Assignment 3

A travel through the past.



That was my feeling while visiting the photography exhibit at The Edward Steicher Photography Galleries at MOMA. Immediately after entering the room, one gets transported into the past. The incessant desire of the man for registering history is present at the exhibition from the very beginning. It is true that Timothy O’Sullivan, Watkins, Rusell or Emerson could not play with light as well as others. Yet it is thank to these pioneers who adventured into the new technique that those who came after mastered the art.
This part of the exhibition with pictures taken before the twenty century is mostly landscapes. Therefore, the work is more representational/ naturalistic than abstract. There are a couple of pictures that will capture the attention of the visitors such as “Entrance to Black Canyon” (O’Sullivan) in which the photographer uses the environment and scale to establish the object size. The man in it is very small and is at the very bottom of the frame whereas the nature is infinite and covers the rest. One of the photos by Peter Emerson portrayed a worker cutting grass (here the man is the center of the picture), but what will capture the attention of the visitor is the size of his hand. It is a beautifully composed photo, yet the punctum here is his big and strong hands. The scale of the picture plays a fundamental role on “Arbutrus” (Watkins) because it emphasizes the size of the tree that fills the whole picture, the tree is the figure and the sky and land are the ground. What characterize this part of the exhibition, printed on silver print, is that the photographer photographed landscapes and workers in the countryside.
In the next section of the exhibit, this shifts from the landscape of the countryside to small towns in the countryside as well as changes century. One of the most interesting pictures is “Woman” (1836) by Walk Evans. It is a portray of a rural woman during the 30s. It is only her face with flat lighting, but Evans skillfully exposes her inner side, the side that can talk about the hardship she has been going through, the flat lighting eliminates everything from her faces except the absence of hope or happiness. He also captures the decadence of the plantation splendor with “Breakfast room at belle grove plantation” in which the setting of the light (tactile orientation) allows the viewer to see the erosion on the old elegant walls. Between these two photos, there is a powerful and eloquent picture “Sharecropper’s family” (1836). This photo shows the poverty of the rural America during the 30s along with the filthy life conditions. However, the puctum here is what it seems to be a brassiere hidden under the bed in the only room of the house. The family clearly set the room for the picture, but forgot the piece of female underwear. The present of some portrays of people on the subway affects the cohesion of this section. Conversely, it will perfectly link with the next part of the exhibit. The present of the subway pictures reminds me of some pictures that I myself took on the subway trying to capture the ubiquitous elements of the subway in New York City. The use of the light is different because my photos are of objects at certain distance. Compare to the rest of the exhibit, I don’t use black and white as in the photos displayed at MOMA.
At the end of the exhibit, the viewer will meet Diane Arbus’s work. A new shift takes place, this time, from small towns to urban people. One of here most astonishing photos in displayed at MOMA is “Girl sitting on her bed with shirt off” (1968). Then again, the studium of the photo will tell the viewer about style, physical appearance, though, her hair is going to capture the eyes’ visitor. It may not be intentional, but it will take your vision away from the rest of the photo.
The pictures are perfectly displayed in traditional sized manner and printed silver or gelatin. For the exhibition, black frame are used. Hence, the photos will draw the visitor’s eyes.
The exhibition is very cohesive within each section; they are part of certain theme, yet there are some pictures that don’t match with the rest of the section or the exhibition as a whole. That can be confusing.
It is really interesting witnessing how photography has changed throughout the years not only technically, but also thematically. Moreover, what is really fascinating is to be able to be transported to so many periods, and observe and question how, why, where or what.