Essay: Diane Arbus

Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park- Diane Arbus

"I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn't photograph them."- Diane Arbus

I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn't photograph them.
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Diane Arbus, born Diane Nemerov to Jewish parents David and Gertrude Nemerov on March 14, 1923 in New York City was a 20^th Century American photographer who was well known for her distinctive black and white portraits. It was when she married American actor Allan Arbus that she became involved in photography and developed her artistic talent further. In 1946 she started working with her husband in advertising and fashion photography, with fashion photography being her main focus. From here they began a commercial photography company called 'Diane & Allan Arbus' with many photographs published in well-known fashion magazines such as Vogue.
However, in 1956 Arbus then abandoned fashion photography and decided to focus on her own photography. She found everyday people or “freaks” as they were referred as, to be her source of inspiration for her photography as they told more of a story. To further her knowledge of photography Arbus began to study with Austrian-born photographer Lisette Model during the late 1950s. From here her photography style changed dramatically and with this new method and style she took on, Arbus published many works in magazines such as Esquire. By the 1960s her new style and approach to photography allowed her to become a well-established and distinctive photographer. (Diane Arbus, [Internet], 2014, The Biography.com website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/diane-arbus-9187461 Accessed 18th March 2014)

In 1967 Arbus's work featured in the 'New Documents' exhibition by curator and photographer John Szarkowski which opened at New York's Museum of Modern Art.  These everyday people or “freaks” of society she centred her photography on were mainly people she came across on the street during her wanders of New York City. These people were of all different social classes and they were mostly nudists, transgender people, and dwarfs.  Her "contemporary anthropology"- her photographs of the freaks- tell the story of post-war America and of how people became confident in being different from others.  Although her photography life was thriving, her personal life began to deteriorate when she separated from her husband in 1969. Following the end of her marriage Arbus began to struggle with depression which led her to end her life in New York City on 26 July, 1971.  ('Diane Arbus', [Internet], 2005,  The Victoria and Albert Museum website. Available from: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/d/diane-arbus/ Accessed 20th March 2014)

Some of Arbus's most important works include the following portraits; 'Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park', 'A Young Brooklyn Family Going for a Sunday Outing', 'Identical Twins', and 'A Jewish Giant at Home with His Parents in The Bronx'. These four photographs have strong, distinctive themes, some including poverty, disability and family. These themes are what make Arbus's photography different in comparison to many photographers of her time. Her black and white prints are both surreal and unique as she takes a whole new approach to photography, she chooses the subjects that tell a story, subjects people do not expect to see photographs of. It is clear in all of her work that Arbus's subjects trust her, and so they are comfortable to express themselves for the camera. The subjects look directly at the camera, which makes them keen to reveal themselves to both Diane and the camera.

Her photograph 'Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park', which was taken in Central Park in New York City in 1962, is definitely one of Arbus's most notable works. The photograph depicts a young boy with an expression of anger as he clenches a toy hand grenade holding it tightly by his side. The expression on the boys face is quite disturbing due to the fact that he grips the toy grenade. The fact that the child is dressed and posed so innocently expresses the meaning of the photograph, that children must be shielded from violence in order to preserve their innocence. Not only does the toy grenade the boy is holding make him stand out, but also the fact that the background and people in it are completely blurred out, this allows for the boy to stand out and also the fact that he is directly in the centre. Although the atmosphere of the setting is of a normal family outing in the park, the subject is completely different as the child is holding a grenade angrily while families walk down the path behind him. 'Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park' was the first photograph of Arbus’ I had ever seen and it is definitely the one I will never forget as I’ve never seen anything like it. ('Child with toy hand grenade, Diane Arbus, 1962, NY', [Internet], 2012, Annah E Ross blog.  Available from: http://annaheross.wordpress.com/2012/04/21/child-with-toy-hand-grenade-diane-arbus-1962-ny/ Accessed 4th April 2014)

