Category: Photography

The medium of photography in the post World War I period was almost too deliciously convenient a vehicle for certain proponents of the Dadaists and the Surrealists. Cameras had been, since their invention, been shrinking to a manageable and portable size. The newly graspable medium offered these iconoclastic visionaries a range of possibilities for creating art that were available in no other way.

Through photography, the Dadaists could freely exercise the randomness, transgressiveness, immediacy, and populist tendencies they espoused. The Surrealists could snatch from around them scenes of impossibility and disturbing wonder, while showing bodies and settings with stark reality. Is it any wonder, then, that photography, Paris, Surrealism, and Dadaism are terms which go together?

The ability of photography to capture scenes of the moment allowed for an uncompromising observation of the world as it was, with all its warts, and was thus very appealing to a group which gloried in calling a spade a spade. After all, in the words of Tristan Tzara,“beauty is dead” (Tzara 249).

Photography could catch the unwary subject in the midst of petty deception and hypocrisy. A photographer could make art from the flotsam and jetsam of the streets, whether human or object. A photograph was almost like performance art, involving the subject and the artist in an ephemeral, spontaneous, one-time-only event, very much in line with Tzara’s thinking (Tzara 253)^[1].

Additionally, photography avoided entirely the hated tyranny of the art academy (Tzara 250). Further, the cumbersome process of using models, undergoing days or weeks of sittings, was avoidable when using photography. Rather than requiring a studio and years of training in drafting and painting, photography could be undertaken with only a modest closet for atelier. Additionally, in that less litigious age did not even require the consent of the subject to create a portrait.

Furthermore, by placing the relatively inexpensive means of production of art in the hands of almost everyone, photography was enormously egalitarian and could theoretically be adopted by the masses for their own artistic expression, which was a goal of Dadaism (Darwent)^[2]. What a perfect fit with the philosophy of the Dadaists!

At the same time, photography had the enormous advantage that pictures could be modified from their recording of strict reality. They could, for example, be altered by changing lenses or using mirrors, as in Distortions (1933-1934) by Andre Kertesz, a Hungarian born expatriate who made Paris his home (Andre Kertesz). Photographs may also be modified chemically during processing, by changing the exposure or by retouching, to create entirely fantastic and appealingly dreamlike effects.

Entirely surreal images could be produced out of a darkroom, even at the hands of a person who had no drafting or painting skills ^[3]. Such dreamlike effects were much valued by the Surrealists. Andre Breton wonders in his Surrealist Manifesto whether dreams are not equal in significance to waking life (Breton 434-437). He also has great respect for madness, and for hallucinations. In fact he regards hallucinations as pleasant enough to seduce the madman to remain in that condition (Breton 433).

All these states of being can distort perception in the same way that a distorted photograph modifies reality. How appealing it must have been to know that one could print on paper the contents of one’s dreams, as Breton could readily have accomplished with his simple but striking personal dream image of a man being cut in two by a window (Breton 436-437).

The exhibit Twilight Visions at the International Center of Photography shows a range of photos from the practitioners of this medium in the 1920’s and 30’s. One notable example, Brassai, the nom de shutter of Hungarian born Gyula Halasz, specialized in images of a very anti-establishment cast of “prostitutes, pimps, madams, transvestites, apaches, and assorted cold-eyed pleasure seekers” (Brassai).

Brassai’s photo of the Angry Couple at the Bal Musette (1932), suspends the quarreling and not terribly elegant couple in suspended animation between moments of blame and insult. The unsparing picture certainly exemplifies the Dadaist view of Tristan Tzara in his Dada Manifesto, 1918; demonstrating “no pity” (Tzara).

This depressing but basically realistic photo contrasts nicely with another Brassai, Bal Musette (1932) that combines the low-life grittiness of two bored prostitutes (or at least ladies of easy virtue) hugging a cheerful young man, with the hallucinatory surprise of finding in the mirror the image of a much older man and his companions.

It is almost as if the viewer were seeing the young man’s dissolute future. Another piece, Girl Playing Snooker (1933), possesses all the dignity of an odalisque or any portrait of John Singer Sargent, but was of course snapped in a dark bistro of an undoubted prostitute. Brassai’s gaze, like that of the young woman in the photo, is “straightforward as a hammer” (Brassai). This portrait of a nameless pool hustler delivers a Dadaist poke in the eye of traditional formal portraiture.

The can-can dancers move blurrily in Ilse Bing’s picture, French Cancan Dancers, Moulin Rouge, Paris (1931). Bing was unusual among this group of photographers, In that she had actually had some art and design-related training (Ilse Bing Biography).

In spite of the blurring of this photo, it is a vivid image, and it is interesting to compare this with the many images of the demi-monde of the dance hall from the Impressionists. No color is in the photo, of course, and we are able to see the faces full on, unlike many backstage views by the previous generation of artists.

How odd it is to confirm that the Impressionists actually were accurate in portraying the cancan performers as entirely composed, disinterested and almost expressionless. The word jaded might have been invented for these faces. Perhaps, as Breton suggests, for these women, “existence is elsewhere” (Breton 439).

Breton would probably have encouraged these dancers to absent themselves as much as they could from the real world, since he affirmed that Surrealism was such a potent way of dealing with daily problems (Breton)^[4].

Dadaism and Surrealism embraced photography with enthusiasm, and created some remarkable works in the medium. They recorded the realities of street life and the underclass, and their dreams and nightmares as well. They used all the unique features of the medium to look at grit and turn it into fantasy.

Bibliography

“Andre Kertesz”, 2010. Explore Photography. Web.

Brassai, 2010. Web.

Breton, Andre. “The First Manifesto of Surrealism.” Art in Theory: 1900-1999: An Anthology of Changing Ideas. Ed. Charles, and Woodll, Paiul Harrison. Oxford: Blackwell, 432-439.

Darwent, Charles. Well-chosen works show how De Stijl – ‘The Style’ – movement led to a revolution in European art that still resonates today: Van Doesburg & the International Avant-Garde, Tate Modern, London. 2010. Web.

“Ilse Bing Biography.” 2010. Victoria and Albert Museum. Web.

Tzara, Tristan. “Dada Manifesto.” Art in Theory: 1900-1999: An Anthology of Changing Ideas. Ed. Charles, and Wood, Paul Harrison. Oxford: Blackwell, 248-253.

Footnotes

1. Tzara expresses it thus: “Dada: absolute and unquestionable faith in every god that is the immediate product of spontaneity” (Tzara).
2. Along with overturning everything that constituted order, the Dadaists believed that art had the power to uplift the oppressed and demoralized, and to accomplish this the art had to be accessible to them (Darwent).
3. Kertesz certainly had little professional art training (Andre Kertesz).
4. Breton contends of Surrealism that “It tends to ruin, once and for all, all other psychic mechanisms and to substitute itself for them in solving all the principal problems of life” (Breton).

Introduction

The art of photography is probably one of the most amazing and tempting ways of expressing human feelings, thoughts, emotions, and even hopes. In comparison to other arts like painting of sculpture where people have a direct contact to what they are doing, the work of photographs seems to be separate because it is impossible to have that direct contact to a subject by means of the camera.

Photography reached its popularity and necessity during the period of Modern Age when people get an opportunity to keep pictures and to remember a person, event, or date on them. With the help of photography, it becomes possible to capture special moments keep them for a long period of time. One of the possible types of photography is post-mortem that is characterized by the images of people who have recently deceased.

On the one hand, it is hard to comprehend the essence and the necessity of this photography art, and on the other hand, a deep analysis proves that such images help to re-evaluate this life and discover some other important aspects. Post-mortem photography reflects considerably the way of how people comprehend the essence of this world with its beauties and shortages; the photo of a dead person has a number of functions which aim at helping people discover the truth.

Social and cultural functions of post-mortem photography

The point about the art of photography is that much could be done to photos, and people enjoyed the possibility to control these powerful and innovative means. There has never been another means of art that can easily substitute photography and cover the essence of a being with precise precision of a fraction and basically manifest in a physical memory of the being (Hirsch 49). Photography has many different names and explanations, but one of the most popular ones was the idea by Holmes who called it as a mirror with a human memory.

