Post on 08-Jul-2015
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Following WWII, photographers started to take a more broad humanist approach to their work. It was the
beginning of what would eventually be termed “identity politics” because photographers chose topics that dealt specifically with distinctive aspects of particular cultures.
Family of Man exhibition, 1955. Organized by Edward Steichen, director of the Photography Dept.
at the Museum of Modern Art, NY.
Wynn Bullock, Child in the Forest, 1951
August Sander, Bricklayer
W. Eugene Smith, A Walk to Paradise Garden
Family of Man, exhibition view“A mirror of the essential oneness of mankind throughout the world.” - Steichen
Family of Man, exhibition view
• The exhibition is “essentially a picture story to support a concept; an editorial achievement for Steichen, rather than an exhibition of photography.” (NY Times)
• Steichen didn’t treat the photographs as individual works but as pieces of a larger statement.
• The show was enthusiastically received by the public, who were ready to affirm the goodness of mankind.
• The show travelled to over 30 countries and was seen by 9 million people.
Unknown, Atomic Cloud at Bikini, 1946
Tension between the United States and Russia after WW II: the Cold War
• Western leaders began to worry that the spread of communism threatened democracy and capitalism everywhere.
• Communism needed to be “contained” - by diplomacy, by threats or by force. This idea shaped American foreign and domestic policy for decades.
• Many people in the United States worried that communists (“subversives”) could destroy American society from the outside.
• Between 1945-52, Congress held hearings designed to put an end to “un-American activities” in the federal government, public schools and even in Hollywood.
• Anti Communist “Red Scare” of the 1950s.
Central & South America
• In the postwar period, many people living in Central and South America resented the influence of the United States - culturally, politically, economically.
• They wanted to forge a distinctive Latin American identity in the arts and photography.
• Their ideology changed - from before WWII, when they looked at the European experiments in photography (Surrealism/New Vision) - to a wide range of photographic practices, notably photojournalism.
Alberto Korda, Che Guevara, 1960
Alberto Korda, Che Guevara, 1960
“As a supporter of the ideals for which Che Guevara died, I am not averse
to its reproduction by those who wish to propagate his memory and the
cause of social justice throughout the world, but am categorically against
the exploitation of Che’s image for the promotion of products such as
alcohol, or for any purpose that denigrates the reputation of Che.”
The First Colloquium of Latin American Photography, Mexico City, 1978
• Photographers wanted to affirm the multicultural character of Latin America.
• The event (s) brought attention & prominence to Latin America photography.
• Photographers in Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Guatemala & Venezuela became more active.
• Hecho en Latinoamerica (Made in Latin America) - exhibition with the Colloquium.
Pedro Meyer, The Temptation of the Angel, 1991
Pedro Meyer, Wealthy Woman With Two Maids and Male Servant Behind Her. 1978
The First Colloquium of Latin American Photography
• Helped to internationalize Latin American photography.
• Led to a series of international exhibitions that helped to bring Latin American photography to a global audience for the first time.
• Many of the exhibitions were based on extensive curatorial surveys. Generally, Latin American curators lacked funds to conduct such extensive exhibitions.
Ann Parker, Two Brothers, 1973
Claudia Andujar, Yanomani Youth During Traditional Festival, 1978
Claudia Andujar, Yanomani Youth On a Swing, 1978
Photography in Mexico
• Subject matter was local: ordinary urban scenes, as well as traditional religious practices among rural people.
• Some photographers such as Nacho Lopez felt that photojournalism was the most expressive form of photography. It allowed him to work within the social context - the drama of every day life.
Nacho Lopez, Campesino, 1949
Nacho Lopez, Man Carrying Mannequin
Hector Garcia, Campesino Covered With a Leaf, 1965
Hermanos Mayo
Hermanos Mayo
Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Cemetary
Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Day of the Dead, 1933
Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Good Reputation Sleeping, 1938-39
Graciela Iturbide, Our Lady of the Iguanas, 1979
Graciela Iturbide, Angel Woman, Sonora Desert, Mexico 1979
Seydou Keita, Two Women, 1959
Seydou Keita, Two Women on Bike, 1979
Peter Magubane, Johannesburg, South Africa (DRUM magazine),1967
Peter Magubane, Soweto,Student Riots South Africa 1976
Peter Magubane, Soweto,Student Riots South Africa 1976
Ernest Cole, Porridge
Ernest Cole, House of Bondage, pub. 1967
Ernest Cole, from House of Bondage, pub. 1967
Ernest Cole, from House of Bondage, pub. 1967
David Goldblatt, from The Transported, 1989
David Goldblatt, from The Transported, 1989
David Goldblatt, from The Transported, 1989
David Goldblatt, from The Transported, 1989
Raghubir Singh
Raghubir Singh
Raghubir Singh
Raghubir Singh
Shinzo Fukuhara, 1910
Yosike Yamahata, Boy With Rice Ball, 1952
Shomei Tomatsu, A Bottle Melted And Deformed By Atomic Bomb Heat, Radiation and Fire, 1961
Shomei Tomatsu, Man With Scar Tissue
Ken Domon, Hiroshima: The Marriage of A-Bomb Victims, 1957
Shisei Kuwabara, Untitled, from Minimata Disease, 1972
W. Eugene Smith, Minimata, 1972
W. Eugene Smith, Tomoko in Her Bath, Minimata, 1972
Eikoh Hosoe, Kamaitachi 31, 1968
Eikoh Hosoe, Kamaitachi, 1968
Eikoh Hosoe, portrait of Yukio Mishima,1961
Eikoh Hosoe, Yukio Mishima, from Barakei (Punishment by Roses), 1961
Eikoh Hosoe,Yukio Mishima, from Barakei (Punishment by Roses), 1961
Daido Mariyama, Back of Head, Tokyo, 1981
Daido Mariyama, Woman,Tokyo, Midnight, 1981
Daido Mariyama,Tokyo, 1981
Daido Mariyama, Tokyo, 1981
Daido Mariyama, Stray Dog, 1971