How To Think: Images, Process, and Creativity/Cyanotype
RCHUMS 202
Raymond Wetzel (Residential College)
On view: FALL 2022
Joan Snyder, Art and the Nature of Grief, 1992, monoprint on paper, Museum purchase made possible by the Jean Paul Slusser Memorial Fund
Art can be both a visual manifestation of how we think and a demonstration of different ways to think about and engage with the world.
“How To Think: Images, Process and Creativity” is a class that asks students to consider how various art processes and techniques stimulate and affect the expression of ideas. Students make mixed media collages featuring cyanotype, an early form of photography that produces images in distinctive hues of blue. By recombining and rearranging existing images, their collages foster new and unexpected connections and perspectives.
The photographs selected for this class, seen below, represent some of the wide range of ways that artists have creatively explored the medium of photography. Techniques include photomontage and collage (the combining of photographs into one image), photograms (where images are produced without a camera by laying objects on photographic paper), and a variety of uses of the camera to capture everyday life and nature.
Works included in this collection
Accession Number
2016/2.143
Title
Diego Rivera and Factory in Slovakia
Artist(s)
Joanne Leonard
Object Creation Date
2006
Medium & Support
inkjet print on paper
Dimensions
24 in x 36 in (60.96 cm x 91.44 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the artist
Subject matter
Text that accompanies the image reads: November 525, 2006, news photo: Trnava, Slovakia Peugot factory, Didier Mallac, New York Times. Book reproduction: Detroit Industry, Diego Rivera mural, 1933, in 'Diego Rivera: The Detroit Industry Murals' by Linda Bank Downs (WW Norton, 1999)
Physical Description
Image of a book lying open to a page featuring mural depicting factory works. A newsclipping featuring a photo of contemporary factory workers lies on the book across the open page.
Primary Object Classification
Photograph
Primary Object Type
color
Collection Area
Photography
Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
2016/2.143
Title
Diego Rivera and Factory in Slovakia
Artist(s)
Joanne Leonard
Object Creation Date
2006
Medium & Support
inkjet print on paper
Dimensions
24 in x 36 in (60.96 cm x 91.44 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the artist
Subject matter
Text that accompanies the image reads: November 525, 2006, news photo: Trnava, Slovakia Peugot factory, Didier Mallac, New York Times. Book reproduction: Detroit Industry, Diego Rivera mural, 1933, in 'Diego Rivera: The Detroit Industry Murals' by Linda Bank Downs (WW Norton, 1999)
Physical Description
Image of a book lying open to a page featuring mural depicting factory works. A newsclipping featuring a photo of contemporary factory workers lies on the book across the open page.
Primary Object Classification
Photograph
Primary Object Type
color
Collection Area
Photography
Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Joanne Leonard
Diego Rivera and Factory in Slovakia
inkjet print on paper
24 in x 36 in (60.96 cm x 91.44 cm)
Gift of the artist
Diego Rivera and Factory in Slovakia
inkjet print on paper
24 in x 36 in (60.96 cm x 91.44 cm)
Gift of the artist
Accession Number
2018/2.18
Title
Untitled
Artist(s)
Jerry N. Uelsmann
Artist Nationality
American (North American)
Object Creation Date
1991
Medium & Support
photograph on paper
Dimensions
20 in x 16 in (50.8 cm x 40.64 cm);13 in x 10 ¾ in (33.02 cm x 27.31 cm);14 ¼ in x 11 in (36.2 cm x 27.94 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Howard and Margaret Bond
Physical Description
A stone elevated above a body of water with the water and sky displaying identical ripples.
Primary Object Classification
Photograph
Primary Object Type
black and white print
Additional Object Classification(s)
Photograph
Collection Area
Photography
Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
2018/2.18
Title
Untitled
Artist(s)
Jerry N. Uelsmann
Artist Nationality
American (North American)
Object Creation Date
1991
Medium & Support
photograph on paper
Dimensions
20 in x 16 in (50.8 cm x 40.64 cm);13 in x 10 ¾ in (33.02 cm x 27.31 cm);14 ¼ in x 11 in (36.2 cm x 27.94 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Howard and Margaret Bond
Physical Description
A stone elevated above a body of water with the water and sky displaying identical ripples.
