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Jane Trotter’s Contemporary Abstract Photography

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In the Mind of a Triptych Judge

I recently had the privilege of being one of three judges in the 2020 Nelson National Triptych Salon, hosted by the Nelson Camera Club of New Zealand. I thoroughly enjoyed looking at the 466 entries and am heartened that the art of creating a triptych is alive and well in this country.

It’s often the nature of a big, national competition like this, that feedback to individual photographers can be limited to an ‘Accepted’ or ‘Not Accepted’ result. So, in an effort to provide some general feedback to participants and prospective entrants in the future, I thought I’d offer some observations and tips to help improve your triptych making.

At the end of this blog post, I’ll also be showing you the top four triptychs in the Salon with accompanying commentary on the winning images. The authors of these images have very kindly allowed me to share their wonderful creations with you in this article.

What do you want to say and how are you going to say it?

As with any single photograph, a triptych must communicate something to the viewer, and the way in which the three panels combine to achieve this is the key.

Is an emotion, message, theme or story enhanced or developed by conveying it within three different panels?

How successfully can the triptych be understood and processed as a cohesive and unified visual experience?

Do the three panels have more meaning and context when viewed together rather than apart?

Are the three panels balanced in terms of subject matter and visual continuity?

Are shapes and patterns expanded upon across the three panels?

With a bit of luck, these fundamental questions will encourage you to think about your choice of subject and how you can approach, present and craft your material (whatever it may be) into a compelling and creative triptych.

In the Mind of a Triptych Judge

Alright, time for some observations and ‘dos and don’ts’ from the Salon. I want to stress these are just my own personal perspectives, ideas and criteria, but I hope they’re helpful and will give you an insight into my judging process!

Read and Follow the Rules

Please, please, please, make sure you read the competition guidelines and follow the instructions! This may seem pretty basic advice, but there were triptychs which I really enjoyed and would have accepted were it not for the fact that they didn’t comply with the rules. The two biggest offending areas:

  • having the background act as a 4th image
  • having the panels touch or overlap – you must have some separation between your panels

Choice of Background Colour

Be very careful with your choice of background colour – something neutral is best for most triptychs and even black can be very effective. Unfortunately, some backgrounds were too intrusive. Essentially, you don’t want the background colour to draw attention away from the panels, or clash with the colour palette of the triptych. Keep it simple.

A Single Image Divided into Three

There were many beautiful images which worked extremely well as a single image, but which didn’t work as successfully in the triptych format – the splitting into panels did nothing to ‘add value’ or enhance the original image. In some instances, the cuts were distracting.

If you’re not totally convinced that by cutting your image into three parts, you can convey your story better, or communicate your vision with greater clarity, don’t do it.

1 + 1 + 1 = 3 – It’s a Triptych – Right?

Well, yes – mathematically, but it doesn’t always work for a triptych. What do I mean? You may have taken three shots in a particular location or area, so thematically or geographically, all three images have a connection in that regard.

However, I don’t believe you can put three images together of a location and call it a triptych without there being some additional compositional or structural connection between the panels. The images still need to ‘flow’ and have something to visually link them together for the viewer to comprehend and process what they see as an actual ‘triptych’. On several occasions, it felt like three separate and distinct images were being placed next to each other and unfortunately, these didn’t function well as a whole.

All Creatures Great and Small

The Salon included many triptychs of various birds, animals and portraits of people. With this type of subject matter, to really make your triptych stand out:

  • try to tell a compelling story
  • show a sequence of events which are unusual or unexpected
  • photograph your subject from a different and creative angle of view

For me, three very similar ‘portraits’ of the same subject which don’t have these extra ‘creative’ factors aren’t enough, neither is the subject doing essentially the same thing in each image with minimal variation going to be strong enough to gain an ‘Acceptance’.

An extra word of caution – try not to have the background in each image too busy and/or different; it will distract from the subject.

Flower Power

While depicting a flower (or even insect) in its growth cycle lends itself well to the triptych format – it has been done a lot! My feeling is that in a competition setting, it will need to be exceptionally well done, both technically and creatively, to achieve success. Something with a slight twist on this theme, and a different viewpoint added into the mix will help to elevate the triptych and set it apart from the other entries.

