Bill Henson - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 1012 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2017/09/19 Category People Essay Type Argumentative essay Did you like this example? Bill Henson Essay by Chloe Byrne. Bill Henson is a very well known Australian photographer. His work has featured in many shows around the world and in Australia. His interesting technique of strong contrasts, subject matter and use of dark tones are common and readily associated with his work. Bill Henson’s work has created great controversy and has a massive impact on society. Bill Henson was born in 1955 in Melbourne, Victoria. This contemporary photographer has exhibited his work in many different locations from the National Gallery of Victoria to the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris. Henson’s work has a number of significant attributes that are reflected in most of his pieces. His reflection and interest in ambiguity and transitions into his work. Dark tones and strong contrasting of light and dark are common in his work. Henson’s subject matter is mainly relationships, relationships between male and female, youth and adulthood, day and night, ligh t and dark and natural and civilisation. The flattened perspective that occurs in his work gives it a sense and feel of abstraction. Henson has had a wide range of major exhibitions. In 1975 he had an exhibition at the NGV (National Gallery of Victoria), in 1981 in the Photographers Gallery in London, in 1989 his work featured in the Museum Moderner Kust Palais Liechtenstein, in 1990 Bibliotheque Nationale Paris, in 1993 Tel Aviv Museum of Art and in 2006 the Institute of modern art in Brisbane. Henson has had a successful career as a photographer and contemporary artist and his work is well known and respected. Bill Henson works in the medium of photography. Figures, people and landscapes are a major aspect in Henson’s work. Henson works with dark tones and strong light sources. In Henson’s untitled exhibition he does not try to capture time and space. This ambiguity of not allowing us any assurance of its place in time or space is a product of Henson’s t echnique in the dark room. Henson uses a method of hand agitation during print development that creates an uneven tone throughout the print. Henson’s use of light creates an eerie un-natural feeling to his work using heavy shadow contrasting with a strong light source. Henson’s early work (1974) echo’s great renaissance artists such as Vemer with the aspects and qualities of an oil painting. Henson’s latest work is working with the technique of ‘cut-screen’ where Henson cuts and then reforms the picture in a colarg type technique. Unlike Henson’s earlier works of black and white, Henson uses colour. On the 22nd of May 2008, one day before the opening at the Rosley Oxley Gallery, of the twenty photographs in Bill Henson’s untitled exhibition twenty four were confiscated by police. This happened because of a series of events following the invitations to his opening night being sent out. The invitations featured one of his ph otographs showing a naked twelve year old girl. After the initiations were sent out an article was written in the Sydney Morning Herald discriminating the photographs before the exhibition had even opened. The photographs were confiscated because Hetty Johnson, the Executive Director and Founder of Brave Hearts Inc. ) Reported the photographs to the police. These photographs created a lot of controversy in the art world and in society. Many people were offended by Henson’s photography claiming it was child pornography and child abuse as the girl was 12 and not of consensual age. Kevin Rudd said on the 23rd of May that the photographs were ‘revolting’ because the girl was not over 18. Henson’s work had a great effect on society. His work questions the issue of censorship, society’s view and values affecting an artist, freedom of creativity an ability to make artistic statements. It also raises the questions ‘what is art? ’ and â₠¬Ëœwho defines it? ’ Henson’s work provoked outrage and controversy. The public was divided by his work, some saying that Henson’s work is art and clearly not pornography. This statement can be backed up by looking at Henson’s previous work. A lot of Henson’s subject matter is of young adults undraped, showing that Henson works with the subject and form of the undraped figure. There is a great contradiction in saying that the use of an undraped child is so outrageous. If you look back to the renaissance many great artists used naked children in their artwork, for example Caravaggio’s ‘Amor Vincit Omnia’ features a young boy fully nude. But because this was alone in the medium of oil paint it is not considered pornography. The use of photography makes the subject of a nude child more real and therefore it makes it more offensive. Another contradiction is that it is said that the twelve year old girl was not of the age of conse nt but almost every night you will see a naked baby on television on a nappy add or in a television show. The statement Bill Henson’s work is trying to get across ( in the use of the undraped girl) is that of vulnerability and innocents. When a person is naked they are at their most vulnerable , they have nothing to hide behind. They cannot be associated with any stereotype, they are stripped of their material positions and are portrayed solely as a naked person. Henson was trying to show the vulnerability and innocents of a child in a beautiful and artistic way. Bill Henson’s work is, from my perspective, beautiful and it is quite obvious that he is not trying to create ’kiddie porn’. He is creating controversy, creating a statement and after all is that not what art is about? The freedom and ability to make a statement, express yourself and create a reaction from the public. In my opinion Bill Henson’s Untitled 2007-2008 was a risky but sma rt move. Because of the controversy surrounding the photography’s Henson gained a massive amount of publicity and exposure. He got the public arguing, thinking, questioning and reacting and that is what most artists are trying to achieve in their career. