image shows the majesty of nature itself with the dominant tree trunk; the second the effect of man in the vegetable garden; the third the peace and tranquillity of mind to be found within the garden.

Untitled, 2000 ; 30 x 40 inches
This fourth image is obviously taken in an urban setting - a park or garden. The contrasts between the buds in the foreground, and the flowers of the shrub behind (slightly out of focus) are quite exciting - Spring in all her glory is shown here. Behind we have the urban dwellings - not intrusive but an essential contrast. The beauty of nature is highlighted by the buildings. There is even the beginning or end of a spider's web - what a tale to be told there.
The colours complement well, with the red flowers being an essential feature. The sapling in the foreground provides the highlight and the leading line, with the pole behind it emphasising this and drawing the eye to the buildings. The spider's web draws the eye back; the darkness of the building on the right and the shrub to the left acting as frameworks to once more draw your eye away from the dull sky and back to the beautifully focused sapling.


In conclusion:
These images epitomise to me what I would like to achieve. They are honest with a love and respect for the subject, conveying the perceived 'place' of the subject within the garden spac - indeed the 'ordinary moments'. I hope to be able to emulate these effects within my own images - time and weather permitting!