Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/09/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hum.... For most photography historians, Diane Arbus is one of this century's major figures. In her wonderful and groundbreaking essay, 'On Photography', Susan Sontag devotes many of the best pages I've ever read on photography to the impact of Arbus' work. It's not surprising to see people quite firmly attack Arbus. Somehow they seem to refuse what fascinated Arbus. In a way, she brought to photography the conscience of the unnamable. Not unlike the mechanism where our mind dispels those dark thoughts, when in fact they might be important bearings. To deny thinking the unbearable, is to know we reject it. Arbus has shown that photography could also be 'that'. That it could got that far. In that sense, there's no denying her work is unique, and it was trailblazing. Because of Arbus we know how far photo can go. That does not mean we want to go there, but she lit the darkness. On a personal note, I recently saw a very candid snap by Arbus of a young girl on a street (at the SFMOMA - in their permanent collection). It was a simple and quick handheld softer shot, very nicely composed. It did not contain the punch, the irreconcilability, of her freak series (for lack of a better word), but it surely had attitude and a slight rebel streak. Please note it was very 'normally pleasing' and lively. Also, when I started getting interested in photography, Arbus' few pictures in the Time-Life series were quite compelling. Think of the shot of the boy with a hand grenade, or the young dancing contestant couple. How could one not see some beauty and deep understanding in there? She's up there folks! Luc On Mardi, septembre 2, 2003, at 09:23 PM, John Collier wrote: > I find Arbus's work powerfully expressive and challenging. I do not > find it exploitive. I do not see the odd in others but reflections of > the odd in myself. Perhaps you detractors are just too well adjusted? > > All messed up in Edmonton, > > John Collier > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html