Kendall: Response to "The Huge, New York City 1980"

I really enjoyed reading about Nan Goldin. I find her work to be powerful and extremely inspiring. Her personal relationships with her friends and lovers is incredible. I think the fact that she feels as close as she does with her subjects is very important. I feel as though one of the only ways a photographer can produce a strong image, such as portrait, you need to bond with your subject and have a sense of closeness. Because Nan has this comfort level with her friends down, she is able to capture all the little emotions and moments in time that people would usually never notice. I think the author portrayed Nan to be inspirational to others. Even though her work is controversial, the author seems to support her ideas and trying to let other people feel as though it's okay to look at her work.  I think this was one of the more interesting things we've read so far, and I hope to continue to learn more about Nan Goldin, I love her work. 

The Hug

Nan Goldin's body of work The Ballad is a body of work that i find extremely poignant and heartfelt. Her ability to convey the complexities of human relationships and the dependencies men and women place upon each other is amazing. She captures these little moments between people that often go unnoticed and eventually become forgotten. Her work emphasizes the importance of realizing how fleeting life truly is. The Hug shows a couple's moment of complete interlocking, it symbolizes the pull in the relationship. Although we do not know this couple, we feel as though we can almost feel what they were experiencing when the picture was taken. The couple looks "shut off" from the world, as the article says, and the shadow over their heads helps to isolate them as an entity. I enjoyed reading about Nan Goldin's work

10.28.09 Response

Hannah Johnson

This reading was probably the most interesting one of all. The author really got into detail about the image "The Hug" by Nan Goldin and many of the analyzations made sense. I also enjoy the subject matter of Goldin's. Her ideas and concepts are very intruiging and much more daring than many other artists I have encountered. She has so much confidence and the way the author makes it out to be, it really shows through in her work. She is fearless and has no shame, photographing things that might as well be taboo. Something which I find incredibly inspiring. The author really sells Goldin's work; the author convinced me that I do want to further my knowledge of Goldin's work. I want to look her up and see for myself the honest with which she photographs.

response to the hug, new york city 1980.

I really like Nan Golden's work and her subject matter, relationships of the people around her. Because I love taking pictures of my friends. They're the people you feel most comfortable around and can open up to, so you can really start capturing more then just silly posed moments of them. A quote in the reading that I liked that talked about The Ballad was "This process of constant editing made the ballad a deeply textured piece that responded directly to the circumstances of her daily existence- the comings and goings, break-ups and affairs. As life changed, the work changed." You really do have to keep moving with your work. And constantly edit it, as your work grows you might realize some of the stuff you started out with isn't your best work. No matter what's going on in your day, when you have to shoot, just shoot. It doesn't matter if there is something big like a break up, it's a part of life, so just document it. The work could turn out really interesting.

Juliet Bull: Response to "The Hug, New York City 1980"

Out of all of the photographers we have been exposed to this year, my favorite and most memorable is Nan Golden. Her work is interesting and I think a lot of people can relate to it in some way or another. She takes pictures of people, but people that are hurting in some way and it intrigues people. It always makes me want to know more about the people she photographs. This reading overall keep my attention, although I thought the beginning when the author was explaining the meaning of “The Hug” that is was over analyzed and bit to dramatic, but besides that I really enjoyed the reading. After viewing Nan Golden’s work or reading more about her strategies and her approaches to her work, it leaves me with wanting to know more about her, she is an artist that has her own voice and is not afraid to show it. It amazes me how she gets so intimate with her subjects, although they are her friends and people she is close with, it is still amazing how natural and comfortable they look in the images.

Amanda Murley- response

I loved Nan Goldin's work, and would hope to further be influenced by her photography. After I finished the reading, the title of "The hug- New York City" developed more meaning then just a hug. At first glance, it already is a very interesting photo. However, when I found out about the greater project that involved the photo, I got a better sense of what it was really about. The photo was less about a simple action, but more about the actions of what happens before and after the intimate moment shown. The photo portrays the closeness in a relationship.

I really enjoyed this reading. Instead of over analyzing the photographers possible intentions, it told the truth. The author didn't make more of the photo then what Goldin had created. I liked how the author made note of the project as a whole. When I learned more about the entirety of the project, I got a better sense of Goldin as an artist.

Nan Goldin Response

arg, I can't put my response into words yet. I'll be back later.

Laz, love the first question in the interview.

bye for now.

ohh yeah, from callie