'A Young Brooklyn Family Going for a Sunday Outing' is another well known print of Arbus. This photograph is of a young couple Richard and Marilyn Dauria with their two children, their mentally-retarded son Richard Jr. and daughter Dawn. It is clear in this photograph that the lower middle class family trust Arbus to take their photograph. However, there is a strong element of sadness in this photograph which is evident on both parents' faces, as they attempt to look like a normal family or what was considered normal at the time. It is also clear that this family is trying to cover up the difference of them as a family to any other normal one during this period, maybe this is why they look uncomfortable as Arbus is exposing the real side of the family. ('A young Brooklyn family going for a Sunday outing, N.Y.C., 1966- Diane Arbus', [Internet], 2005, Adrianna Mena.  Available from: http://archive.today/WXJv9#selection-225.3-225.16 Accessed on 10th April 2014)

'Identical Twins' is another of Arbus's noted prints which shows two seven-year old twin sisters Cathleen and Colleen Wade standing side by side. The pair wear identical clothing, both wearing matching black dresses with white collars and white tights and headbands. The only noticeable difference in the twins is that the child on the left of the photograph is frowning while her sister on the right smiles slightly. This photograph has been significant as it has been a source of inspiration for Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror film 'The Shining', which features identical twin sisters in the same position with the exact same expressions as the Wade twins.  ('Diane Arbus- Identical Twins (1967)', [Internet], 2013, Tammy Jones.  Available from: http://tammyjones1.wordpress.com/2013/02/24/diane-arbus-identical-twins-1967/ Accessed on 10th April 2014)

Arbus's 'A Jewish Giant at Home with His Parents in the Bronx' is quite different to the three other works mentioned previously as the setting is in the subject's home instead of in the streets like many of her photographs. The photograph depicts the giant Jewish man standing before his diminutive sized parents as they look proudly at him. There is obviously a dramatic difference in the subject and the scene. The parents and room seem to be of a normal, middle-class scene, however the giant challenges this and makes it different. This subject is really something not many people will ever see, like Arbus herself said “I really believe there are things which nobody would see unless I photographed them”. Again she allows us to see the “freaks” of society, and how they tried to live their lives as normal as possible.  ('Diane Arbus', [Internet], 2010, The Museum of Contemporary Art website.  Available from: http://moca.org/pc/viewArtWork.php?id=1 Accessed on 15th April 2014)

What I like about Arbus's photography is that she steps away from the norm of society and captures the lives of the real everyday people. This is something many photographers at this time would steer away from, as they would see more meaning in photographing the normal society at the time. Many photographers stuck to capturing middle-class, wealthy families with their well-kept children in their polished homes. Unlike Arbus who chose to unfold the untold world of the freaks, the people many didn't know existed. I admire how she took this risk in her work, knowing some may reject it and criticise it.

In my opinion, she took a whole new, unique approach to photography for the better. She shows the diversity of these hidden people and the different themes of her photographs be it sexuality, physical abnormalities, or social stigma. The thing I like most about her photography is Arbus’s ability to take risks and have no limits to what she captures. It is almost like she forgets about her surroundings and fixates herself solely on her subject. I also admire how she connects with her subjects, and in turn how they have complete trust in her. They trust her enough for her to capture their flaws and to feel comfortable as she does so. I admire how her work is shot in black and white, I see it as a way to expose her subject to the camera, to keep the focus entirely on them.

Arbus's belief that the camera revealed the truth is very inspiring as people do try to conceal the truth, they try to hide the flaws of a person. This is something that she was strongly against, she wanted to show how flaws make a piece of work completely unique to the next. Flaws are what make people take a second look at a photograph, it's what essentially makes a photograph interesting.

In conclusion, I found Diane Arbus to be quite a brilliant photographer, and if I were to take only one thing away from studying her it would definitely be to not be afraid to take photographs of people and to connect with them.  On reading up on her biography, I realised how alike Arbus is with another brilliant artist, poet Sylvia Plath who was so overcome with the need for her work to be perfect that she too took her own life.  I admire her greatly for overcoming her shyness in order to tell the world of these hidden people.

Identical Twins, Roselle- Diane Arbus

La Ville de L'Amour

My photobook "La Ville de L'Amour" is based the City of Love, Paris and its architecture.  My final book is quite different to how I planned it to be, as originally I was to compare the architecture of both Dublin and Paris as they are two of my favourite cities.  However, I am very pleased with my book as I think my previous topic was too broad compared to this.