Photo Journalism Style Triptychs

If you are creating a triptych of a sporting or civic event, the usual rules apply. Try to avoid just putting three images of the same event next to each other which have no linear or sequential connecting factor. Aim to show a developing story with your panels where all three of the images are required to explain or depict the whole proceeding. While each image of the triptych, in isolation, may convey the ‘flavour’ of the event, the three images, in combination, ideally should provide greater overall context, clarity and understanding of what has taken place.

Technical Competency

Technical competency is not the highest priority for me; I rate creative vision and communication far higher. However, the images do need to be of a high standard. Any glaring deficiencies will lesson your chance of making a good first impression and hinder your chances of success.

Different Triptych Layouts

I was really pleased to see some experimentation and a wide variety of different triptych layouts used by the Salon entrants. There was a good mix of vertical, horizontal and T-junction placements as well as some images being cut on a diagonal. Some triptychs contained panels of different sizes and some panels were also placed in a staggered, step-like design. There were even circular and oval panels.

When I assess a triptych’s composition, I look for how the panels are used to enhance the subject matter or story, and how successfully their arrangement provides a unified and coherent visual experience:

  • how easily can my eyes move from image to image in a storytelling narrative?
  • does the presentation draw my attention to a particular area of interest?
  • do I get ‘stuck’ anywhere in the triptych which prevents me from enjoying the whole experience?
  • are the panels balanced and weighted evenly?
  • how are patterns, shapes and colours echoed across the panels?

Good for a Laugh!

Humour goes a long way. I’m certainly not averse to authors injecting a bit of humour and light relief into their triptychs. Several of the entries in the Salon put a big smile on my face, either with their ingenious interpretation of a subject, depiction of an entertaining and amusing story, or presentation of a person or animal in a rare and comical situation.

A creative or playful title can also be a big plus.

The Winning Triptychs

Let’s now take a look at the winning triptychs from the Salon. Once again, I’d like to thank the authors for their willingness to make these images available for this blog post.

These four triptychs really hit the mark and embody the elements which myself and the other judges were looking for:

  • creativity
  • succinct and clear communication
  • clarity of vision
  • engagement and interest
  • a high degree of technical competence

My accompanying commentary for each triptych will hopefully shed a little more insight into why we selected these images for the top awards.

‘Lake Ruataniwha Abstract’ by Jay Drew APSNZ – Best ‘Around the Corner’ Category

‘Lake Ruataniwha Abstract’ is an excellent example of ‘less is more’, with the author skilfully relying on alignment, balance and correct proportion to bring the whole triptych together. There are several corners to be navigated as the viewer moves from panel to panel, the buoys receding and advancing in an easy regularity. With its minimalist, graphic qualities, clever pattern development and ‘out of the box’ thinking, ‘Lake Ruataniwha Abstract’ is a testament to the author’s creative vision.

‘Fortune Teller’ by Karen Moffatt-McLeod LPSNZ – Best ‘Monochrome’ Category

The three images in ‘Fortune Teller’ are not only excellent black and white portraits; more importantly, they present a developing and engaging storyline. With an inspired and ingenious use of depth of field, the author takes the viewer on a mysterious journey. Present, but not in focus, the fortune teller looks inwards, finding her inspiration. Gaining greater clarity in her future insights, her expressive hands come more to the fore, until finally, in the third image, she is crystal clear, eyeballing the camera, ready to deliver her prognostications.

‘A Brain Storm’ by Helen McLeod FPSNZ GPSA ARPS – Best ‘Weather’ Category

‘A Brain Storm’ is a wonderfully creative and very clever interpretation of the ‘Weather’ category. There’s a bit of everything; pouring rain, brooding thunder clouds and crackling lightening. All are judiciously presented and carefully balanced within the three panels, especially the swirling leaves. With a deft touch of storytelling thrown into the mix, maybe there’s a glimmer of hope as the ‘brain storm’ rages and then passes, with clearer skies hinted at on the distant horizon.

‘Midnight Train to Georgia’ by Dianna Hambleton LPSNZ – Champion Triptych

A beautiful, complex, compelling and engaging triptych, ‘Midnight Train to Georgia’ poses many questions for the viewer and makes us wonder. Each of the women inhabit their own panel and project their own story and emotions. One clasps a suitcase with a querying, anxious look, another’s eyes are averted in quiet contemplation, while the third hurries into the carriage, pensively stroking her chin. The three panels serve to highlight our protagonists’ isolation and inner worlds, even though they are only a few feet apart. In a haunting twist, the almost ghostly reflections in the glass add yet another dimension – spectral observers also separated from their worldly counterparts.