The art of photography was invented by Louis Daguerre in the 18^th century; this invention promoted the representatives of the middle class family with an opportunity to memorize the events and people and not to spend so much time and many efforts to on painting. Within a short period of time, this idea gained popularity in the Europe and rapidly spread to the United State. Unfortunately, society faced a considerably amount of problems connected to human death.

The reasons of mortality were difficult to define, this is why those people involved into the science of photography made an attempt to unite this challenge with photos. These attempts gave birth to the post-mortem photography (Hanno 18).

The history of this form of memorial photograph or the daguerreotype as early called can be dated back to the 18^th century (Stange 144). The mourning industry as well as the sphere of photography in the 19^th-20^th century became rather popular that promoted the development of such practice like photographing a dead relative or family member.

Mehaffey acclaims that first, it was known as memorial photograph or the daguerreotype, however, with time, it became known as post-mortem photography and was used as an integral mourning means and to memorize the moment of death (17).

Social function of this form of art was closely connected to the idea to unite people and give them a chance to hold a moment and memorize it for a long period of time. Due to post-mortem photography, people became able to take another step up and enjoy the results achieved.

As for the cultural function of post-mortem photography, it may be evaluated from the way of how subjects were prepared for these photos. Attention to additional details like cribs, human arms, coffins, clothes – all this is a kind of cultural heritage that had to be stored and shared with other generations.

Because of constant child mortality, the vast majority of post-mortem photographs tried to represent it as a mortality reminder more than essence of memorializing dead people (Ruby 133). Children mortality in this era was rampant, and it was the main cause for parents opting for a daguerreotype and memorializing by means of post-mortem or memorial photographs’ activities. This service was cheap and not time-consuming like the painting of the portrait was.

Post-mortem photography’s impact on human understanding of images

There are many different ways of how post-mortem photography may influence human perception of the world. First, these images introduce a new situation with the help of which it is possible to evaluate the same situations from different perspectives.

Of course, there are some cases when postmortem photography performs the functions which are completely deprived of emotions and feelings. These photos are actually taken by police officers in crime or murder scenes; they usually help the officers to identify the victim, analyze the time of death, bullet point of entry, angle of weapon insertion (Hanno 29).

Specialist uses these photographs to analyze the cause and the motives that are behind the murder of the victim. Every postmortem carried out is documented in photograph to be used incase the result depict any fouls play on the deceased, and are used as evidence against the defendant in the court of law.

However, there are some cases when people are under the control of other purposes and try to underline the significance of their sentiments and grief. The earliest postmortem photography was taken for the purpose of memorizing the dead and having sentiment to the saviors of the departed family member or loved one.

Postmortem photographs lost the real value they had in the 18^th century. They were particularly guided by religious faith in most part of Eastern Europe. It was usually a depiction of the person in the photos and an opportunity to become holy.

The ideas of normative conception of human identity and social behavior

This form of photography of the deceased has long been disposed. However, it remains as a possible way to memorize beloved people (Burns 211).

Modern photographs are today’s taken to mark very special occasion, but this has not left out postmortem photographs which are taken in crime scenes to determine the case outcomes and gather evidence by police officers, forensic specialist and crime investigation bureaus. Also today’s postmortem photographs are taken but are refrained from children as they are only taken while the coffin is closed during the burial arrangement.

In modern times, the idea to promote postmortem pictures is a kind of vulgar and sensationalistic taboo. In some states, portraying of such pictures may leads to litigation to the person who hold the pictures and provoke disturbance and un-respecting the dead. In some cases, it may be viewed as an attempt to create social discomfort associated with death to the person who is viewing the photographs (Ruby 74).

Many contemporary photographers have artistically illuminate early works intent in a fashionable manner that is although unacceptable to some religion, beautified, and has no morbid feeling (Hirsch 111). One similar case is the photographs of Enrique Metinide who is a Mexican tabloid photographer.

His photographs are depicted from crime scenes pictures which he incorporated with rich aesthetic compositions in art creation. Many of his works have been shown in the world galleries. Although this artist’s attempts are supported in the art world not by all people, there is still a number of fans and admires of this possibility to look at the world in a new way.

However, there are some photographs who are rather controversial and explicit with some of their works been banned in some countries. Some of these photographs have led uproars with the religious community: Joel-Peter Witkin, Lyn Hagan, Maeve Berry, etc. These artists have produced the most morbid form of art that ranges from dead corpse to embroidered children mutilated bodies portraits (Stange 187).

These artifacts are horrid and frightening to look at. The traits of bodies have been burned during funeral cremation, and macabre murder scenes and strangled mutilated bodies of children serve as the best backgrounds of photos.

Conclusion

In spite of the fact that time is able to change and bring out innovations and challenges, there are still some forms of art which remain to be the same and improved with time. There is no other from of art that matches the effects that post-mortem photography has over human understanding of the world and their role within it.

Post-mortem photography may cause different opinions and feelings, and it is wrong to neglect the possibility to influence human minds by means of photos. This is why it is crucially important to spend more time on the analysis of this art form and its characteristics.

Works Cited

Burns, Stanley. Sleeping Beauty II: Grief, Bereavement in Memorial Photography American and European Traditions. New York: Burns Archive, 1993. Print.

Hanno, Hardt. Social Uses of Photography: Images in the Age of Reproducibility. New York: The Perseus Book Group, 1999. Print.

Hirsch, Robert. Seizing the Light: A History of Photography. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.

Mehaffey, Keith. The After-Life: Mourning Rituals and the Mid-Victorians. New York: Lasar Writers Publishing, 1993. Print.

Ruby, Jay. Secure the Shadow: Death and Photography in America. Boston: MIT Press, 1995. Print.

Stange, Maren. Symbols of Ideal Life: Social Documentary Photography in America, 1890–1950. New York: Cambridge University, 1989. Print.

Robert Frank was a renowned photographer in the United States and he was born in Zurich, Switzerland on 9^th of November 1924. He begun his career in photography as an apprentice where he learned his skills by observing the works of legendary photographers.

Robert has in- depth knowledge in photography because he was very aggressive from the beginning of his career. In fact he visited many cities within U.S. and managed to take multiple photos but then he found himself behind the bars because some people thought he was spying on them.

It is certain that he had a passion for his career and that’s why he visited many countries just for the love of photography. He was very intelligent because he took his photos without attracting attention and when he did he was smart enough to cover his intentions. In photography one needs to be cautious because in some instances photographers can be prosecuted for taking photos of sensitive places such as army barracks, and to be sincere Robert was put behind bars because he was thought to be a spy.

A look at some of his images indicate that during those days photos were without color because most of his initial images are in black and white but the element of lighting and shadowing is excellent. This shows that he knew how to position himself to enhance the contrast in his photos.

By then automatic cameras had not been invented hence he relied on the sun to provide lighting. If the same photos were to be taken today they would be much better because technology has made things to be easy, hence editing of photos is less tiring because it is done using computers.

Robert cropped his photos accurately without loosing the intended message of the photo. Perhaps people who don’t know the history of U.S. should take a look at the works of Robert and realize that every city has its own history because one will notice that some of the objects captured in his photos are not present today. The photos imply that Americans are very conscious people because of the fashion displayed in these photos.

Robert seemed to have the right connections which provided a platform to display his photos during exhibitions and he may have exchanged ideas with fellow photographers hence beginners should consult photographers who have made it in this field. Every job has its challenges and so is photography as evidenced by Robert.

A photographer should then be alert while taking photos because he could be met with a lot of hostility and I think that’s why presidents all over the world have their designated photographers because studies have shown that photography can be abused.

Robert employed minimal light in his photos which made them stand out from the rest. May be he was capitalizing on the element of lighting to create a light tone in his images. Most of his images have unique focus which displays his attention to detail.

This element is evidenced by Rodeo (see appendix) which was taken in 1954 in New York city because one can not identify the face of the guy who is leaning on the dustbin but since Robert’s photos were not edited there is a lot of reality in this photo because it gives the exact image that one expects according to the focus of the camera.

If the photo was taken from another position, say the focus was on the left hand side, the man’s face would be recognizable. But then, it seems Robert took this photo without the knowledge of his subject and he must have been on the same level with his subject. Rodeo seems to have been cropped on the left hand side to erase the protruding shadow at the bottom of the left hand side edge. He did not crop the right hand side that much because it seems he wanted to emphasize on the debris on the streets of New York.