Primary Object Classification
Photograph
Primary Object Type
black and white print
Additional Object Classification(s)
Photograph
Collection Area
Photography
Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Jerry N. Uelsmann
Untitled
photograph on paper
20 in x 16 in (50.8 cm x 40.64 cm);13 in x 10 ¾ in (33.02 cm x 27.31 cm);14 ¼ in x 11 in (36.2 cm x 27.94 cm)
Gift of Howard and Margaret Bond
Untitled
photograph on paper
20 in x 16 in (50.8 cm x 40.64 cm);13 in x 10 ¾ in (33.02 cm x 27.31 cm);14 ¼ in x 11 in (36.2 cm x 27.94 cm)
Gift of Howard and Margaret Bond
Accession Number
1999/1.95
Title
Chicken Feathers
Artist(s)
Keith Carter
Artist Nationality
American (North American)
Object Creation Date
1999
Medium & Support
gelatin silver print on paper
Dimensions
15 1/4 in x 15 1/4 in (38.7 cm x 38.7 cm);24 1/16 in x 20 1/8 in (61.12 cm x 51.12 cm);19 15/16 in x 16 in (50.6 cm x 40.6 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase made possible by the W. Hawkins Ferry Fund
Subject matter
This photograph depicts a centralized composition of three children standing outdoors in what appears to be a yard before a shed’s walls. Scattered upon the dark earth beneath their feet, the yard is dotted with white chicken feathers. The smiling children are wearing costumes and hats, two wearing shirts too large for them, so that they fall baggily about their bodies. The boy on the right wears white gloves and a pair of tight pants with white skeleton bones emblazoned on it. All three children hold ignited sparklers in their right hands, which send up vaporous clouds of smoke before their faces. The children’s smiling expressions and their outfits evoke associations of childhood play and whimsy, the incendiary glow of the sparklers imparting a palpable sense of magic.
Physical Description
This photograph depicts a view of three costumed children holding sparklers in a yard. On the ground there are chicken feathers strewn about.
Primary Object Classification
Photograph
Collection Area
Photography
Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
1999/1.95
Title
Chicken Feathers
Artist(s)
Keith Carter
Artist Nationality
American (North American)
Object Creation Date
1999
Medium & Support
gelatin silver print on paper
Dimensions
15 1/4 in x 15 1/4 in (38.7 cm x 38.7 cm);24 1/16 in x 20 1/8 in (61.12 cm x 51.12 cm);19 15/16 in x 16 in (50.6 cm x 40.6 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase made possible by the W. Hawkins Ferry Fund
Subject matter
This photograph depicts a centralized composition of three children standing outdoors in what appears to be a yard before a shed’s walls. Scattered upon the dark earth beneath their feet, the yard is dotted with white chicken feathers. The smiling children are wearing costumes and hats, two wearing shirts too large for them, so that they fall baggily about their bodies. The boy on the right wears white gloves and a pair of tight pants with white skeleton bones emblazoned on it. All three children hold ignited sparklers in their right hands, which send up vaporous clouds of smoke before their faces. The children’s smiling expressions and their outfits evoke associations of childhood play and whimsy, the incendiary glow of the sparklers imparting a palpable sense of magic.
Physical Description
This photograph depicts a view of three costumed children holding sparklers in a yard. On the ground there are chicken feathers strewn about.
