Is Ronaldinho's time in Milan almost up? After a disappointing display in AC Milan's 1-1 draw with bottom club Reggina, I ask, can the one time ‘best player in the world' produce the form of 3 years ago and show Milan he deserves a place in the starting eleven.
Only 3 years ago Ronaldinho was hailed as a footballing genius, a mercurial talent, head and shoulders above his nearest challenger. He helped Barcelona reclaim La Liga and win a second European Cup, it looked as if the sky was the limit and the world was indeed his oyster. These successes came after a magnificent World Cup victory with Brazil where he scored an audacious free kick against David Seaman and England to further enhance a growing reputation.
But after a disastrous 2006 World Cup with Brazil, Ronaldinho was on sensational form on his return to Barcelona scoring 21 goals in 32 La Liga games, thus helping Barca retain the league title. Disappointment was to occur in the Champions League, as Ronaldinho and his Barca side were knocked out by Liverpool in the last 16. The following season, Ronaldinho was a shadow of his former self, only playing 27 games in a campaign plagued by injury and reports of dressing room unrest. Barcelona President Joan Laporta then put the Brazilian superstar up for sale in the summer, citing his need for a new challenge.
With limited interest from other clubs, Ronaldinho chose AC Milan over Manchester City and completed a €21 million move. Starting the season strongly with important contributions and such as the only goal in a 1-0 victory over title rivals Inter. He appeared to re-energise an aging Rossoneri squad and having scored a hatful of goals along with a number of assists, it seemed he was justifying the faith Milan had put in him.
Recently, there have been rumblings that he is back to the Ronaldinho of last year, apparently jetting back to Barcelona at every opportunity, he doesn't seem to have shifted the weight he gained last year, lost form and has subsequently lost his place to an aging star who has played the last two seasons in a substandard league. And with David Beckham's excellent form and the team putting together a 7 match unbeaten run, it seems there is no light at the end of the tunnel for Ronaldinho Gaucho, having been dropped for the previous 4 games (before Reggina).
Being given a rare start against bottom club Reggina, he was inconsistent and looked a shadow of his former self, then taken off in the 65th minute, being replaced by 35 year old Pippo Inzaghi. Milan looked a lot more dangerous when he was off the field, and eventually found an equaliser, is this a coincidence or does he just not slot into Carlo Ancelotti's formation. But still, with Kaka's injury it looks as if he will be given another chance in the Derby della Madonnina with Inter.
I for one would love to see him regain the form he showed the world 3 years ago, so he can cement his place among the greats of the game. But I fear his inability to fit into Ancelotti's system could prove to be his undoing, coupled with Beckham's permanent arrival, he may push through a transfer in the summer, possibly to Manchester City and once more try to revitalise his career.
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Sunday, 8 February 2009
A Picture Speaks A Thousand Words
“A picture speaks more than a thousand words." - How true this statement is! A camera captures moments and conveys them much more effectively than words can ever attempt to. The right kind of photograph can speak volumes about a certain subject. The same holds true for fashion photography, that wonderful branch of photography that focuses specifically on 'fashion'. The trained eye of a skilled fashion photographer can work wonders for a fashion accessory, model or a show, and add to its beauty.
Fashion photography, in the form of presenting garments on and off bodies and the system in which these images circulate and operate, has long been on tenuous ground in both the public and academic spheres. While the public may continue to be critical of the idea of such photography and the idea of fashion in general, its triviality, wastefulness, impermanence and commercialism, many people still buy the clothes and keep up with the trends.
Attempts to legitimize the topic of fashion and its depiction as a subject as an area warranting serious academic consideration and examination however, have proved more difficult. Although these attempts have been increasingly frequent as the role of fashion has become increasingly more evident and influential and its dialogue more social in its mainstream prevalence, the general consensus is still to view fashion and its related institutions in a largely negative manner and its presentation unworthy of consideration beyond a superficial level. Proponents and creators of fashion photography have strained to garner respect for their form as well as maintain an appearance of continuous innovation and a sense of progressive ‘modernity' through each season.
I don’t want to downgrade or deglamourize fashion photography, it is far too much hard work to do that, but let’s not forget that the main reason for its being, to show what a garment looks like, to show it off in glossy magazines and catalogues in order that the readers will spend a lot of money buying it.
A fashion photographer is judged not only on his photographic ability, but how good he is at shifting dresses off the rails. In fashion photography the client always calls the tune and as a result it has traditionally been regarded as the lightweight end of the photographic practice. Its close relationship to an industry dependent on fast turnover makes the fashion photograph the transitory image par excellence . . . the commercial sphere of photographs, the domain of the everyday image, which represents the debasement of a conventional history of photography.
Having said that, the best fashion photographers have always had their own trademarks. Among the best fashion photographers it is always possible to distinguish one from another. The best assignments go to the fashion photographer that stands out and is able to come up with ideas that differ from the norm.
Any competent photographer could make a decent and competent job of photographing a woman’s catalogue or even the fashion page of a popular newspaper, but on a higher level of doing a fashion shoot for “Vogue” a more creative level of thought is needed. Top end magazines, such as “Vogue” etc will only employ fashion photographers that have built up a reputation forever coming up with new ideas in their photography, looking for new scenarios and different props in their pictures, and for a consistency that puts the photographer under a load of pressure.
The nature of fashion and fashion photography to be impermanent, its latent transience in ever changing and shifting trends, generates and exudes a perpetual ‘in-process' quality. This quality is delusory however, as images and styles repeat themselves in carefully calculated and timed increments.
