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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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
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