Photos that are not colored reveal a lot of other images that cannot be identified in colored photos. The disadvantage of such photos is that the viewer cannot distinguish colors because all colors are either black or white. If a digital or automatic camera had been used the light in this image would unveil the face of this man. The background of this image blends the colors of other objects in the image such as the adjacent buildings because they look like they have a uniform color.

Robert seemed to have taken this photo at a close range because the length of the image implies so. The emphasis of this image is on the young guy and the untidy streets. This photo can change one’s attitude about New York since most people think it is very clean because of its fame. The impression created by this photo illustrate that the background of a photo is very important and that’s why most people look at their surrounding when they are posing for a photo.

This photo has changed my perception on photography. Rodeo does not have desirable elements of a photo because the image suggests that the photo is a reality due to the subject not being induced to pose and sincerely this image indicate that pictures that are taken without informing the subject have much clarity because when most people are posing for a photo they usually smile and look directly at the lens of the camera. To prove my point I recently took a photo without looking at the camera directly.

If one wishes to add contrast he/she opt to use an automatic camera because it can sense where there is inadequate lighting and thus turn the flash light on as opposed to manual cameras that cannot detect darkness. When one is about take a photo he should relax and stand still to make sure the image is not distorted.

Appendix

Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (2000|). “Robert Frank: Rodeo, New York City (1992.5162.3)”. Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York. Web.

Introduction

The subject of this analytical paper is a photograph of a warrior from a tribe in East Africa, the Maasai, which photographer Jimmy Nelson took as part of his collection of photographs in the book, Before They Pass Away. The photograph, which features on the book’s cover, possesses certain features that make it stand out. This analysis reveals details on the features and it aims at creating a better understanding of the photograph.

Photograph by Jimmy Nelson

Subject

The main theme in this photograph is culture. According to Nelson, the Maasai are part of the few tribes in the world that are quickly fading due to civilization and the increasing need for the world to form a global community (453). The author mentions uniqueness as one of the merits of maintaining a culture and he expresses his fear that such singularity is quickly fading for most cultures around the world.

Therefore, he undertook the task of highlighting some of the tribes that still exhibit unique cultural traits in every aspect of their lives including mode of dressing, language, food, and religion (Nelson 453). In the picture, the man’s attire, demeanor, and environment attract the audience’s immediate attention.

Nelson’s description of the man in the picture as a warrior is evident from the tools he holds in his hands. The man clutches a spear in his left hand and a shield on his right. The long cloth wrapped around his body is also unique given that most people prefer modern clothing such as shirts and trousers to a plain sheet of cloth. The design in which the cloth falls around his body is intricate and attractive.

Although the human figure forms the key feature in the photograph, the background, according to Nelson (454), forms part of the warrior’s culture and is thus relevant when conducting an analysis. He explains that the Maasai tribe is nomadic in nature and it often roams expansive lands in search of pasture (454). The expansive arid land that forms the background, thus serves to complete the picture and create a holistic view of the tribe’s cultural practices.

Medium

A medium describes the material in which a work of art exists and materials that an artist uses in its creation. For instance, for paintings, the term medium refers to types of paint that artists use to generate their works as well as the surface on which they display such works. Some artists prefer oil paintings while others opt for acrylics (Kemp 56).

The same principle of description applies to drawings, photographs, and other forms of art requiring description. The portrait that forms the subject of discussion currently exists in print in the author’s book and in softcopy over the Internet for easy access and better distribution to a global audience. The softcopy version allows audiences to print the image as part of their personal collection or store it as an e-file in their computer databases for future reference.

The photograph is the result of a project that Nelson undertook in the year 2009 using a 4×5 field plate camera, which uses film to store images. His camera, which is more than fifty years old, generates images with a higher resolution since the image does not require resizing in order to increase its surface area during the printing process. Although the camera is not presently a common choice for professional photographers today, the few that appreciate its advantages brand it a valuable tool.

For instance, the makers of the camera specifically designed it to solve depth of field problems using the Scheimplug principle. The camera’s features allow the front and the back to move accordingly to achieve the photographer’s desired position using shifting movements – up, down, sideways, and tilting movements that go out of parallel.

The use of this feature is evident in the photograph and notable in the depth difference between the foreground and background. It creates a realistic three-dimensional feel to the features in the portrait .

Form

In art, form is the part of a formal analysis that incorporates depth, width, and height as the result of interactions between lines, shapes, texture, color, space, and light among other elements. Although the piece of art in question for this analysis is not a painting or drawing, the same principles apply when conducting such analysis (Andrews and Langford 71). For instance, the horizon in the background forms a horizontal line that creates a sense of stability and calmness in the picture.

It also draws the observer’s attention to the center of the portrait coupled with facilitating a view of every element that the photographer included in his masterpiece. The warrior, the rocks, and the trees under him create vertical linear movement that evokes a sense of depth in the portrait, which is necessary in three-dimensional images. The presence of light and darkness in different sections of the portraits generate texture (Gurney 44) and bring out the roughness in the shrubs and smoothness of the warrior’s skin and clothes.

In art, color conveys various messages regardless of whether they come from the subject or the artist. One of the uses of color is drawing attention to certain aspects of the subject (Gurney 62). In this case, the warrior’s outfit and shield draw attention to him and separate him from the rest of the elements in the portrait. Red signifies boldness and beauty, both of which form messages that Nelson wanted to convey.

The “use of negative space in the photograph is indicative of the expansive environments” (Winters 29) in which the Maasai community lives in, while the harshness of the terrain brings out some of the hardships that the community faces. The fact that Nelson took the photograph in the community’s natural environment brings out a realistic perspective of the community’s culture through the photographer’s eyes.

Content

According to Jimmy Nelson, the photograph exhibits the culture of the Maasai community in their natural environment, without the interference of civilization.

In his opinion, the culture of the Maasai community is one of the few left in the world that remains untainted by influences from other cultures or altered by civilization. In his book, Nelson notes that although the culture has managed to remain intact for centuries, the community might find it difficult to maintain the status quo for much longer, thus igniting his need to document the present situation before such change occurs (453).

In the book, some of the unique traits that the author noted from his short stay with the community include the mode of dressing the warrior showcases in the photograph, the nomadic way of life that the society ascribes to, strict adherence to religion, and traditional gender roles as well as a nomadic lifestyle involving survival on cattle.

Historical context

Jimmy Nelson took the photograph in November 2010 while on his three-year journey to document the cultures of vanishing tribes around the world that he considered unique and interesting.

Nelson’s aim was to document the cultures before they changed due various reasons including increasing populations and the need to adopt practices common in civilization (Nelson 209). In the book, Nelson explains that the Maasai tribe is indigenous to East African countries of Kenya and Tanzania, and they practice a culture, which is passed on from one generation to another since the fifteenth century.

They live in remote areas away from towns and they practice a nomadic way of life. He states that the tribe depends on cattle for all its dietary needs through consumption of meat, milk, and sometimes blood (Nelson 455). Their attire entails sheets of cloth of different colors depending on the occasion, which are often bright. The men serve as the guardians and providers of the community while the women take on the role of homemakers.

The community allows its male members to have as many wives as they can afford to support, thus creating a hierarchy for the wives in the homestead where the first wife holds the most power and control over the running of the home. Boys learn their role as warriors of the community from a young age while girls learn the art of kraal construction and home management from the women folk.

The official rite of passage from childhood to adulthood involves circumcision for both genders (Nelson 460). However, the author notes that female circumcision is illegal in both Kenya and Tanzania. Some of the elements of this culture visible in the portrait include the community’s mode of dressing, the environment in which they live in, and the role that male members play in society.

Style

The photograph exhibits a modern style with classical aspects owing to the equipment that the photographer chose for the project. This aspect creates a unique style that adds to the beauty and peculiar nature of the photograph, thus separating it from most modern works. The modern aspect of the photographs is visible in the composition, while the classical aspect is evident in the hues of the photograph.

Works Cited

Andrews, Philip, and Michael Langford. Langford’s Starting Photography: The Guide to Creating Great Images, Oxford: Focal Press, 2008. Print.