Final Thoughts

There were many great entries in the Salon and it was fantastic to see so many authors putting forward their work.

I hope the Nelson National Triptych Salon continues to be well supported in the future, and becomes a permanent fixture in the New Zealand photography scene for many years to come! Kudos to the organisers for running such a well-oiled and professional Salon.

Jane Trotter - Creator of Abstracted RealityJane Trotter is an abstract photographer living in Dunedin, New Zealand. Reimagining everyday objects found around the home, Jane transforms them into colourful and dramatic pieces of contemporary art. Her Fine Art Prints are available in sizes A4 to A1.

Pictures at an Exhibition – the Symbiosis of Art & Music

Modest Mussorgsky

Perhaps one of the finest examples of the link between art and music is Mussorgsky’s ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’, composed in 1874.

Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky (1839 – 1881) wrote this famous suite of ten piano pieces (plus a recurring and varied Promenade) in response to the death of his friend Viktor Hartmann (1834 – 1873). An artist, designer and architect, Hartmann died suddenly and unexpectedly of a cerebral aneurysm at just 39 years of age. Shocked, dismayed and deeply moved by his friend’s untimely demise, Mussorgsky set about composing a piece in his honour, in fact, the complete title of the work is ‘Pictures at an Exhibition – A Remembrance of Viktor Hartmann’.

Viktor Hartmann

A memorial exhibition of over 400 of Hartmann’s artworks was organised and shown in the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg in February and March 1874. Mussorgsky attended and contributed to the exhibition, providing two pictures which Hartmann had previously given him. Later that year in June, Mussorgsky completed his score in a matter of weeks. Writing to his friend and colleague Vladimir Stasov (to whom the composition is dedicated), he states:

“My dear généralissime, Hartmann is boiling as Boris [Mussorgsky’s Opera Boris Godunov] boiled—sounds and ideas hung in the air, I am gulping and overeating, and can barely manage to scribble them on paper. I am writing the 4th No.—the transitions are good (on the ‘promenade’). I want to work more quickly and steadily. My physiognomy can be seen in the interludes. So far I think it’s well turned…”

A selection of Hartmann’s paintings upon which Mussorgsky based his composition

‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ encapsulates the idea of the viewer walking through a gallery. A ‘Promenade’ reflects the movement from artwork to artwork, and Mussorgsky structures the suite’s ten movements in a way which represents the viewer’s progress through the exhibition of Hartmann’s work.

Just as the paintings are varied and contrasting, so too is Mussorgsky’s music in which he reflects upon and depicts the scenes in each artwork.

Look and Listen

‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ is a truly inspirational piece and stands as one of the virtuosic heavyweights in the piano repertoire.

Title page of the first edition

While originally written for piano, it has also been arranged and transcribed for orchestra, notably by Maurice Ravel, whose 1922 version has been the most widely performed and recorded.

The original piano version is the closest to my heart, however, and it has been an utter pleasure to revisit the music and discover more about Hartmann and his drawings and paintings.

To give you a taste of the music, I’ve found a truly stunning performance by Evgeny Kissin – sit back and watch his fingers fly! The titles of the different movements of the suite are displayed as they occur so you won’t get lost.

And for those of you who’d prefer to listen to an orchestral version (Ravel’s), I’d recommend the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jean-Claude Casadeus.

‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ is just over half an hour long, and I would highly recommend you take time out and listen to it in its entirety. But if you wish to dip into just a few of the movements of the suite, I’ve included the start times for each movement in the information about them below.

Introducing ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’

Promenade I

Promenade

Mussorgsky’s introduction to the suite sets the scene of entering a gallery and walking between the various pictures. Subsequent variations of the Promenade can be heard interspersed between movements of the suite.

The Gnome

Costume design for Chernomor

The original picture to which this piece refers may well be lost, but this example provides the kind of inspiration Mussorgsky drew upon.

The picture on the left is one of Hartmann’s costume designs for Chernomor, the evil wizard in Glinka’s opera ‘Russian and Ludmilla’. The opera was performed in 1871 incorporating Hartmann’s design.

Hartmann’s drawing in the exhibition was apparently a design for a wooden nutcracker, in the shape of a gnome with large teeth, running awkwardly on crooked legs.

