Documentary Photography: Capturing Different Realities

Introduction

From the early caveman paintings, we have always been inclined to record and capture events that hold significance to us. There have always been developments and inventions of mediums to aid this process. However, with the invention of the camera, documenting events has changed significantly as photography seems to be the best medium. "Capturing Different Realities" examines Documentary Photography from artists in the 20th century and how their photographs have influenced the growth of Documentary Photography, evolving into what we recognize as “Documentary Photographs” today. In addition to the general understanding of the camera's ability to document realities, the exhibition will simultaneously assess and question the prized photographs from renowned photographers to understand their aesthetic value and artistic expressions, delving deeper into their worth as pieces of art. The exhibition primarily focuses on documentary photos from famous artists of the 20th century.

Artistic Approaches in Documentary Photography

Some artists in this exhibition have taken a broader approach to documentary photography or perhaps even to reality itself, choosing to let their creative forces influence their documentary process and stage some of the photographs. However, humanist artists have strongly opposed the idea of these manufactured photographs, supporting the concept of straight photography where the photographer plays the primary role of an observer only. In addition to these ideas, some artists have formed a strong connection with their subjects, which manifests itself through powerful images that are often hidden from our sight and beyond our imagination. Despite the diversity, these artists and photographs serve the purpose of documenting certain events, even capturing broader mindsets within the finite world of documentary photography. After all, using artistic liberty to express a potential scene also documents the world inside the photographer, similar to sharing what the photographer has experienced and witnessed. These contrasting approaches within documentary photography create a compelling and powerful exhibition that helps us define documentary photography.

Assessing the Artistic and Aesthetic Aspects

In addition, examining the formal aspects and the excellent use of the medium provides an interesting insight into why the exhibits border on works of art. The exhibition takes the liberty to explore the artistic possibilities within documentary photography along with the aesthetic experiences the photographs create. The exhibition houses works from master photographers who significantly shaped the world of documentary photography. Artists like Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Brassaï (Gyula Halász), Vivian Maier, Robert Frank, Mary Ellen Mark, Arthur Fellig, and Cindy Sherman are featured.

Notable Photographers and Their Contributions

Endre Erno Friedmann (October 22, 1913 – May 25, 1954), famously known as Robert Capa, was born in Hungary and is considered one of the greatest war photographers. He documented the Spanish War, the Second Sino-Japanese war, World War II across Europe, and many more conflicts. It was during the Spanish war in 1936 that he captured the most famous photo, the “Falling Soldier,” with his 35mm camera. Understanding the need and importance of documentary photography, he later co-founded Magnum Photos, the world’s largest photojournalism organization, along with his good friend Henri Cartier-Bresson in Paris. Even though he was a co-founder of the photojournalist organization, his photograph of the “Falling Soldier” later came under heavy scrutiny as some believed it to be staged. However, even if it might have been a staged photograph, it can still be considered documentary as it is not uncommon for soldiers to fall on the battlefield as war casualties. Being able to produce that in an image with the use of artistic liberty documents the possibility of a soldier falling as a war casualty. Capa famously said, “If your pictures are not good enough, you’re not close enough.” Unfortunately, while trying to get close to his subject, he stepped on a landmine that killed him, making him a casualty of war.

Henri Cartier-Bresson (August 22, 1908 – August 3, 2004), born in France into a wealthy merchant family, was a French humanist photographer considered a master of candid photography. At a young age, Cartier-Bresson was gifted a box-brownie, a small Kodak camera with which he would shoot pictures of his family members. However, once he saw Martin Munkácsi's “Three Boys at Lake Tanganyika,” he was inspired by the spontaneity of the photograph and started taking photography seriously, focusing on the daily lives of people as a humanist photographer. Initially inspired by his painter uncle, he began his artistic journey as a painter. Training under André Lhote, who worked with Pablo Picasso as a cubist painter, Cartier-Bresson learned most of his geometric implications from Renaissance paintings that his master made them replicate rigorously. Along with the training, he had the privilege to visit a café where Surrealists would hold meetings, which strongly influenced his photography. "Picnic on the Banks of the Marne," taken in 1938 with his 35mm Leica Rangefinder, shows his vision of geometry and influence of surrealism. By 1932, at age 24, his images of common men and women in France, Spain, Italy, and Mexico began appearing in publications and on gallery walls.

Robert Frank (born November 9, 1924) is a Swiss-American photographer who is still active even at this age. He is most famous for his notable work, "The Americans," where he documented the daily lives of Americans and exposed a side of America that was properly hidden from the world. One reason he could document the lives of Americans in a different light was that he was not American and was not indoctrinated into American culture. Initially, Frank came to the US as a fashion photographer for Harper’s Bazaar and was very optimistic about American society and culture. However, not being able to exercise his freedom in his photography, along with cultural differences, the fast pace of American life, and the materialistic mindset of Americans made Frank view America as often “a bleak and lonely place.” His photograph shot in 1955, “Businessmen working on briefcases on laps during commute aboard Pennsylvania's Afternoon Congressional,” exemplifies his thoughts. These sentiments are evident in his photographs.

Vivian Dorothy Maier (February 1, 1926 – April 21, 2009) was an American street photographer who was not famous until after her death. A Chicago collector, John Maloof, acquired some of Maier's photos in 2007, while two other Chicago-based collectors, Ron Slattery and Randy Prow, also found some of Maier's prints and negatives in her boxes and suitcases around the same time. Maier's photographs were first published on the Internet in July 2008 by Slattery, but the work received little response. She primarily worked as a nanny in New York City, where she took most of her photographs. She was able to document regular days in New York City with her camera while she went out on walks with the children she nannied. Her hidden talent and unusual story surrounding her life have become primary subjects, including the film "Finding Vivian Maier" (2013), which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, helping her to establish herself as an artist.

Brassaï (Gyula Halász) - Brassaï was a pseudonym adopted by Gyula Halász (September 9, 1899 – July 8, 1984), who was born in Brassó, Kingdom of Hungary (now part of Romania) and later became a naturalized French citizen after years of being stateless. He trained as a sculptor and worked as a photojournalist for a Hungarian newspaper. Even though he is a documentary photographer, he is also known for the artistic liberties he takes in his photographs. He published a book “Paris de Nuit,” that documented the quiet as well as vibrant parts of Parisian nightlife. One of the photographs in his book shows a couple in an intimate moment. He is known for his technical abilities to shoot at night.

Weegee (Arthur Fellig) – Weegee is a pseudonym adopted by Arthur Fellig, who was a tabloid photographer for the New York Post. He seemed to have a sixth sense for emergency situations, which he would photograph. He was known to stage photographs for the New York Post, which blurred the lines between art and documentation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this exhibition presents a diverse range of approaches to documentary photography, highlighting the balance between capturing reality and artistic interpretation. By examining the works of these influential photographers, the exhibition invites viewers to question the boundaries of documentary photography and appreciate its rich artistic potential.

References

• Capa, R. (2014). Robert Capa: Photographs. Aperture.
• Cartier-Bresson, H. (1999). The Mind's Eye: Writings on Photography and Photographers. Aperture.
• Frank, R. (1958). The Americans. Steidl.
• Maier, V. (2011). Vivian Maier: Street Photographer. PowerHouse Books.
• Brassaï. (1976). Paris de Nuit. Flammarion.
• Weegee. (2002). Naked City. Da Capo Press.