Gurney, James. Color and Light: A Guide for the Realistic Painter, Kansas: Andrew McMeel Publishing, 2010. Print.

Kemp, Linda. Simplifying Design and Color for Artists: Positive results using negative painting techniques, Rohnert Park: North Light Books, 2013. Print.

Nelson, Jimmy. Before They Pass Away, New York: teNeues Publishing, 2013. Print.

Winters, Dan. Road to Seeing, San Francisco: New Riders, 2014. Print.

Biography

One of the 20^th century’s greatest photographers Gordon Parks was born in 1912 to the family of African-American farmers in Fort Scott, Kansas. Ever since his early years, Parks used to be exposed to racism, which partially explains why he could not obtain a formal college diploma.

After the death of his mother in 1926, Parks was forced to move to Minneapolis, where he made a living by affiliating himself with a number of odd jobs, such as the job of a ‘porter boy’ in the town’s gentlemen-clubs. While working hard, in order to ensure his physical survival, Parks nevertheless proved himself resourceful enough to take an interest in many pursuits, which at the time were considered being solely reserved for White Americans, such as playing piano.

Nevertheless, it was specifically Parks’ budding fascination with photography, which had set him on the path of becoming one of the most socially prominent African-Americans of all times. In 1938, Parks purchased his first camera and started to apply an active effort in turning this fascination into the mean of supporting himself financially.

Even though that initially, Parks strived to gain recognition as a fashion photographer, it is specifically by securing jobs with the Farm Security Administration (FSA) in 1939 (which provided him with the task to photograph the social effects of the Depression in America) that he was able to make himself a name.

People started to regard him as being not only extremely talented but also a ‘visionary’ photographer. It is namely this particular phase of Parks’ professional career, which is now being commonly referred to as having been the most discursively significant. This is because, through the years of 1939-1942, Parks did not only succeed in photographing the sheer scope of social injustices in America, but he also managed to expose many of these injustices, as such that had been reflective of the American society’s racial intolerance.

In 1948, Parks became the first Black photographer, hired by Life magazine. While working for this magazine well into the sixties, Parks was able to make the photographic records of what accounted for the era’s most important socio-political developments – specifically those associated with the rise of the Civil Rights movement in America.

It is specifically due to what were Parks’ professional activities, during the course of the earlier mentioned historical period, that we can now enjoy the exceptionally well-photographed images of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, and Mohammed Ali. Simultaneously, Parks was involved in a number of other intellectually stimulating activities, such as writing poetry/novels and composing music. His most well-known autobiographical novels include 1963 The Learning Tree and 1966 A Choice of Weapons.

Ever since the early seventies, Parks also became involved with the movie-industry – the year of 1971 saw the release of Shaft (film), directed by Parks, which is now being discussed as such that originated a whole new cinematographic genre/style of blaxploitation. Throughout the course of the eighties, Parks directed a few documentaries, concerned with the Civil Rights movement, and composed the libretto to the opera Martin, dedicated to the memory of Martin Luther King.

During his life’s latter stages, Parks continued to apply a great effort in promoting the concept of interracial tolerance in America, while coming up with public speeches, on behalf of America’s socially disadvantaged populations, which had won him a number of honorary awards from both: The Federal Government and the country’s most prestigious universities. The world’s most famous African-American photographer died in 2006 from cancer (Mitchell, Martin-Hamon and Anderson 27).

Examples of photographs

The foremost feature of Parks’ photographs is the fact that, while being taken in an unmistakable realist manner, they emanate the strong spirit of humanism. The validity of this statement can be well explored in regards to probably the photographer’s most famous photo of Ella Watson (janitor) standing in front of the American flag inside of the FSA building.

What is being particularly noteworthy about this photo is that it prompts onlookers to consider the possibility that, working as a janitor, was not the photographed woman’s ‘true calling’. The reason for this is apparent – Watson’s very appearance suggests that she happened to be a thoroughly intelligent woman.

The fact that she is being depicted wearing glasses strengthens this impression even further. Thus, while being exposed to this photo, people cannot help experiencing the sensation that there is something inheritably wrong about the situation with an intelligent Black woman working as a janitor, which in turn leads them to conclude that she must have been forced to stick with this job by some external circumstances.

The American flag in the background symbolizes these external circumstances. Apparently, Parks wanted to emphasize that it was due to the policy of racial discrimination (which was enacted in America during the course of the thirties) that African-American women, such as Watson, could not even dream of a social advancement.

The motif of racial discrimination is also contained in the Parks’ photo of two Black kids playing the doll of a White girl.

There are two discursive aspects to this photo. First, the fact that Black children are being forced to play with this pale-skinned doll suggests that they were spared of an opportunity to play with a Black doll. The reason for this is simple – at the time when the above photo was taken (the late thirties), there were no dark-skinned dolls manufactured by the American toy industry.

This is because, during the course of this period in American history, the country’s Blacks were not considered fully human, which is why they used to be encouraged to mimic the lifestyle of Whites – playing with White dolls, was meant to make Black children emotionally comfortable with their future status of second-class citizens.

Second, the doll’s unemotional (cold) facial expression stands in a striking contrast to the facial expression of a Black kid on the left. This contrast’s symbolism is quite clear – apparently, Parks wanted to promote the idea that it is in White people’s very nature to regard African-Americans inferior, which is why it is wrong to believe that Whites would be willing to treat brothers with dignity, unless they are being forced to do so out of fear.

Nevertheless, it would be wrong to suggest that the objective value of Parks’ photographic masterpieces reflects the author’s tendency to expose racist injustices within the American society in a necessarily subtle manner. Quite on the contrary – Parks never skipped an opportunity to document even those instances of a racial discrimination in America that have been directly sponsored by the state. The photograph below validates the legitimacy of this suggestion.

On it, we get to observe a Black girl drinking out of the water-fountain, designated ‘colored only’, with the water-fountain designated ‘white only’ being only a few inches away. Given the ‘poodle skirts’, worn by two Black ladies on the right, we can well assume that this photo must have been taken during the course of the fifties in one of the America’s Southern states, where the so-called ‘Jim Crow’ laws enjoyed the legislative legitimacy well into the early sixties.

It is needless to mention, of course, that this photo can be well discussed in terms of a social commentary. It appears that Parks wanted to prompt contemporary Black onlookers to consider something that they have not been taught in schools, ran by White Bible-thumpers – namely, the fact they had very few reasons to remain loyal to the state, which was willing to go as far as denying their basic humanity, simply because they happened to have a dark skin.

Therefore, it is fully explainable why, as time went on; Parks was growing increasingly distanced from the idea that African-Americans simply had to continue applying an effort into trying to make Whites more racially tolerant, as Martin Luther King used to insist. Apparently, during the course of the sixties, it started to dawn upon Parks that, contrary to what King was suggesting, civil rights are not given but taken.

In its turn, this explains why through the sixties Parks was becoming progressively fascinated with the Black Panther Party, in general, and with the character of Malcolm X, in particular. The fact that Parks used to spend long hours, while photographing the party’s political rallies, headed by Malcolm X, validates the full soundness of this suggestion.

There can only a few doubts as to the fact that there is a strongly defined social commentary to the above photos, which can be summarized as follows: African-Americans have grown powerful enough to take a direct action against their oppressors.

As these photos imply, such an eventual development occurred due to African-Americans having succeeded in making the traditional ‘instruments’ of White people’s racial domination (their efficiency in self-organization and their intellectual capabilities) to serve the purpose of Black people’s liberation. This is the subtle symbolism of Parks’ photos, which feature Black Panthers standing in columns and Malcolm X touching its temple with his finger.

At the same time, however, it would be quite inappropriate to suggest that there are solely racial undertones to how Parks went about photographing the surrounding reality. Being a true humanist, Parks used to make a deliberate point in exposing the very essence of people’s existential anxieties – regardless of what happened to be the specifics of the photographed individuals’ racial affiliation. In this respect, the photo below is being especially illustrative.

Even though that, formally speaking, this photo simply depicts three blood-related females (a grandmother, a mother, and a daughter) that live in the same household, it in fact encourages viewers to contemplate on the shortness of one’s life. This is because the depicted characters allow onlookers to have a three-dimensional glimpse into the process of aging. The photo’s humanist appeal is quite apparent – once people realize the shortness of their lives, they will be more likely to try to make these lives count, such as by the mean of contributing to the well-being of a community, for example.

