Fundación MAPFRE, Barcelona, 2021
After the latest events, what a relief it is to talk about photography again!
Despite COVID… we had the chance to see several hundred images from both of these well-known photographers at the recently opened Fundación MAPFRE, in Barcelona. (This exhibition’s last day is January 24, 2021, so hurry!)
It’s always a wonderful experience to see actual, physical prints rather than the small, online, pixel versions.
I always try to pay attention to a number of things whilst perusing a museum-quality photography exhibition:
- The presentation of the photographs themselves–the matting and framing, the size of the prints, the signature if any, the labeling, the lighting, the signage/explanations, how the photographs are grouped by the curator, and so on.
- In each photograph, what specific elements did the photographer choose to include? I do a “border patrol” and look at what the photog decided to keep just within or on the edges. I assume everything in the image is there due to a conscious decision by the artist to have it there.
- Composition… how are the elements arranged? Was the perspective unique? Would I have done anything differently? What makes it “work”? What “rules” were followed and which were broken? Again, I assume the framing/composition of the image was quite purposeful.
- What is/are the key element(s) that make(s) the picture work, without which it would have been just a common snapshot? Is it the cat in the foreground? The policeman in the background? The bent light post? The expression on a face? The unusual lighting?
- Exposure and tonal range… How are the highlights and shadows treated? Does the photog use completely white and completely black spaces, and in what way? When does he/she try to pull detail out of these same extremes and why?
- What seems to be most important in the image–the actual content and composition, or the quality? It’s amazing how “bad” a picture might be in terms of, say, sharpness and exposure, but the content can easily override it all.
I always learn a little something.
Oh, and note that I don’t really look at what kind of camera was used. I don’t consider that particularly important unless the tool chosen was actually relevant to a particular effect. (Do you ask the chef what kind of oven she used?)
Bill Brandt’s Legacy (b. 1904 – d. 1983)
–Considered one of the most important British photographers of the 20th century.
–He was actually German (Hermann Wilhelm Brandt), but denied his German heritage due to the politics/wars of the time. He always considered himself British.
–His subjects included landscapes, cityscapes, nude abstracts, social documentary, street, portraits–he pretty much covered the gamut.
–He was influenced by Man Ray and the Surrealist movement as well as Eugene Atget, the famous pioneer of documentary photography.
–He would sometimes touch up his photographs with a pencil, a marker, or even a scraper of some kind.
–He admired the work of Edward Weston and Orson Welles.
–His photos of the people sleeping in the London Underground during the 1940 Battle of Britain are iconic.
–His social documentary work–coal miners, the parlour maids, the contrast between social classes, London at night–was exceptional.
–His portraits, often of famous people (Picasso, Francis Bacon, Ezra Pound, et al), are often characterized by an off-center subject, the inclusion of subject-related environmental elements, and unusual composition.
–His cityscapes are often characterized by extreme contrast and night scenes.
–There is often a dark uneasiness in his photographs… even sinister at times.
Paul Strand’s Legacy (b. 1890 – d. 1976)
–Considered the founder of what he called “Straight Photography” and played a major role in established photography as an artistic medium equal to painting and sculpture.
–In terms of philosophy and style, he has been associated with other photographers from the f/64 Group, including Alfred Stiegletz, László Moholy-Nagy, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Imogene Cunningham, Berenice Abbott, Walker Evans, Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, and Robert Capa.
–As a 17-year-old student, a visit to Stieglitz and Steichen’s 291 Gallery lit the spark that led him to pursue his career as a photographer.
–Married three times, he spent his final years in France.
–Friends with Georgia O’Keefe and Alfred Stieglitz.
–Believed in the social value of his art: “…the freedom of the artist to create and give the fruits of his work to people, is indissolubly bound up with the fight for the political and economic freedom of society as a whole”.
–Also a cinemaphotographer with some notable works focusing on social issues–Mexican fisherman, Dust Bowl farmers.
–He associated with many in socialist-communist circles and was apparently monitored by American security sevices during the McCarthy era (1950s).
–Strand and Berenice Abbott set up the Photo League, a group of photographers committed to raising social awareness of trade union activities and civil rights protests. The Photo League was blacklisted by the U.S. Department of Justice during the McCarthy era.
Iconic Images – Bill Brandt
Some examples…
Apparently, Bill just knocked on doors and asked if he could come in and photograph–and it worked! He states that the folks were always very nice to him. And, of course, these are amazing images depicting the exceptionally difficult life of the coal miner in those years:
Coal miner’s bath, Durham,1937
Northumbrian miner at his evening meal, 1937
You gotta love the difference in expression between the two parlour maids–the one on the left carrying the weight of experience and responsibility, the one on the right reflecting a bit of innocence at her new job. Of course, the profession as depicted by Bill no longer exists these days:
Parlour Maid and Under Parlour Maid, 1936
His series on the London Underground during the Blitz is quite famous and you’ll likely see his photos in history textbooks:
Children asleep in the Underground, 1940
As Bill tells it, the policeman in the background happened to amble into the scene as Bill was preparing to shoot. Without that added element, the photography would have been merely “good”. As is, it is exceptional… the sinister atmoshere… what are those three individuals up to? Does the attentive cop know something we don’t?
Dark Alley-Way, 1936
As Bill was photographing from the bridge above, the kids noticed and came running toward him… again, without that added element, it would have been merely a “good” picture:
Halifax, 1937
Here is a collection of Brandt’s “eye portraits”, one of his 1960s experiments:
Abstract Portraits, Eyes, 1960s
Finally, a landscape that demonstrates his use of high contrast and minimalist composition:
Cuckmere River, 1963
Iconic Inages – Paul Strand
Some examples…
This one is arguably his most iconic cityscape… it’s all about the shadows–of the people as well as in the massive, imposing, and impersonal building above:
Wall Street, NYC, 1915
Strand is seen by some as one of the first “street photographers”. The next two images were likely made with a special camera he put together that allowed him to take photos surreptitiously–the lens looked like it pointed one direction, when, in fact, it was pointed elswhere. Thus, these two individuals were probably caught unawares. In the first, the contrast between that searching and bulging eyeball, and the “BLIND” placard, is jolting:
Blind, NYC, 1916
Sandwich Man, NYC, 1916
This one was made out in Georgia O’Keefe territory and is, perhaps, his most well-known architectural image:
Church, Rancho de Taos, New Mexico, 1932
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