I thought the short section on page 64 was an interesting part of this chapter. I think photography is really fascinating because it preserves a part of history for future generations to look at. To me, Migrant Mother captures an unforgettable time in our nation’s history. It shows the discouragement, heartache, and uncertainty people went through during the Great Depression. Dorothea Lange took this timeless picture in California
Personally, I like photography as a form of art much more than any type of abstract works. This simple photo shows more and has more meaning than all Cubism paintings combined. It shows many emotions and feelings that an artist with a brush simply cannot capture. It is easy to understand, and it I can find meaning in it without studying or trying to decipher it.
The book says that “photography was pressed into political service” during the Depression era. This kind of goes back to the idea that we talked about in class about propaganda. I don’t feel like Migrant Mother is propaganda even though the government used it to symbolize how terrible poverty and oppression are. Maybe its different when something is used to promote a good cause. All in all, I thought Migrant Mother and photography in the World War 1/Depression Era was fascinating, and it gets my approval of great art.
Lange has been called the greatest American documentary photographer
Other photos by Lange
More of Lange's photos:
I completely agree with your reaction. While searching for meaning in abstract paintings can be somewhat enjoyable, photography tells us all the same story. No matter what your background is, everyone can look at this picture and see the heartache on this woman's face. It takes me back to a time I wasn't even present for, yet I feel the pain that she expresses like it happened to me just yesterday. Photography preserves history so that we do not forget, but more importantly, so that we can understand and learn from what we see captured in print.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with both of your thoughts on photography. While paintings and drawings can try to depict history, photographs are better at it. You don't see our history books full of paintings, instead they're full of photos of the events that have taken place in the past. I enjoy looking at photos so much more than paintings probably because it is easier for me to relate to a person's raw emotion and facial expression as seen through a photo than through a painting. I know that person in the photo is/was a real person, while the person in the painting could be ficticious.
ReplyDeleteI also enojy art forms that I do not have to sit look deep into the art work for some period of time before I can decipher a meaning from the piece. Photography is a beautiful form of art because photos are able to capture real moments in time, and portray them in the exact way they occured. With the exception of the photo in our book that was photo shopped. Photgraphy is able to preserve actual events for an eternity and I think that it is a wonderful form of art.
ReplyDeleteI am also a lover of photography. I think it has a way about it to reveal a sense of truth that a painting cannot. It truly captures a moment and can capture, in the case of "Migrant Mother," an era. Whether this photo was staged or not doesn't matter to me. There were people just like this all over the country struggling to help their families. It speaks volumes for the time period that this woman lived in.
ReplyDeleteNo matter how talented an artist is, their work will never be able to compare to that of a photograph. What can be more awe inspiring than a photograph of something that really exists. Whether it is for beauty or to show pain such as in "Migrant Mother," a picture truly is worth a thousand words! I also agree that it does not matter whether this photo was staged or not, it represented something that was happening during that time.
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