Personal reflections and reactions

I personally have always been a great admirer of Gordon Parks. The rationale behind this suggestion can be summarized as follows:

1. Parks contributed substantially towards the process of African-Americans becoming the masters of their own destiny. It is not only that Parks succeeded in exposing the subtle and direct manifestations of White racism, which helped the brothers to adopt a proper approach, while addressing it, but his photographic masterpieces also resulted in prompting the representatives of socially underprivileged racial minorities in America to take a full advantage of their existential potential.

One of the reasons for this is that, even though many of the depicted ‘colored’ characters in his photos appear to have suffered from poverty and racial discrimination, there is an unmistakable aura of a perceptual optimism to them. Hence, a subtle message, conveyed by most of the Parks’ photos – despite the fact that Blacks/minors do often experience social/racial oppression, they nevertheless possess something that their oppressors no longer have – a psychological and biological vitality.

In this respect, Parks proved himself a true visionary – as of today, African-Americans have effectively ceased being ‘hunted’, while gradually assuming the role of ‘hunters’. The validity of this suggestion can be easily illustrated in regards to what account for the realities of today’s living in America, associated with the process of Whites growing progressively weakened, when it is being only the matter of time before they themselves become the representatives of the one of many of racial minorities in this country.

2. In his personal life, Parks never ceased acting as a humble and yet self-respectful individual, while never succumbing to bitterness even in times when the circumstances called for it.

Being a stoic-minded person, Parks used to address life-challenges as a man, without allowing the hardships he used to experience to prevent him from remaining firmly committed to what he believed was the purpose of his life (Moskowitz 103). Parks felt thoroughly comfortable while socializing with both: Black gangsters, on the one hand, and with the America’s top-politicians, on the other.

This once again suggests that there was nothing incidental about the fact that, despite his humble origins, Parks was able to overcome the seemingly impossible circumstances and to become one of the 20^th century’s most influential African-Americans. Therefore, it would be thoroughly appropriate to refer to Parks as a truly inspirational figure, whose cultural legacy will continue to motivate African-Americans make the best out of their lives for generations to come.

3. Parks was a great humanist/intellectual. As it was noted earlier, many of the Parks’ photos are being concerned with promoting the idea that one’s life represents the highest value of all. At the same time, however, Parks never consider joining any of the organized religions in America – hence, proving himself a classical intellectual, capable of understanding that it is specifically people’s lack of education, which prompts them to search for “God” up in the clouds.

Thus, it can be well assumed that, throughout most of his life, Parks remained well ahead of its time. Therefore, it is fully explainable why the overwhelming majority of intellectually advanced Americans tend to refer to Parks in a particularly high regard – regardless of whether they happened to be Black or White.

Thus, it will be fully appropriate, on my part, to conclude this paper by suggesting that, as time goes on, Parks’ cultural legacy will continue to affect the lives of more and more Americans – the very laws of a historical progress establish objective preconditions for this to be the case.

Works Cited

Mitchell, Kristina, Martin-Hamon, Amanda and Elissa Anderson. “A Choice of Weapons: Photographs of Gordon Parks.” Art Education 55.2 (2002): 25-32. Print.

Moskowitz, Milton. “Gordon Parks: A Man for All Seasons.” The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education 40.1 (2003): 102-104. Print.

When it comes to discussing the discursive significance of photography, it is important to understand that, as a representational art-medium, it emerged because of the pace of a technological progress having assumed clearly defined exponential subtleties. In its turn, this presupposes that the art of photography is not only being technologically intense, but that this art’s conceptual legitimacy reflects the perceptual/cognitive sophistication of those who are expected to appreciate it.

This, of course, challenges the conventional paradigm of art, as a ‘thing in itself’. Apparently, the rise of photography implies that the very notion of aesthetics cannot be thought of outside of what appears to be the discursively predetermined manner, in which intellectually advanced individuals tend to perceive the surrounding socio-cultural reality.

The validity of this suggestion can be illustrated in regards to a number of photos, which now enjoy a certain ‘cult’ status. For example, even though that the 1930 photograph Pepper by Edward Weston depicts a rather commonplace vegetable, which people get to consume regularly, the photo’s object can be described as anything but ordinarily looking.

One of the reasons for this is that there is a strong sexual appeal to it. Nevertheless, in order for just about anyone to confirm the validity of this suggestion, and consequently to be able to appreciate the artwork in question, he or she needs to be cognitively attuned with what happened to be the 20^th century’s probably most important discourse – the discourse of sexuality.

Alexander Rodchenko’s 1925 photograph Man on the Ladder, can also be referred to, as such confirm the legitimacy of the idea that every historical era defines the measure of the affiliated artwork’s aesthetic appeal. As it can be well seen in this photo, the author used a rather unusual viewpoint, while taking it.

In its turn, this reflected the fact that during the course of the 20^th century’s initial phase, the classical conventions of physics have been thoroughly revised, due to the emergence of the Theory of Relativity. This, of course, created objective preconditions for photographers to consider it fully appropriate to strive to exploit people’s anxieties, in regards this theory’s discursive implications.

The invention of digital photography provided photographers with a yet additional instrument of ensuring that potential spectators would be intrigued, while exposed to the digitally mastered photographic artworks, such as combining a few different images into a single one, in order to emphasize the sheer intensity of the action depicted.

The 1995 photographic collage Self-Destruction by Chen Chieh-Jen exemplifies this statement perfectly well. Apparently, while creating the earlier mentioned collage, Chieh-Jen was perfectly aware of what accounts for the essence of contemporary people’s aesthetic longings – such as their taste for savoring the graphic details of death.

Essentially the same can be said about what accounts for the discursively defined aesthetic appeal of the photographic images of those people who jumped out of the Twin Towers (due to intense heat), in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks (Carolee Schneemann, Terminal Velocity, 2001).

It is now being commonly suggested that the popularity of these images signifies ‘the loss of innocence’, on the part of America (Fitzpatrick 86). Nevertheless, this ‘loss’ is best discussed, as such that does not simply reflect recent geopolitical developments in the world, but rather as such that is being concerned with the process of Americans becoming intellectually/aesthetically marginalized – hence, their attraction to the emotionally disturbing photographic images.

This confirms the soundness of the initially proposed idea that the emergence of photography once again proved the non-existence of art, as a purely metaphysical construct.

One of the 20^th century’s major discursive developments is the fact that people attained a rather multi-dimensional understanding, as to what accounts for their individuality. In its turn, this can be explained by the rise of psychology, as a science that implies that there is no ‘wholesomeness’ the sense of one’s self-identity.

Therefore, it is fully explainable why, during the course of this century, the medium of photography has been extensively used, as the mean of gaining an in-depth insight into the quintessence of people’s existential modes. Apparently, the photography’s very paradigmatic technicalities make it possible (Sherman 926).

In this respect, the photograph from Sherry Levine’s 1979 Presidential Series (featuring the image of a classy looking young woman inside of some man’s transparent silhouette), comes in rather exemplary.

This is because the earlier mentioned photographic artwork implies that the depicted lady’s ‘classiness’ can be well regarded, as such that reflects her endowment with essentially masculine (hard) psychological qualities – hence, the ice-coldness of her blue eyes. It is needless to be mentioned, of course, that this in turn prompts observers to consider the possibility that one’s sense of identity only formally relates to what happened to be the concerned individual’s gender.

Another interesting photograph, which can be referred to, as such that confirms the initial thesis’s validity, is Barbara Kruger’s 1981 Untitled poster. As it can be well seen on it, the author made a deliberate point in representing the half of the depicted woman’s face in negative.

The motivation, behind Kruger’s decision, in this respect, is quite clear – she wanted to emphasize the fact that there are mutually contradictory desires inside of one’s mind, which is why there can indeed be very little rationale in assuming that the ways of a particular person’s character could be well anticipated. The clearly post-modernist essence of this subtly conveyed message is quite obvious.

It also represents a common practice, among today’s photographers, to explore the motifs of classical (specifically romanticist) paintings within the contemporary settings. In this respect, Gregory Crewdson’s 2001 digital print Untitled (Ophelia) comes in particularly illustrative.