My main aim for my book was to show the different types of architecture in a city which is famous for its diverse architecture.  I chose to shoot architecture like bridges, museums and monuments.  I took all photos in my book during a trip to Paris city in February, a time when the weather consisted of cloudy skies and rain, which I think worked in my favour for my photobook.

You can purchase a copy of my photo book here : http://blur.by/1iVIB38

Review of Jim Maginn's exhibition 'The Light of Other Days'

I found Jim Maginn's traditional music inspired collection 'The Light of Other Days' to give an insight into Irish musicians and their own personal stories through his use of black and white photography.
What I like most about Maginn's photography is his ability to clearly show the emotions of his characters in each photograph.  Each photograph is in black and white which allows for them all to look somewhat similar.

The photograph that struck me most was that of musician Tommy Keenan holding his fiddle.  With the black background I found the musician to stand out and catch my attention more than any other photos.  What I find interesting about this photograph is his expression which is blank, with him neither smiling nor frowning.
The way in which he holds his fiddle allows us to think he is preparing to play.  This would explain his blank expression as he looks to be intensely concentrated on what he is about to do.

'Musician Tommy Keenan' by Jim Maginn

The Genius of Photography: Snap Judgements

1. How many photographs are taken in a year?At the time this documentary was released in 2007 it was estimated that 80 billion photographs were taken each year, with that figure rising to 880 billion in 2013.

2. How does Gregory Crewdson work?
Gregory Crewdson works with a production crew using cinematic lighting and actors to pose for his photographs.  Although he does not physically take the photograph he is the director of his photography.  He has said that he only cares about the image and not about taking it.

3. Which prints command the highest price & what are they called?
The prints that command the highest price are know as vintage prints.  These are made closest to the time the photographer took the image.


4. How does Ben Lewis see Jeff Walls photography?
4. Ben Lewis sees Jeff Wall's photography as taking photography back to the style of the 19th century when everything was constructed for a meaning.  He also commented on how Wall's photography was mainly concerned with racial stereotyping. 

5. How many photographs did Andreas Gursky produce and what scale (size) are they?
Andreas Gursky produces on average two photographs every year and they tend to be of a large scale.

6. How are Seydou Keita's images different to regular images in the media?
The main thing that was different in his photography was his use of props for the people he photographed.  Also the fact that he was an unknown artist for such a long time made him different from other photographers.   The fact that his photography focused on people was also different.

By Paolo Ventura

No. 4 from War Souvenir by Paolo Ventura

No. 5 from War Souvenir Collection by Paolo Ventura

No. 6 from War Souvenir Collection by Paolo Ventura

No 1. from The Automaton Collection by Paolo Ventura

Light

Dusk

Fluorescent Light

Golden Hour

Natural Light

Tungsten Light

Composition

Pattern

Symmetry 

Depth of Field

Texture

Framing

We Are Family (Documentary Q&A)

1. Who said: "The camera gave me the license to strip away what you want people to know about you, to reveal what you can't help people knowing about you"?

Diane Arbus, who was an American photographer that mainly took everyday photos of the '"freaks".


2. Doy you think that photographers tend to pray on vulnerable people? 

Yes, they tend to pray on vulnerable and exposed people as they can't hide from the camera, they have no where to go.


3. What is Larry Clark's Tulsa project about?

This project is about documenting his own life in Tulsa through pictures.  It was published in 1971 and featured mostly guns and drug use.  It has been said that Clark was a neighbourhood photo journalist, showing what life was like in the suburbs.


4. What is the title of Nan Goldin's most renowned work?

Nan Goldin's most famous work is her photo book 'The Ballad of Sexual Dependency' which showed the normality of those treated as freaks, like transexuals.


5. What Araki photographs now? What is his "philosophy"

Photographer Nobuyoshi Araki photographs his daily life.  He is most know for his work "Winter Journey" which documented the time from his honeymoon to his wife's death.


6. What was Richard Billingham's work about? 

Billingham's work is about his family life, mainly focusing on his alcoholic father whom he lived with.  He started taking photographs to use as a guide for painting as his subjects would rarely stay still.

'Liz Shaking Fist at Ray' Richard Billingham

'Tulsa' Larry Clark

'Child with Toy Hand Granade in Central Park' Diane Arbus

'Winter Journey' Nobuyoshi Araki

'Battered' Nan Goldin