The apparent instantaneousness of fashion lends it an attractive volatility. Fashion is really about maintaining the eternal sameness, preserving the status quo; it is a quixotic gesture, a con trick, a sleight of hand, which makes us think that change is happening when the opposite is closer to the truth. Fashions are not about putting into circulation the really new, because the genuine novelty cannot be absorbed quickly into the cultural formations of everyday life.
Fashion periodicals are the primary purveyors of these images and subsequent identities, with ‘Vogue’ as the gold standard for magazines in this arena. Through fashion photography, these publications exhibit and mediate the ideals of each era. Their role in such activities of dissemination and influence is problematic and damaging on several levels. With the growing popularity and seductive appeal of this medium and the apparent innocuous quality assumed by it, of merely reporting new styles and where to obtain them, the publications' more subversive edge remains hidden.
Fashion magazines do not just present fashion, they instruct in the creation of image and self-representation. Through these publications, women are able to imagine and construct the ‘best' and ‘most desirable' versions of themselves. Fashioning the body becomes a practice through which the individual can fashion a self. Whole distinct identities are formed through dress; social perceptions of wealth, class, taste and personality are mediated by the presentation of the body. The garment constructs the self, and the individual captured in photography memorializes and makes permanent that self.
Today, fashion photography is now not merely confined to recording of an event or a fashion
accessory on film. It has evolved to become a highly stylized art form, capturing an entire era and the trends prevalent during that period of time. Fashion photographers have become a highly influential community in the media world. Today, fashion photography blends fashion and art beautifully, while making a subconscious mark upon us all.
Fashion photography, in the form of presenting garments on and off bodies and the system in which these images circulate and operate, has long been on tenuous ground in both the public and academic spheres. While the public may continue to be critical of the idea of such photography and the idea of fashion in general, its triviality, wastefulness, impermanence and commercialism, many people still buy the clothes and keep up with the trends.
Attempts to legitimize the topic of fashion and its depiction as a subject as an area warranting serious academic consideration and examination however, have proved more difficult. Although these attempts have been increasingly frequent as the role of fashion has become increasingly more evident and influential and its dialogue more social in its mainstream prevalence, the general consensus is still to view fashion and its related institutions in a largely negative manner and its presentation unworthy of consideration beyond a superficial level. Proponents and creators of fashion photography have strained to garner respect for their form as well as maintain an appearance of continuous innovation and a sense of progressive ‘modernity' through each season.
I don’t want to downgrade or deglamourize fashion photography, it is far too much hard work to do that, but let’s not forget that the main reason for its being, to show what a garment looks like, to show it off in glossy magazines and catalogues in order that the readers will spend a lot of money buying it.
A fashion photographer is judged not only on his photographic ability, but how good he is at shifting dresses off the rails. In fashion photography the client always calls the tune and as a result it has traditionally been regarded as the lightweight end of the photographic practice. Its close relationship to an industry dependent on fast turnover makes the fashion photograph the transitory image par excellence . . . the commercial sphere of photographs, the domain of the everyday image, which represents the debasement of a conventional history of photography.
Having said that, the best fashion photographers have always had their own trademarks. Among the best fashion photographers it is always possible to distinguish one from another. The best assignments go to the fashion photographer that stands out and is able to come up with ideas that differ from the norm.
Any competent photographer could make a decent and competent job of photographing a woman’s catalogue or even the fashion page of a popular newspaper, but on a higher level of doing a fashion shoot for “Vogue” a more creative level of thought is needed. Top end magazines, such as “Vogue” etc will only employ fashion photographers that have built up a reputation forever coming up with new ideas in their photography, looking for new scenarios and different props in their pictures, and for a consistency that puts the photographer under a load of pressure.
The nature of fashion and fashion photography to be impermanent, its latent transience in ever changing and shifting trends, generates and exudes a perpetual ‘in-process' quality. This quality is delusory however, as images and styles repeat themselves in carefully calculated and timed increments.
The apparent instantaneousness of fashion lends it an attractive volatility. Fashion is really about maintaining the eternal sameness, preserving the status quo; it is a quixotic gesture, a con trick, a sleight of hand, which makes us think that change is happening when the opposite is closer to the truth. Fashions are not about putting into circulation the really new, because the genuine novelty cannot be absorbed quickly into the cultural formations of everyday life.
Fashion periodicals are the primary purveyors of these images and subsequent identities, with ‘Vogue’ as the gold standard for magazines in this arena. Through fashion photography, these publications exhibit and mediate the ideals of each era. Their role in such activities of dissemination and influence is problematic and damaging on several levels. With the growing popularity and seductive appeal of this medium and the apparent innocuous quality assumed by it, of merely reporting new styles and where to obtain them, the publications' more subversive edge remains hidden.
Fashion magazines do not just present fashion, they instruct in the creation of image and self-representation. Through these publications, women are able to imagine and construct the ‘best' and ‘most desirable' versions of themselves. Fashioning the body becomes a practice through which the individual can fashion a self. Whole distinct identities are formed through dress; social perceptions of wealth, class, taste and personality are mediated by the presentation of the body. The garment constructs the self, and the individual captured in photography memorializes and makes permanent that self.
Today, fashion photography is now not merely confined to recording of an event or a fashion
accessory on film. It has evolved to become a highly stylized art form, capturing an entire era and the trends prevalent during that period of time. Fashion photographers have become a highly influential community in the media world. Today, fashion photography blends fashion and art beautifully, while making a subconscious mark upon us all.
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