By having created it, the author was able to promote the idea that people’s sense of existential idealism is a discursive category – due to the realities of a post-industrial living, one’s mental clinging to the noumenons of the past can hardly be justified. This, of course, advances the idea that it is specifically external circumstances which construct people’s sense of identity and not vice versa.

Finally, we can make mentioning of Andreas Gursky’s 1993 color print Paris, Montparnasse, as such implies that the integrity of people’s sense of self-identity is becoming increasingly weakened, due to the fact that in today’s world, it is specifically one’s willingness to be ‘just like others’, which reflects his or her chances of securing its place under the sun. It is understood, of course, that by adapting uniformity, as the integral part of their individuality, people grow ever more ‘faceless’ – just like the apartment-cubicles, in which they reside.

I believe that the earlier deployed line of argumentation is fully consistent with this paper’s initial thesis.

Works Cited

Fitzpatrick, Andrea. “The Movement of Vulnerability: Images of Falling and

September 11.” Art Journal 66.4 (2007): 84-102. Print.

Sherman, Cindy. “Statement, 1982.” Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art:

A Sourcebook of Artists’ Writings. Ed. Kristine Stiles and Peter Howard Selz. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2006. 926-928. Print.

Jeff Wall is clearly an audacious photographer. In an industry where perfectionism is the norm, this artist prefers to focus on realistic images. It is rare to find abstract representations on any of his paintings.

One can easily understand his subject matter because they are things or people with which the public can identify. This photographer will either focus on the obvious story or not do anything at all. Nonetheless, the artist’s realism does not imply that he is a pop culture photographer. Wall’s images are always surprising because they have a touch of irony.

Invisible Man

At first glance, the use of a light box for this photograph immediately captures the attention is its viewers. The artist placed the picture in a light box, where he used fluorescent light bulbs to make the image glow. If one looks at this image in a gallery, one is likely to be drawn to it because it is illuminated, but most importantly, because it is rich in detail.

Such a technique gives one a lot of insight into the artist. First, it shows that he is committed to making his image beautiful. This was a quality that the artist never compromised on. He went to great lengths to embellish his work. Unlike other realists who preferred to let viewers find the beauty, Wall made it a prioroity. Secondly, the method is an indication that light is a central theme in his photograph. The number of light bulbs in the picture is overwhelming, and the devices would arouse one’s curiosity about their presence.

Finally, one can also assert that he was mimicking and ridiculing a typical approach in advertising. Several commercial posters use light to illuminate their subject. While this artist may not have set out to criticize commercial advertising, his choice of a light box immediately achieves the same. In essence, this photograph is a parody of consumerism because the subject matter does not find satisfaction in material things. He only feels distraught and camouflaged by them (Whyte 32).

The image consists of an African American man in a vest sitting on a chair. He is holding onto something and looking into the distance. The room has a range of brightly-colored curtains that are out of place. There are piles of clothes almost everywhere; on top of chairs, cabinets, boxes and the floor. Furthermore, some of the light bulbs interlock with wires and pipes thus indicating that this was not a legal connection. The room is clearly in a state of disarray as the dishes and several other things in the room are unattended to.

It took Jeff Wall quite some time to come up with the final image of Invisible man. This is illustrative of the commitment that the artist had for his work. Wall would not stop shooting until he was completely satisfied with his work. He recreated scenes from a book by a similar name, which Ralph Ellison wrote in 1952. Therefore, if one took the time to analyze the artist’s work, one will find that it is based on a real-life situation. In the novel ‘Invisible man’, a man left street riots and went into hiding in a cellar.

Choosing such a subject matter implies that Jeff Wall revered the idea of the forgotten in society. He wanted to tell their story through photography. However, the excesses in the picture cause it to blur the lines between fiction and reality. Some of these excesses include the numerous light bulbs that are hard to find in any typical room or the degree to which things have been clustered.

One of the themes of the piece is illumination. The picture is contained in a light box, and the subject also has plenty of light bulbs. In fact, the novel illustrates that 1,369 light bulbs were present in the cellar.

It is puzzling that one would require so many light bulbs. The subject did not use them for aesthetic purposes because they are not that pleasing to the eye. Furthermore, some of them do not even work as only a handful of them have been lit. This could be interpreted as an external depiction of the man’s longings. He was stuck in an underground cellar where he found temporary refuge from the chaos outside.

However, after going into hiding, he had to let go of his past. This may have included his family, job or even his circle of friends. The person seems lonely and isolated, so his current life is probably a dark contrast to his former one. In essence, he is not optimistic about his future. This leaves a void in his heart that he tries to fill with the light bulbs. The devices are a desperate outlet for his disappointments. Wall thus tells the story of a marginalized member of society in a moving way (Vasudevan 571).

Mimic

The size of this photograph is noteworthy when one first looks at the piece. It is 198cm long and 226 cm wide. When asked why Wall made his pictures like this, the artist replied that he wanted to expose every detail of his work. He criticized his peers who often used small images to represent their subjects.

Wall felt that such photographers were too keen on printing their pieces in books, and this condensed the details of their work. Another glimpse at the picture reveals three subjects; one Asian man wearing a short sleeved short and formal trouser and a Caucasian couple beside him. The man in the couple is casually dressed in a denim vest and orange t-shirt while his girlfriend or partner has red shorts and a white top. The Caucasian looks at the Asian man and slants his eyes in imitation of the Asian man’s eyes.

Several themes emanate from this photograph. First, Wall wanted to disclose the overt racism in the country. This testifies to the artist’s preference for marginalized communities as subjects. Just like ‘Invisible man’, this picture focuses on a victim of social discrimination. Wall probably felt that their experiences and point of view needed to be heard or exposed. The redneck in the photo holds racial biases against the Asian man.

This may stem from his underexposure to people who are different from him or merely from racial bigotry. Racial slurs and attacks are problems that many immigrants deal with in the country. It is interesting that the Asian man does not counter the attack because he probably knows that he cannot win. Furthermore, the Caucasian man harasses this stranger because he knows that he can get away with it (Burnett 59).

The theme of class tensions also comes out in the piece. The Asian man is well-dressed and clean shaven while the redneck has an overgrown beard and t-shirt. Furthermore, the ease with which the Caucasian uses such an obscene gesture; that is his middle finger, is indicative of his crass mannerisms.

This photo could be read as a depiction of class differences between certain members of society. The redneck could be jealous of his target as he seems successful and put together. Perhaps the hit man wanted to feel better about his failures by using the only avenue available to put his target down.

Wall often liked subjects that mirrored real-life experiences, and mimic is one such piece. The artists drew his inspiration from encounters he had or experiences from his past. This photographed captured an exchange that Wall had witnessed. It is, therefore, an indication of his realist tendencies.

Even the background testifies to this school of thought. It was an industrial featureless neighborhood that retaliated his unpretentiousness. The artist explained that the physical energy on streets fascinated him. Their authenticity was what drew him to such scenes.

Wall also took some time to create this piece. In fact, he hired actors and other crew members to put the image together. Some critics claim that this staging of occurrences takes away the rawness of the situation. His pictures did not seize upon impulsive moments. However, one may look at this choice of technique as a way of paying homage to his subject matter. He wanted to recreate a situation as perfectly as he could and non directed shots just could not do that for him.

Photographer Jeff Wall is indeed a creative and bold artist. His unpretentiousness is what endears many to the artist. It is laudable that he focused on human subjects who were mostly hidden or marginalized. The artist’s use of staged actors testifies to his perfectionism and commitment to the message.

Works Cited

Burnett, Craig. Jeff Wall. London: Tate Publishing, 2005. Print.

Vasudevan, Alexander. “The photographer of modern life: Jeff Wall’s materialism.” Cultural Geographies 14.4(2007): 563-588. Print.

Whyte, Murray. “Jeff Wall: The invisible man.” Canadian Art 11 May 2006: p. 32. Print.

Two exhibitions “Roman Vishniac Rediscovered” and “We Went Back: Photographs from Europe 1933–1956 by Chim” are presented at the International Center of Photography. The pictures made by two photographers who worked during the period of the 1920s-1950s impress the audience with the extreme honesty and realism.

