Consuming America

Gary Winogrand.  New York.  c. 1961.
Rubinstein. Raphael. "Snap Judgments: Exploring the Winogrand Archive." Art in America. February, 2002. 46 -51.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Book Pages 21 - 25 Due
Worksheet #9 Due

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mount Williamson

Ansel Adams. Mount Williamson- Clearing Storm. 1944.

  
 
 
Pre-War Aesthetic:
Previsualization
Documentary style
The decisive moment
Genius, individual photographer
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aaron Siskind.  Jerome, Arizona.  1949.
Marien, Mary Warner.  Photography: A Cultural History.  Second edition.  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2006.

 
 
Post-War Aims:
Photographers wanted to go beyond
commercial look of social realism
Exploration of the personal and the philosophical
Self-expression and experimentation
rather than documentation
Elimination of the conventional
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Americans
1958

 

Robert Frank. U.S. 285, New Mexico. 1955 - 56.
Frank, Robert. The Americans. SCALO Publishers, New York. 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Frank. Parade, Hoboken, New Jersey. 1955 - 56.
Frank, Robert. The Americans. SCALO Publishers, New York. 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Frank. Trolley- New Orleans. 1955 - 56.
Frank, Robert. The Americans. SCALO Publishers, New York. 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Frank. Jehova's Witness,
Los Angeles. 1955 - 56.
Frank, Robert. The Americans. SCALO Publishers, New York. 2000.
Characteristics of images in The Americans:
 
Disregard for established photojournalistic standards
Private, unglamorous images
Use of blur, grain and movement
Sense of freedom
No sense of security
No decisive moment
No independent masterpieces (like The Steerage), the series functions best as a whole
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Covered Car
Car Accident

Robert Frank. Covered Car - Long Beach, CA. 1955 - 56.
Frank, Robert. The Americans. SCALO Publishers, New York. 2000.
Robert Frank. Car Accident - U.S. 66, between Winslow and Flagstaff, Arizona. 1955 - 56.
Frank, Robert. The Americans. SCALO Publishers, New York. 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Frank. Rodeo- New York City. 1955 - 56.
Frank, Robert. The Americans. SCALO Publishers, New York. 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chicago
Public Park Ann Arbor Michigan
Robert Frank. Chicago. 1955 - 56.
Frank, Robert. The Americans. SCALO Publishers, New York. 2000.
Robert Frank. Public Park- Ann Arbour, Michigan. 1955 - 56.
Frank, Robert. The Americans. SCALO Publishers, New York. 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Frank. Charleston, South Carolina. 1955 - 56.
Frank, Robert. The Americans. SCALO Publishers, New York. 2000.

 

"Photography is a solitary journey. That is the only course open to the creative photographer. There is no compromise: Only a few photographers accept this fact. That is probably the reason why we have only a few really great photographers. In recent years camera journalism has become many people's definition of good photography. For me camera journalism means taste dictated by the magazines." - Robert Frank

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the late 50s, marginalized groups
begin to gather in resistance

Ernest Withers.  Workers Assembling for a Solidarity March, Memphis, Tennessee.   1968.
Marien, Mary Warner.  Photography: A Cultural History.  Second edition.  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2006.
Civil Rights Movement of the 60s
Anti War movements
Feminist Movement of the 70s
Gay Rights Movement of the 80s
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1960s artists begin to question
Existence
Reality
Societal norms
American consumerism
 
 
This questioning leads to a marked rejection of convention
Who determines how a photo should look?
What is photography?
What is appropriate photographic subject matter?
What is the role and responsibility of the photographer?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Andy Warhol. Saturday Disaster. 1964.

 

vanitas image = a work that reminds the viewer of their own impending death

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Structuralism = philosophical approach that analyzes society by looking at cultural phenomena, particularly signs, that have hidden underlying meanings that can be decoded

Robert Frank. Ranch Market - Hollywood.  1955 - 56.
Frank, Robert. The Americans. SCALO Publishers, New York. 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

32 Campbell's Soup Cans

Andy Warhol. 32 Campbell's Soup Cans. 1961 - 2. Acrylic on canvas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Andy Warhol. Gold Marilyn Monroe. 1962.

 

Silkscreen demonstration