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Bill Henson" essay for you Create order

The Effects Of Video Games On Children - 2093 Words

For many years, the age-old debate of whether video games lead to violence has caused dismay to parents and children alike. Parents because they fear for their child’s development and children because they fear the restrictions that will be put upon them. The topic itself falls into the much wider realm of censorship and how it should be handled regarding children. Many different types of media including things like television, social media, and video games have become sacrificial lambs for the most violent and aggressive acts that younger people commit. It is important that these distinctions be made to help concerned parents determine if they want their child to consume forms of media like video games and to keep others safe. The two†¦show more content†¦In their task force report they showed that, â€Å"The research demonstrates a consistent relation between violent video game use and increases in aggressive behavior, aggressive cognitions and aggressive affect, a nd decreases in prosocial behavior, empathy and sensitivity to aggression† (www.apa.org). The research that often suggests links to increased aggressiveness with video games are continually being done to support this side of the argument giving it a heavy load of numerical data to back it up. They will use this data to explain how this increase in aggressive behavior will cause potential crime in the future. Having aggressive behavior does not always result in a violent action, but it can lead to them and this is where the concern comes into play for the people on this side. Another thing is that there is no doubt that real world crimes may be inspired by video games with some stories coming out that relate real world crimes to video games, drawing more attention to the topic. These real-world acts are what separates aggressive behavior from actual violent actions that someone commits. One of the very first huge acts of violence that really started up the whole debate happen o n April 20th, 1999 at Columbine High School in Jefferson County, Colorado. It was here where two students, who were known to play video games such as Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, killed thirteen other students. This leads to the argument that most shootersShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Video Games On Children Essay1279 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Video games have always been a controversial type of entertainment, that may come from how relatively new video games are compared to other mediums of entertainment[1]. Maybe because of that when a violent crime occurs and the culprit has played a lot of games the media is quick to point at violent games as the reason for the crime, but is that true or are the media just biased or looking for quick views, this report aims to answer that question. Do games affect our way of thinkingRead MoreEffects Of Video Games On Children Essay1357 Words   |  6 PagesScreening to a halt: Are parents in New Zealand able to identify signs of dependency or addiction in their children due to over use of screen-time from the recreational use of video games? Digital technology and the vast amount of video games have increased the amount of screen time consumption in contemporary New Zealand society. The saturation of smart phones, ipad’s, tablets, computers, game consoles and the Internet are devices with the means of connection to gaming. Many New Zealand families integrateRead MoreThe Effects of Video Games on Children1288 Words   |  6 PagesThe Effects of Video Games on Children Technology today has progressed rapidly from generation to generation. Children and young adults are both into video games and the latest gadgets out there. Video games have been available to customers for the last 30 years. They are a unique way to entertain individuals because they encourage players to become a part of the games script. Victor Strasburger an author of â€Å"Children, Adolescents, and the media† stated â€Å"The rising popularity of video games hasRead MoreThe Effects Of Video Games On Children1548 Words   |  7 PagesVideo Games Introduction Today video games are a staple in most households. It is pretty amazing to know that the first creation of games date all the way back to the 1900s. They were not originally invented to make a profit, but to give patients something to do while waiting in the lobby of an office. 