Observing the works by Roman Vishniac, a person can feel as prying about the moments of the Jewish people’s life. Focusing on the photographs by Chim (David Seymour), it is possible to feel as the part of the European society between the 1930s and 1950s.

The exhibition “Roman Vishniac Rediscovered” represents the imprinted moments of the Jewish people’s life in the Eastern Europe. The photographs seem to be the caught moments of the everyday life and routine. The photographer is distancing himself from those people depicted in the pictures.

As a result, the feeling of prying about the audience is created. The composition of many pictures is complex because several elements work to attract the audience’s attention. Many photographs represent children whose face expressions and reactions to realities are rather exemplary and frank (“Roman Vishniac Rediscovered”). The black-and-white photographs create the effect of minimalism, but they also help accentuate definite important details balancing the light and shadow in the picture.

In his works, Vishniac combines the aspects of the Jewish people’s life in communities and ghettos with the depiction of Nazi elements. Thus, the portrayals of Jewish schoolchildren are presented next to the pictures with swastika and Nazi Storm Troopers to accentuate the contrast (“Roman Vishniac Rediscovered”).

As a result, the photographs depicting the moments of the ordinary life of people during the period between the two World Wars, which can be discussed as documentary ones, are perceived as the real pieces of art. The whole life in its deepness is illustrated by Roman Vishniac with the help of the caught face expressions and body movements in their combination with presenting complex surroundings.

David Seymour worked as a photographer using pseudonym Chim. The photographer is unique in his ability to provide effective portraits as well as photographs demonstrating a lot of people or even crowds of people.

The works by Chim should be discussed and interpreted with references to the large political and social context. The crowds of people at the square, people listening to the speeches of political leaders or people participating in the land reform meetings are depicted in a lot of pictures by Chim (“We Went Back: Photographs from Europe 1933–1956 by Chim”).

From this point, Chim focused in his works on presenting the history of societies. All the black-and-white or color photographs demonstrated at the exhibition “We Went Back: Photographs from Europe 1933–1956 by Chim” are different in their tone, style, and theme. However, these photographs are astounding in relation to their illustrativeness and earnest to reflect the atmosphere of the situations and moments depicted.

The exhibitions “Roman Vishniac Rediscovered” and “We Went Back: Photographs from Europe 1933–1956 by Chim” allow feeling the unique unstable atmosphere of the 1930s-1950s. In spite of the fact Roman Vishniac and David Seymour focused on different themes and objects to depict, these photographers used similar approaches to creating the realistic photographs which can represent the mood and atmosphere of the moment with references to the historical, cultural, and social context.

Works Cited

Roman Vishniac Rediscovered. 2013. Web.

We Went Back: Photographs from Europe 1933–1956 by Chim. 2013. Web.

The peculiar feature of any photo is that for one person, a photo may present much information and evoke unbelievable feelings, and for another person, the same photo can mean nothing. Each photographer has its own style and has a habit to concentrate on one and the same details.

Tom Williams is one of those photographers, who may underline the details, which help to comprehend this world in absolutely other ways and find out something new in ordinary things. His collection of Redfern-Waterloo Housing is really amazing, because the beauty of all Williams’ photos is taken from every day life of ordinary people, with their own problems and joys.

Tom Williams is a photographer from Sydney. He participated in numerous festivals, and one of the most famous was FotoFreo Photography Festival in Fremantle (CCP Documentary Photography Award, 2009). Without any doubts, his works are known in the whole of Australia and even in some states of America.

This photographer perfectly speaks English and Spanish, and the knowledge of the international languages allows him to describe his works and explain what he wants to underline in each of his works. The major point is that the works of Tom Williams can be found in both private and public collections, this is why the popularity of his works raises day by day, and, it is quite possible that one day the name of Tom Williams will be famous among people of different nations and races.

There are several photo collections of Williams: King Cross, Guatemala City Oasis, La Santa Muerte, and some others. This time, we will talk about his Redfern-Waterloo Housing. It is a public housing estate, a home for more than 9,000 people of different race, ethnicity, and with various cultural backgrounds (CCP Documented Award, 2009).

The photos from this collection are black-and-white. The choice of such colours may be explained in different ways: for example, Williams wants to underline that our life was originated from two colours only; or, he wants to provide viewers with a chance to concentrate on people on these photos and their souls, but not distract them by means of bright colours. Anyway, the chosen format is just perfect: one or two people, certain background, some mystery, and lots of opportunities to imagine.

The photos of the Redfern-Waterloo housing estate prove that it is something more than just a house; it is a story of human lives, and maybe, Tom Williams decides to underline such unfair poverty of its inhabitants by black-and-white photos, which focus on little details like muscles, wrinkles, sadness or hope in people’s eyes, and touches. This is why the connection between pictures and emotions becomes more considerable in Tom Williams’ works and the ideas of the images may be interpreted in rather different ways.

The photo of Tony ‘Finger’ Randal, the Vietnam War veteran, is the first picture under consideration. It was taken in 2007. Black-and-white photo presents an adult man, who strains his muscles in order to demonstrate his physical abilities and the results of being at war for four years.

Even if he is not too young, he shows a good example of how the body should look like. The point is that this person is dying of emphysema, but still, he does not forget about hope, power, and desire to live.

There is no furniture in his room, maybe, there is a bad near his feet, but we cannot see it, and only our imagination helps to colour the truth. Such settings of the photo prove that the person is lonely. Light from the window tells that there is life outside the doors; however, this man is alone in this room, with his body, memories, and hopes.

Another photo under analysis is the image of Cyndelle Georgetown. This woman is represented with a phone in her hands. Her eyes are sad, it makes the viewer think that she is calling to a person, she cares too much. In fact, she has just talked to her mother, who is now responsible for Cyndelle’s daughter until she tries to loss her addiction to drug “ice”. The emotions of a person on the picture can be easily transferred to the viewer: responsibility, loss, hope, and compassion.

The use of black-and-white may underline one simple fact that there are no other colours for this woman until she meets a person, she talks to the phone. Against the background, there is a house and the yard: they symbolize all the things, which surround the woman. For her, it does not matter what is behind. Her eyes look ahead, and she has to find powers to cope with all challenges and achieve the desirable goal – to be in the place, where her mom, daughter, and heart.

The last photo for analysis is Kristal and Derek’s images. They are taken in 2007 in Waterloo. The images of these people impress me most of all. Kristal and Derek touch each other in the way to demonstrate their care about each other, their trust to each other, their devotion, and the thoughts, which disturb them.

Looking at their faces, it is possible to imagine that they have already survived something together and now, they are grateful to each other. The point is that these man and woman are passing treatment for drug addiction. To my mind, the photographer pays certain attention to their eyes – a woman is waiting for something and hopes for better, and a man looks confident and a bit confused, as he comprehends that lots of things have to be done soon in order to improve this life.

There is nothing behind them, as their past life was full of drugs and numerous addictions. They look ahead and wait for positive changes. I think that such emotions and ideas in reference to simple photos of ordinary people may be caused only due to the use of black-and-white colours, which provide with a chance to think and dream.

The photos by Tom Williams are short histories of life of different people. Our world is impossible without some problems, difficulties, and desires to improve own future. People should have a dream, and Mr. Williams makes an attempt to provide all these people with a chance to forget their past and expect better future, without forgetting about the present.

Not each photograph may create such masterpieces, and Tom Williams demonstrates the best qualities of professionals in the sphere of photography. In order to present much more interesting pieces of work, captivating photos, and unbelievable images, it is high time to develop the art of photography and follow the examples, provided by Tom Williams.

Reference List

CCP Documentary Photography Award. (2009). Web.

Making the Things Fall into Place

Being the art that disarms the time itself, depriving it of its destructive influence on people and things, photography rips things and people of their cover, presenting them in the way they are, with no disguise. In spite of all the attempts to camouflage the feelings of the people in the focus of the camera, a photographer will inevitably picture their real emotions and feelings.

