Childhood Development(Birth to 5 Years)

Normal Stages of Human Development(Birth to 5 Years)
by the Childhood Development Center
http://childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/normaldevelopment.shtml

“There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again.” by Elizabeth Lawrence

This will be the beginning of breaking into different stages of development in children as they grow into adults. I want to explore this subject because I feel that it will tie into different aspects of my project. Anyway, the beginning years of life are really formative in the discovery of emotions, language, interaction with family and strangers, and motor ability. Their temperament begins to shine through more as to whether they are curious, easily irked, or very docile. These are the years where the child begins to learn more and more about his environment and retain that information. They begin to utilize their experiences and apply those to how they approach new situations, such as the age-old if it burns you, don't touch it again. The child begins to question whether to obey or disobey. They learn how to articulate how they feel and convey stories in a more lucid fashion. An interest in other children's bodies appears as they wish to explore each other's bodies. They try to learn what their bodies can do and what other children's bodies can do. Their feelings on sex can be affected by their experiences with other children, their parents, or regrettably in some instances strangers.

Gilbert and George

Gilbert and George are an artistic duo, one from Italy and one from England. They appear in their artwork a lot of the time, mixing very formal elements with a sexual undertone. They stick to a very similar format, an almost stained glass window look. The images are very graphic with a grid pattern in the background. The colors are bold and the subject matter always appear created in simple black lines. Some of their work contains a suggestion of Christian imagery. They have had shows all over and won acclaim on the large scale of their images mixed with their daring content.

Artist Website: non-existent http://www.artnet.com/artist/6964/gilbert--george.html

Gallery Website: http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/gilbertandgeorge/

Interview: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/johntusainterview/gilbertgeorge_transcript.shtml

Loss of Innocence

"It is one of the superstitions of the human mind to have imagined that virginity could be a virtue." Voltaire

The Loss of Innocence by Ira Pilgrim May 10, 1996
http://www.mcn.org/c/irapilgrim/psy22.html

It is interesting how certain things can be lost then found again or how certain things can be built upon again and again. However, there are certain things that continue to diminish and once they are gone, they are gone forever. They are irretrievable and while some experiences can re-experienced, the first time will always be the first time. And, there will always be that differentiation between how you were before the experience and how you are after the experience. In this case, loss of innocence is the experience to be focused on. There are many ways to lose innocence, such as witnessing or committing acts of cruelty. Most people though associate loss of innocence with the loss of virginity. Everyone who has lost their virginity has had their own unique experience spanning a range of emotions: joy, disappointment, excitement, fear, shame, disgrace, release, etc. Some people regret that they let this moment go in a cheap, no strings attached fashion. Some people are pleased that they waited till they were in a comfortable, loving relationship. Innocence cannot be regained or reformed. It seems as though for some that still have their innocence do all that they can to get rid of it and once they do all they want is to get it back.

The Kinsey Reports

According to the Kinsey Reports by Jim Burroway. 1-3-08
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/Articles/000,024.htm

In 1948, Dr. Kinsey published the book Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, with a follow up in 1953 Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. These two books contained information that covered the various sexual experiences and exploits of men and women that Kinsey either interviewed or polled along with his team of colleagues. He brought subjects to the public that had previously been taboo and shattered many conventional beliefs about sex. He covered topics such as number of sexual partners, heterosexual and homosexual experiences, forms of sexual exploration, and so forth. His books challenged stereotypes about promiscuity in men and women, how chaste each sex is, and age at loss of virginity. His work explained that homosexuality and heterosexuality are not black and white terms. This can be explained on a 7 point scale with solely hetero on one end and solely homo on the other. There are various aspects that fall within those numbers for those that find themselves somewhere in between. These books were part of the beginning of a newer era where sexual topics were more acceptable to discuss. Since the books, a Kinsey Center for research on sexual behavior has been set up. They continue to poll, interview, and research to maintain a modern survey of this age's sexuality.

Sexual Addiction

"What is Sexual Addiction?" by Michael Herkov 12-10-06
http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/what-is-sexual-addiction/

"Like eating, having sex is necessary for human survival." Michael Herkov

Sexual addiction "is best described as a progressive intimacy disorder characterized by compulsive sexual thoughts and acts." Sexual addiction does not spur from a liking or loving of sexual experiences; addiction is diagnosed when a person continues to commit sexual acts that have a negative effect on the person's life. It could effect their health, relationships, or end with their jailing. It is a compulsion to continue on and on in sexual endeavors no matter what the consequences. When it comes to relationships, the sex addict views his/her partner as something to be used. Feelings are not really involved so the relationship is based on sex rather than intimacy. With the advent of looser censorship rules when it comes to sexual provocation, there has been an increase in different sexual practices, even illegal practices. Some people confuse sex offenders with sex addicts, whereas sex offenders commit their acts out of control and power. Sex addicts function solely off of getting off and sometimes addicts will have to increase their acts to get the same effect they got before.