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Overexposure to digital media, such as video games is detrimental to the health and function of a child’sRead MoreVideo Games And Its Effects On Children1519 Words   |  7 PagesVideo games in the 21st century have transformed from friendly competing into guns, explosions, and major violence. Video games are getting away with more violence every year and the games are becoming more extreme. The consistence and severity of violence is at an all-time high leading the most popular games in the gaming community to have a ‘mature’ rating due to the considerable amount of violence involved. For example, one of the highest selling video games of all time grossing one billion itsRead MoreThe Effects of Video Games on Children1656 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction For more than 30 years, video gaming has been a popular activity amongst many of America’s children. With over $63 billion (Reuters, reuters.com) worth sold each year, video games are here to stay. While much controversy has arisen over the subject, video games have benefited the United States of America and its citizens to a great degree. For example, the military and CIA use gaming to train soldiers (Davidson, www.ehow.com), and classrooms use video games to teach students. The potentialRead MoreThe Effects Of Video Games On Children Essay1736 Words   |  7 PagesEffects of Video Games We see it everywhere we go, video games. Kids and adults are being captivated over the new video games that are coming out. Call of Duty, Battlefield,Uncharted; these are the games that people are enjoying and becoming fascinated with. What do all of those things have in common? There is only one answer and that is violence. Fighting, shooting, killing, these are the things that video games bring to the table and stimulate people s minds. We should ask ourselves whether

September 11 Pearl Harbor Essay Example For Students

September 11 Pearl Harbor Essay There are many similarities and differences between the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. One attack was committed by terrorists and the other was committed by a government. After Pearl Harbor, we entered a world war, and after the terrorist attacks, we invaded another country. Both Attacks were grave threats to our national security. To begin, the two attacks were launched by different types of enemies. On September 11, 2001, civilian terrorists attacked the United States. They belonged to a group called Al Qaeda and were from the nations of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt. On December 7, 1941, the United States military base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was attacked by the military representing the government of Japan. Pearl Harbor was attacked by a nation against a nation, where as the attacks on September 11 were perpetrated by civilians against civilians. Unlike the military attack at Pearl Harbor, which was intended to destroy our Pacific fleet, the September 11 attacks were not only meant to threaten or government but to demonstrate hatred for our way of life and ruin our economic system. A difference between the attacks is that after one we went to war and after the other we invaded another country. After Pearl Harbor, we entered World War II. After the September 11 attacks, the United States did not enter an ongoing war. Until December 1941, the United States was attempting to remain neutral while many European nations were already at war. However, when Pearl Harbor was attacked, President Roosevelt and Congress immediately declared war on Japan and chose to support our European allies and joined World War II. After the September 11 attacks, it was widely believed that the terrorists responsible were hiding throughout the hills and caves of Afghanistan. The United States chose to invade Afghanistan because it was searching for the terrorists. President Bush believed that the Taliban was hiding Osama Bin Laden and his people. The United States and our allies were successful at removing the threat during World War II, but while our military was able to overthrow the Taliban and capture some of Bin Ladens associates, we are still involved in a war in the Middle East. Finally, after both Pearl Harbor and the September 11 attacks, the United States felt that its national security was being threatened and took steps to protect itself. Both incidents took place on our own soil. After Pearl Harbor, Americans feared that the Pacific Coast would be attacked as well. As a result of that fear, our government began to intern anyone of Japanese descent living within the borders of the United States. Many of those interned were born in the United States and came from families who had lived in the country for many generations. Similarly, after September 11, Americans were in fear of anyone of Middle Eastern descent. Many innocent people were stopped at airports, in cars, or just going about their daily business. Racial profiling against anyone who looked Middle Eastern reached an all-time high. The Department of Homeland Security was established and Americans learned to live with color-coded terror alerts. Paranoia about chemical weapons caused stores to sell out of duct tape, plastic, and bottled water. We lived in fear whenever the alert level was raised to orange or red. Both Pearl Harbor and the September 11 attacks had a tremendous impact on our government and on our way of life. .