Primary Object Classification
Photograph
Collection Area
Photography
Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Keith Carter
Chicken Feathers
gelatin silver print on paper
15 1/4 in x 15 1/4 in (38.7 cm x 38.7 cm);24 1/16 in x 20 1/8 in (61.12 cm x 51.12 cm);19 15/16 in x 16 in (50.6 cm x 40.6 cm)
Museum purchase made possible by the W. Hawkins Ferry Fund
Chicken Feathers
gelatin silver print on paper
15 1/4 in x 15 1/4 in (38.7 cm x 38.7 cm);24 1/16 in x 20 1/8 in (61.12 cm x 51.12 cm);19 15/16 in x 16 in (50.6 cm x 40.6 cm)
Museum purchase made possible by the W. Hawkins Ferry Fund
Accession Number
1990/2.6
Title
Untitled
Artist(s)
Jirí Kubovy
Object Creation Date
20th century
Medium & Support
paper and aluminum foil collage
Dimensions
8 1/4 in x 5 13/16 in (20.96 cm x 14.76 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the artist
Primary Object Classification
Mixed Media
Primary Object Type
collage
Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary
Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
1990/2.6
Title
Untitled
Artist(s)
Jirí Kubovy
Object Creation Date
20th century
Medium & Support
paper and aluminum foil collage
Dimensions
8 1/4 in x 5 13/16 in (20.96 cm x 14.76 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the artist
Primary Object Classification
Mixed Media
Primary Object Type
collage
Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary
Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Jirí Kubovy
Untitled
paper and aluminum foil collage
8 1/4 in x 5 13/16 in (20.96 cm x 14.76 cm)
Gift of the artist
Untitled
paper and aluminum foil collage
8 1/4 in x 5 13/16 in (20.96 cm x 14.76 cm)
Gift of the artist
Accession Number
1988/1.121
Title
Untitled (collage)
Artist(s)
Jirí Kubovy
Object Creation Date
1988
Medium & Support
collage and colored crayon on cardboard
Dimensions
4 1/8 in x 5 7/8 in x 1 3/16 in (10.48 cm x 14.92 cm x 3.02 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the artist
Primary Object Classification
Mixed Media
Primary Object Type
collage
Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary
Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
1988/1.121
Title
Untitled (collage)
Artist(s)
Jirí Kubovy
Object Creation Date
1988
Medium & Support
collage and colored crayon on cardboard
Dimensions
4 1/8 in x 5 7/8 in x 1 3/16 in (10.48 cm x 14.92 cm x 3.02 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the artist
Primary Object Classification
Mixed Media
Primary Object Type
collage
Collection Area
Modern and Contemporary
Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Jirí Kubovy
Untitled (collage)
collage and colored crayon on cardboard
4 1/8 in x 5 7/8 in x 1 3/16 in (10.48 cm x 14.92 cm x 3.02 cm)
Gift of the artist
Untitled (collage)
collage and colored crayon on cardboard
4 1/8 in x 5 7/8 in x 1 3/16 in (10.48 cm x 14.92 cm x 3.02 cm)
Gift of the artist
Accession Number
2010/2.21
Title
When was the future?
Artist(s)
Jakob Kolding
Object Creation Date
2008
Medium & Support
collage on paper
Dimensions
16 9/16 in. x 11 11/16 in. ( 42 cm x 29.7 cm )
Credit Line
Museum Purchase
Label copy
Exhibition made possible in part by UMMA's New Visions Venture Fund, including the Dr. Robert and Janet Miller Fund.
Physical Description
A collage drawing with "When was the future?" in the middle of the object. The words are cut out of pictures of trees and a city's skyline. The background of the collage is the view of of a tall building and a cutout of a youth doing a handstand is placed on the balcony. A picture of a tree is included by the person.
Primary Object Classification
Mixed Media
Primary Object Type
collage
Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
2010/2.21
Title
When was the future?
Artist(s)
Jakob Kolding
Object Creation Date
2008
Medium & Support
collage on paper
Dimensions
16 9/16 in. x 11 11/16 in. ( 42 cm x 29.7 cm )
Credit Line
Museum Purchase
Label copy
Exhibition made possible in part by UMMA's New Visions Venture Fund, including the Dr. Robert and Janet Miller Fund.
Physical Description
A collage drawing with "When was the future?" in the middle of the object. The words are cut out of pictures of trees and a city's skyline. The background of the collage is the view of of a tall building and a cutout of a youth doing a handstand is placed on the balcony. A picture of a tree is included by the person.
Primary Object Classification
Mixed Media
Primary Object Type
collage
Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Jakob Kolding
When was the future?
collage on paper
16 9/16 in. x 11 11/16 in. ( 42 cm x 29.7 cm )
Museum Purchase
When was the future?
collage on paper
16 9/16 in. x 11 11/16 in. ( 42 cm x 29.7 cm )
Museum Purchase
Other courses in Curriculum / Collection
Exhibition Support
Lead support for this exhibition is provided by the University of Michigan Office of the Provost, Erica Gervais Pappendick and Ted Pappendick, the Eleanor Noyes Crumpacker Endowment Fund, and the Oakriver Foundation.