Felix Larher

Felix Larher is a French based photographer who was featured in New Photographers 2007, which is curated by Getty Images. He works within photography, animation, and illustration. He worked in London from 1994 to 1997, freelancing for magazines and whatever jobs he could get. He moved back to France and has worked extensively with many different French magazines and has shot campaigns for various companies, such as Eurostar and Dim. He works within fashion editorials mainly, but also portraiture, documentary, and lifestyle. He has a style reminiscent of Terry Richardson, with flash lighting and a somewhat desaturated color palette. His work is provocative, entertaining, and high spirited. It breathes of pop culture party people, in the sexuality and confidence.

Artist Website: http://www.felix-larher.com/

Gallery Website: http://pigmag.com/gallery/fashion-features/

Interview: This is the closest I could find to an interview or a review of Larher
http://www.showcase-international.ch/exhibitors/agents_details.php?artist_id=63&agent_id=11&PHPSESSID=6e42a8f5e671c983a9779c79ea9d78e9

Ryan Pfluger

Ryan Pfluger is a New York based photographer. He lives in Brooklyn and graduated from the School of Visual Arts with an MFA in photography. He works a lot with people that are a part of his life because he feels that there is a connection "between the individual, their sense of self, their surroundings, and their bodies." He has done series about the different men in his life, his relationship with his father, and his feelings about his childhood. He has worked with many different magazines based around the New York area, including the NY Times, Radar, Paper, and Out. He continues to freelance and work on his own individual work.

Artist Website: http://www.ryanpfluger.com/

Gallery Website: http://www.envoygallery.com/home.html

Interview: http://www.homo-neurotic.com/2008/09/24/in-the-spotlight-ryan-pfluger/

Nan Goldin

Nan Goldin was born in 1953 in Washington D.C. During her study at the Satya Community School in Boston, a teacher introduced her to the camera, she instantly began shooting. Her first show was in 1973 and contained images of the gay community of which she was introduced by her friend David Armstrong. She graduated from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, which is a part of Tufts University. After moving to New York City, she began working in the post-punk new wave scene, continuing on in gay subculture as well. She then began to center on the hardcore drug scene around the Bowery area. Most of her subjects from the drug scene were dead by the early 1990s from AIDS or drug over-doses. She used a snapshot aesthetic to convey her subject matter. Her pictures seem impromptu with focus on the lighting present in the scene. Her images have a truth to them that lands them in a documentary category. She has captured the truth of what it was like to be in these different subcultures.

Artist Website: Doesn't have her own. http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/goldin_nan.html

Gallery Website:http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ArtistWorks?cgroupid=999999961&artistid=2649&page=1

Interview: http://fototapeta.art.pl/2003/ngie.php

Incomplete

Paul Thulin has read your blog up to this point/entry. Your blog is currently not up to date and work has been recorded as incomplete.

Donna Ferrato

Donna Ferrato has spent her career as a photojournalist following two main passions. One passion is the want to show various types of love and affection however strange in a positive light. Her other passion is the attempt to display and end domestic violence of all forms. She has succeeded in depicting her subjects in such a manner that really grasps people's attention and she believes that she can make a difference in each of these areas through the photographs that give a visual to the facts. Though these subjects do not necessarily coincide with one another, she states that since they are two very extremely different topics, they balance out her life. Dealing solely with domestic violence could send anyone into an insane depression. Her pursuit of various forms of love helps keep a grounded head. Someone said that she has an "empathetic eye," which is important in her line of work because she can view her subjects without pity or judgment, but with comfort and compassion. She works in a mix of color and black and white and all her images have a very timeless, atmospheric quality. Her work is groundbreaking, provocative, and sympathetic to the human well-being. She has seen wrongs and is trying to right them through her photography. She really commits to becoming a part of her endeavor.

Artist Website: http://www.donnaferrato.com/

Gallery Website: http://www.higherpictures.com/

Artist Interview: http://www.nieman.harvard.edu/reports/98-4NRwint98/Ferrato.html

Intimacy vs. Sex

Intimacy is defined as the close, familiar, and usually affectionate or loving personal relationship with another person or group. As humans, we have an innate drive, stronger in some than in others, to find intimacy to share with another person. We try to discover that relationship where we do not have to hold back any part of ourselves and share the most that we can with another person. As I have said many times, sex is the most intimate moment that two people can share. However, I was mistaken, sex is only the most physically intimate you can get with another person. There are many other parts that make up our lives such as the mental, the emotional, the spiritual, and the social. With relationships, many people turn to sex when they have problems, or even without relationships, if someone is lonely, they may turn to sex as a means to quench their thirst for intimacy. Sex though is the most instant fix for this loneliness because it can happen within hours of meeting someone, as long as the urge is there. Sex can be an emotionless bond between two people; for some, they can really separate emotion from sex. True intimacy can only happen when emotion is poured into the situation. Sometimes I have felt more intimate with friends than I have felt with some people I have been in relationships with. So often is the cause that people believe physicality to be the way to obtain intimacy. However, intimacy grows out of honest emotions, vulnerability, and respect. It is a comfort level that you share with another person that does not exist within your other relationships. Though these two topics are very entwined, it is important to notice their differences.

Messina, James. "Handling Intimacy." 1999 http://www.coping.org/relations/intimacy.htm