Photography makes the gap between the opposites even wider, sharpening the problems and detecting the conflicts between the genders in a very Sherlock-Holmes way. Photography is a weapon of stereotyping of all kinds, the gender one as well. As Guimond marked, speaking of Allan Arbus, a prominent American photographer,

Later, in the mid-19060s when she was doing some free-lance commercial photography for Harper’s Bazaar, Arbus did a series of portraits of married couples (“Fashion Independence on Marriage”), which contained all the controversial gender stereotypes – the wives touch, cling and snuggle against the husbands; and the men stare boldly straight at the camera, whereas the women tilt their heads submissively.^[1]

Of course, whether Arbus depicted the situation as it was or there was some air of personal experience in this work, the results spoke for themselves. In fact, the artist showed that photos can depict stereotypical ideas better than anything else.

It has been proved that a picture, which was in fact a frozen motion, could be more convincing and argumentative than a train-long debate. Being a revolution in the art of photography, this bold experiment initiated the series of others, where the social conflicts, among them the aspect of gender and gender stereotypes was paid a great deal of attention to.

Photography and the Concept of Gender

As it has been proved already, photographs make the art of creating the models of people’s social behavior, especially the one concerning the gender gap, and exposing the most common prejudice and social phenomena to the mankind. Yet the boldness which the photographs depicted the gender stereotypes with stirred not only indignation, but also meditations concerning various social roles of a man and a woman in the then society. The ideas began shifting, and the gap between the two genders started narrowing, since the most important problems have been viewed already. Thus, the only thing which people were left with was to discuss these sore spots.

There was no doubt that the photographers who made the first steps towards the gender problems foresaw the on-coming gender revolution. The firmness of social roles of a man and a woman was doubted, which could not but raise protests from the orthodox part of the society and get the encouragement from the people with more progressive viewpoints.

The vividness of the gender stereotypes which the art of photography disclosed was incredible, because of the new ideas of gender gap and the gender prejudices which the boldest photographers dared to take picture of. Touching upon the racial issue later on, the photographs were still about the relationship between the genders and the settled gender roles.

With both whites and blacks fostering the vogue for the primitive, the movement could not be stopped. Its popularity allowed for the marketability of black artists and their creative contributions to the American culture. Conversely, primitivism worked to reinforce and perpetuate racial and gender stereotypes and to foster belief in white superiority.^[2]

Exposing the sharpest conflicts to the public without a slightest air of hesitation, photographers thus both implanted the gender stereotypes deeper into the people’s subconsciousness and at the same time made people shake the dust of prejudice off their minds. The pictures taken to view men’s superiority, women’s submissiveness, the negative features of both were of a therapy effect to the society. As a matter of fact, these caricatures made people laugh, and laughter was of somewhat medical effect to the people’s souls and minds.

One of the most impressive works in this field, the pictures by Sherman, a photographer who depicted the existing gender conflicts and gender stereotypes in a most explicit an open way, was a mixture of a postmodernist world and the problems of gender, with a little tint of anxiety all over them. As Sutton emphasized, the issue of the conflict was made even more topical as it was viewed through the prism of postmodernism:

Even when the photographs did not appear to reference particularly stable identity types, they still reflected the very same fluidity of identity as a postmodern anxiety. This is why, from the beginning, they have had an unrivaled position in discourses of identity and representation.^[3]

It is doubtless that the art of photography makes the unsteady time freeze in an artistic pose which reflects the controversies of the human nature, the gender conflicts in particular. The crisis in the relationships between a man and a woman led to the crisis in the arts, which in its turn triggered the postmodern crisis itself, as the abovementioned Sutton noticed:

Mulvey rightly suggests that it is feminism’s investigation of the fluidity and interchangeability of gender stereotypes – encouraged by analysis of Sherman’s work – that partly led to the recognition of such fluidity in identity by postmodernism in general.^[4]

This is a specific response to the ideas of fluidity in the art of photography which were introduced by Stephen Bull. Exploring the issue of fluidity in the art of photography, he suggested that the replicated roles of a man and a woman in the society are not the biological necessity but the result of the social influence.

According to Sutton, society imposes certain model of behavior on a man and a woman, while photography is just another means to reveal the hypocritical standards and shift to a more civilized way of tackling the gender conflict:

It is in this culture that male and female roles are replicated. The important point here for Butler is that although seen as connected to biological differences, gender roles are not ‘natural’ and fixed, but ‘cultural’ and fluid. In other words, gender roles can be changed.^[5]

Thus, Bull considers art in its every single manifestation a support for the ideas which differentiate the man’s role in society from the one’s of a woman. Bull makes it clear that the art of photography is a specific means of cultural repetition of gender roles.

According to Bull, photographers with their traditional approach to the idea of gender are merely another means of gender stereotyping and consolidation of the typical image of a man and a woman in people’s subconsciousness. However, Bull also marks that with help of photography the idea of gender roles can be changed if a specific approach is taken:

Butler argues that these changes are usually prevented be the cultural repetition of traditional gender stereotypes ‘performed’ through images and texts, but that it is also possible to transgress these by ‘acting against the grain’.^[6]

There was another problem which concerned the issue of morality. People could not orient themselves in the labyrinth of the new art; they needed some landmarks which could draw the line between the moral and the immoral in the art of photography. Since there were more than a hundred ways to depict gender conflicts, gender gap and gender stereotyping, people were wondering how far photography and photographers can go to show the boiling social conflict.

In spite of the fact that photography did rip the mankind of its illusions about the gender conflict being settled, photographers themselves did not suggest any solutions, not helping to tackle the problematic issues, but even making them ever deeper. Like any art, the art of photography could only observe and create, while people demanded some actions.

Perpetuation Which Takes a Moment

The mocking manner in which photography can enter one’s life and leave a mark on someone’s face is incredible. However, this was the problem which people did not realize. Being a mere mark on people’s lives, a photograph could not act, but only depict the objects and people around.

Proving to be a means to perpetuate gender conflict and the differences between the world pictures of both genders, a picture has long been a screen behind which stereotypical ideas were hiding from the progressive viewpoints. Like any other means for people to cling to their old prejudice to, this barricade was finally demolished as well.

Following the pace of the history, one can find out that the art of photography, ossifying people, events and ideas, was pushing the mankind to the technical progress yet making people regressive in terms of the gender relationships.

According to the historical evidence, the gender stereotypes in the art of photography were soon intertwined with other ideas which kept the former in the background. As Marien noted, speaking about the famous photographer and image-maker of the 1980s, Cindy Sherman, after the photographer taking the self-image out of her pictures:

Despite these changes, Sherman’s interest remained constant through the last decades of the twentieth century, as she continued to expose not only the shallowness of gender stereotyping but also the titillating pleasure of looking.^[7]

Because of the fact that photograph can hardly express the one and only idea and there are always two or more implications even in a picture of an apple, ideas have to merge in a photo.

Thus, gender stereotypes would mix with the racial problems, and the racial issues will be replaced by political issues. Nevertheless, the authors of the gender stereotyping perpetuation manage to keep the main conflict in the focus of the camera and create a surreal image of men and women playing the part prescribed for them by the centuries of traditions and customs.

Twisting the focus of the camera, photographers can make it reveal hidden conflicts and suggest people some ideas concerning the situation. Yet people have to remember that a picture is merely a piece of paper, and that it is the pivot of our consciousness which makes people create stereotypes and break them.

Reference List

Bull, S, Photography, Taylor&Francis, New York, NY, 2009.

Guimond, J, American Photography and the American Dream, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC, 1991.

Marien, M W, Photography: a Cultural History, Laurence King Publishing, London, 2006.

Smalls, The Homoerotic Photography of Carl Van Vechten: Public Face, Private Thoughts. Temple University Press, Philadelphia, PA, 2006.

Sutton, D, Photography, Cinema, Memory: the Crystal Image of Time, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN, 2009.

Footnotes

1. Guimond, J, American Photography and the American Dream, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC, 1991, 223
2. Smalls, The Homoerotic Photography of Carl Van Vechten: Public Face, Private Thoughts. Temple university Press, Philadelphia, PA, 2006, 61
3. Sutton, D, Photography, Cinema, Memory: the Crystal Image of Time, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN, 2009, 140
4. Sutton, D, Photography, Cinema, Memory: the Crystal Image of Time, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN, 2009, 140
5. Bull, S, Photography, Taylor&Francis, New York, NY, 2009, 155
6. Bull, S, Photography, Taylor&Francis, New York, NY, 2009, 155
7. Marien, M W, Photography: a Cultural History, Laurence King Publishing, London, 2006, p. 436