Evgeny Kissin Piano: 1.47
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: 1.41

The Gnome

Promenade II Interlude

Evgeny Kissin Piano: 4.12
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: 4.15

The Old Castle

Vladimir Stasov, one of the organisers of the exhibition of Hartmann’s work, described the painting as “a medieval castle before which a troubadour sings a song”.

Evgeny Kissin Piano: 5.08
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: 5.14

The Old Castle

Promenade III Interlude

Evgeny Kissin Piano: 10.15
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: 9.37

Tuileries (Children Quarrelling at Play)

Children in the Tuileries

The Tuileries Gardens were near the Louvre in Paris and Stasov recounted that the painting was of “an avenue in the garden of the Tuileries, with a swarm of children and nurses”.

While Hartmann’s original may no longer exist, these two painting by Edouard Manet will give you an idea of the scene. The one on the left is “Children in the Tuileries” painted between 1861-1862, and the one below is “Music in the Tuileries’, completed in 1863.

Music in the Tuileries

Evgeny Kissin Piano: 10.41
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: 10.11

Tuileries (Children Quarrelling at Play)

Bydlo

‘Bydlo’ is the Polish word for ‘cattle’. Hartmann’s watercolour depicted a peasant wagon with huge wooden wheels being drawn by oxen.

Evgeny Kissin Piano: 11.40
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: 11.14

Bydlo

Promenade IV Interlude

Evgeny Kissin Piano: 14.40
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: 14.13

Ballet of the Unhatched Chickens

Hartmann drew 17 sketches for the ballet ‘Trilby’, which was based on the French author Charles Nodier’s short story ‘Trilby, or the Elf of the Argyle’.

The ballet featured children from the Russian Imperial Ballet School dressed as butterflies, birds and, as in this picture, unhatched chickens.

Evgeny Kissin Piano: 15.17
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: 14.57

Ballet of the Unhatched Chickens

Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle

Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle – two Polish Jews, one rich and the other poor. These were based on two painting which Hartmann had given Mussorgsky and which Mussorgsky then lent to the exhibition of Hartmann’s work.

Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle

Evgeny Kissin Piano: 16.27
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: 16.16

Promenade V Interlude

Evgeny Kissin Piano: 18.39
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: not included

Limoges – The Market Square

While it is thought the artwork for this piece no longer exists, the drawing depicted a group of women arguing noisily by their pushcarts at the market.

Limoges – The Market Square

Evgeny Kissin Piano: 19.48
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: 18.17

Catacombs

Hartmann graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts with Distinction and continued with another four years of study abroad, three of which were spent in France. This painting is a type of self-portrait, showing Hartmann, fellow architect Kenel and a guide holding the lamp, underneath the streets of Paris in the Roman catacombs.

Catacombs

Evgeny Kissin Piano: 21.03
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: 19.46

Interestingly, the Promenade theme can be heard again, but this time with a different meaning. Instead of functioning as a linking device between the movements of the suite, it becomes ‘Cum Mortuis In Lingua Morta’ (‘With the Dead in a Dead Language’) – a thoughtful and moving homage to his deceased friend.

With the Dead in a Dead Language

Evgeny Kissin Piano: 22.57
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: 21.41

The Hut on Hen’s Legs

Baba Yaga’s hut as a bronze clock

The hut depicted in Hartmann’s painting belongs to the witch Baba Yaga and is a design for an intricate bronze clock. In Russian fairy tales, Baba Yaga flies around on a mortar and lives deep in the forest in her chicken-legged hut; she would often appear as a terrifying old woman.

Baba Yaga the Witch – Illustration from the story of ‘Vassilissa the Beautiful’ 1902, Ivan Bilibin

Vladimir Stasov recalled a scene at a costume ball where Hartmann shocked the attendees by coming in the guise of the witch, “…along rows of plaster of Paris Greek gods and goddesses, a witch, Baba Yaga, was running, her red braids streaming out behind her. A big fuzzy hat was pulled down over her eyes, her feet were wrapped in cloth, bony arms stuck out of the sleeves of her robe, a sparse beard protruded from her chin, her horrible eyes gleamed maliciously on her painted face, tusks stuck out of her half-opened mouth.”

The Hut on Hen’s Legs

Evgeny Kissin Piano: 25.37
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: 23.29

The Great Gate of Kiev

In April 1866, an attempt was made to assassinate Tsar Alexander II in the city of Kiev. Later, a competition was held to design a great gate in commemoration of his survival. Hartmann’s design was much talked about, and he himself considered it to be his best work. Unfortunately, the project was cancelled, the Tsar perhaps wanting to avoid a permanent and very public reminder of the plot against him.

