Frank Hurley: The Man Who Made History
Fundamentally, the process of discovering something involves the ingredient of curiosity, to reveal the unknown, and to alter our perceptions on what we already know. “Frank Hurley: The Man Who Made History”, directed by Simon Nasht in 2004, allows the audience to develop their own opinion of this man ‘who made history’ by exposing both positive and negative views on the works and background of the determined and passionate photographer Frank Hurely. Nasht demonstrates two contrasting views labelling Hurley as an ‘artist’ and a ‘fake’, which challenges the audience based on their own personal understandings. The techniques Hurley used to develop his photographs were different to other photographers as Hurley expressed the world through a new
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visual perspective, the way he saw the landscape himself. Hurley achieved his goal of displaying to the audience his perspective by using techniques of adjusting lighting and altering the background and colour of a photograph, which is the basic techniques that contemporary photographers use today. In similar fashion, Pablo Picasso’s 1907 Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, is a 2.5meter by 2.3meter oil painting that created large amount of controversy at first due to its context. Furthermore the geometric formed artwork planted the seed in discovering a whole new form of art, changing the art period into the movement of ‘cubism’.
An element of discovery involves demonstrating a new idea and then exposing it to the rest of the world allowing the opportunity for a new perspective to form, however not everyone likes the idea of something new or a new way that something can be presented.
Simon Nasht presents the protagonist of his documentary, Frank Hurely, as a photographer who uses techniques that contemporary artists like Australia’s Bill Henson and Tracey Moffat use today. However, due to Hurely's context and time frame, Nasht sees such techniques of editing as fake, and interviews people to critic Hurley's work as Hurley could turn a “battlefield into the canvas of his own making.”Nasht develops the documentary using his own opinion by exposing the viewers to the label of Hurley being a ‘fake’, however, it can be argued that Nasht has failed to recognise Hurley for who he really was; an artist. Thus the documentary creates controversy by not recognising Hurley as a photographer in the artworld, but rather an adventurer who took photographers of the world, therefore leaving the audience puzzled as to what this central character really was. Clearly, Hurley can be perceived as being too advanced for his context as the techniques that he used to develop his photographs are what contemporary photographers use today, however contemporary photographers do not receive the negative critique that Hurley is presented with through Nasht’s documentary. The title in itself has a play on words with the discover of new photographic techniques that Hurley experimented with first; “The Man Who Made History”, Hurley made history by both exploring outrageous landscapes in extreme climatic conditions, but also presents to the world the discovery of new photographic techniques therefore making history in the geological and artistic world. In comparison, Picasso also exposed the world to a new perspective by presenting figures in the form of 2D geometric cubes. Picasso’s first work in cubism Les Demoiselles
d'Avignon abandoned all known forms and representations of traditional art conventions which allowed the audience to view something they had never seen before and instead discover something new. Picasso’s work featuring five distorted female figures collaborated with geometric forms challenges the expectations of paintings as Les Demoiselles d'Avignon offers a new technique in which artists can now paint and present their art in; the technique of using cubism. At first this work received negative reviews as the form was distorted and the meaning of the work explores horrific issues such as prostitution and gender inequality as the women created in oil paint challenged social issues through the exposure of their naked bodies. Although this work received negative critique, it was not long after that it was recognised for having the power to discover a whole new art period. Nasht’s discovery of Hurely presented through his documentary allows the audience to reconsider and object to what the author is saying, just like the audience of Picasso’s work had after being negatively presented it is abled to be reconsidered through a new perspective and furthermore subvert the idea that both Les Demoiselles d'Avignon and Frank Hurely's photographs are forms of art that made history and the trends both artists used have progressed on as far as today.
visual perspective, the way he saw the landscape himself. Hurley achieved his goal of displaying to the audience his perspective by using techniques of adjusting lighting and altering the background and colour of a photograph, which is the basic techniques that contemporary photographers use today. In similar fashion, Pablo Picasso’s 1907 Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, is a 2.5meter by 2.3meter oil painting that created large amount of controversy at first due to its context. Furthermore the geometric formed artwork planted the seed in discovering a whole new form of art, changing the art period into the movement of ‘cubism’.
An element of discovery involves demonstrating a new idea and then exposing it to the rest of the world allowing the opportunity for a new perspective to form, however not everyone likes the idea of something new or a new way that something can be presented.
Simon Nasht presents the protagonist of his documentary, Frank Hurely, as a photographer who uses techniques that contemporary artists like Australia’s Bill Henson and Tracey Moffat use today. However, due to Hurely's context and time frame, Nasht sees such techniques of editing as fake, and interviews people to critic Hurley's work as Hurley could turn a “battlefield into the canvas of his own making.”Nasht develops the documentary using his own opinion by exposing the viewers to the label of Hurley being a ‘fake’, however, it can be argued that Nasht has failed to recognise Hurley for who he really was; an artist. Thus the documentary creates controversy by not recognising Hurley as a photographer in the artworld, but rather an adventurer who took photographers of the world, therefore leaving the audience puzzled as to what this central character really was. Clearly, Hurley can be perceived as being too advanced for his context as the techniques that he used to develop his photographs are what contemporary photographers use today, however contemporary photographers do not receive the negative critique that Hurley is presented with through Nasht’s documentary. The title in itself has a play on words with the discover of new photographic techniques that Hurley experimented with first; “The Man Who Made History”, Hurley made history by both exploring outrageous landscapes in extreme climatic conditions, but also presents to the world the discovery of new photographic techniques therefore making history in the geological and artistic world. In comparison, Picasso also exposed the world to a new perspective by presenting figures in the form of 2D geometric cubes. Picasso’s first work in cubism Les Demoiselles
d'Avignon abandoned all known forms and representations of traditional art conventions which allowed the audience to view something they had never seen before and instead discover something new. Picasso’s work featuring five distorted female figures collaborated with geometric forms challenges the expectations of paintings as Les Demoiselles d'Avignon offers a new technique in which artists can now paint and present their art in; the technique of using cubism. At first this work received negative reviews as the form was distorted and the meaning of the work explores horrific issues such as prostitution and gender inequality as the women created in oil paint challenged social issues through the exposure of their naked bodies. Although this work received negative critique, it was not long after that it was recognised for having the power to discover a whole new art period. Nasht’s discovery of Hurely presented through his documentary allows the audience to reconsider and object to what the author is saying, just like the audience of Picasso’s work had after being negatively presented it is abled to be reconsidered through a new perspective and furthermore subvert the idea that both Les Demoiselles d'Avignon and Frank Hurely's photographs are forms of art that made history and the trends both artists used have progressed on as far as today.