Evgeny Kissin Piano: 28.56
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: 27.06

The Great Gate of Kiev

 

Ilya Repin’s portrait of Mussorgsky, painted 2 – 5 March 1881, only a few days before the composer’s death.

Jane Trotter - Creator of Abstracted RealityJane Trotter is an abstract photographer living in Dunedin, New Zealand. Reimagining everyday objects found around the home, Jane transforms them into colourful and dramatic pieces of contemporary art. Her Fine Art Prints are available in sizes A4 to A1.

An Evolutionary Viewpoint – One thing leads to another…

As the saying goes, “one thing leads to another”. I find this very true when it comes to my photography. Playing with an object will often stimulate new ideas for how I can present it, or use it differently in conjunction with other items. Sometimes, these pairings are not what you’d usually expect, but often they’re the ones which produce the most challenging photo shoots and satisfying results.

‘One thing leads to another’ is the second blog post in the ‘An Evolutionary Viewpoint’ sequence and explores the mischief I got up to with one of my most photogenic glass vases.

The Vase

Lots of bright colours and triangular shapes – what more could I ask for?

Wanting to bring out these two features, I used strong back light (in this case, the sunlight on my deck) to highlight and intensify the colours.

'Glass Triangles' - abstract photography by Jane Trotter

‘Glass Triangles’

The final result was ‘Glass Triangles’ with its plentiful intermingling of colour and geometric shapes.

The Vase and a Mushroom

Not content to finish there, the next installment of the adventure was to hunt for an item which I could use with the vase somehow.

I found this glass mushroom, the largest in a set of three which adorn the bookcase in our lounge. As I looked closer, I became rather intrigued by the little air bubble on the right-hand side.

I decided to place the vase beside the mushroom and discovered how well the colours were being reflected and distorted around the air bubble.

'Birth of Colour' - abstract photography by Jane Trotter

‘Birth of Colour’

I grabbed my macro lens and dived in very close. The end result turned into a real flight of fancy with the colours ebbing and flowing as if they were born in some cosmic soup. ‘Birth of Colour’ miraculously came into being.

The Vase and a Prism

My next thought was to try the vase with a little triangular glass prism. I felt using strong back light would be the best way to help bring out the intensity of the colours, so I did all of this work right by my window.

Here’s an example of one of my ‘proof of concept’ shots – I do these from time to time just to see if a project is worth persevering with. I wanted to check how well the colours would be picked up in the prism and how well I could utilise the geometric shapes. Obviously, this shot is very busy with a distracting background and a somewhat random array of colours – but as an idea I felt it could work.

'Imprismed' - abstract photography by Jane Trotter

‘Imprismed’

So, for ‘Imprismed’, I simplified the structural elements by getting in even closer, focused on a diamond shape and made the colour palette more homogeneous.

Prism Take 2

'Swirl' - abstract photography by Jane Trotter

‘Swirl’

Feeling the urge to try something different with the prism, I chose to experiment with a few movement shots. I had the prism hanging in front of a dark piece of card and the light was catching the little, coloured, plastic beads strung above the prism itself. So, those are the coloured lines in the top half of the picture, while the prism constitutes the more disembodied, amorphous swirls in the bottom half.

One More Step

Ultimately, I was very happy with the journey I embarked upon with my triangular glass vase. However, there was one more step further down the line – a re-imagining of ‘Glass Triangles’ into a triptych format. The story continues with ‘Prismatic’…

'Prismatic' - abstract photography by Jane Trotter

‘Prismatic’

Jane Trotter - Creator of Abstracted RealityJane Trotter is an abstract photographer living in Dunedin, New Zealand. Reimagining everyday objects found around the home, Jane transforms them into colourful and dramatic pieces of contemporary art. Her Fine Art Prints are available in sizes A4 to A1.

 

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In the Mind of a Triptych Judge

I recently had the privilege of being one of three judges in the 2020 Nelson National Triptych … [Read More...]

Pictures at an Exhibition – the Symbiosis of Art & Music

Perhaps one of the finest examples of the link between art and music is Mussorgsky’s ‘Pictures at an … [Read More...]

An Evolutionary Viewpoint – One thing leads to another…

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Exposed #15: Splay of Colour

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