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| Photo: Vivian Maier |
Recently, I had a bit of a conversation with another photographer (mostly on his blog after commenting on mine) concerning Vivian Maier. Now, not gonna get into the particulars, but let's just say it was a might spirited, which I quite enjoy and hoped to further, when it suddenly turned... downright awnry and personal- amusing I thought, since, if anyone, I'm the guy that's supposed to fit the stereotypical, hot blooded Latino not quite in control of their emotions. Continuing to play against type, I wished him a happy (holi)day, and went on my merry way...
One of the more pleasant side effects of the whole exchange was that I once again immersed myself in Maier world, not a bad place to be far as I'm concerned since I am absolutely captivated by her photography, particularly from the mid fifties to the early sixties when she seemed at the very peak of her artistry shooting at least a (12 exp) roll a day. It was interesting to learn from Pamela Bannos (what an intriguing... last name) that Maier obtained her Rolleiflex in '51, followed by a dearth of photographs far as '52 was concerned, then... BOOM- from '53 on, she was photographing with the confidence and refined eye of a master!
Then there's the idiot London gallerist who declared that Maier was "a good student," not a true artist, because "she didn't take her photography anyplace new." Her work was... derivative. Well, I hear what he's saying, but ask yourself this- how many photographers other than Frank, and perhaps Klein, were taking photography anyplace "new" in the fifties? Most "masters" of that time (eg- Eugene Smith) were simply busy refining photography as it existed into the language that would be the very basis from what others would then later diversify and diverge from. The early sixties saw the development and refinement of visions that would produce the names of Arbus, Winogrand, Friedlander, etc in... the mid- Sixties. And that said, one can see in the wide variety of her work, many of the themes that anticipated much of what those names proceeded to concentrate on...
Maier continued to photograph (and film) for many years hence, but at least, from what we've seen thus far, her creative zenith seems well entrenched in that mid-fifties/early-sixties stretch. And I for one, will be forever more than a tad grateful that her work was salvaged from oblivion at the eleventh hour...
I too love VM's work. It seems she and Winogrand had similar mental dispositions albeit VM a bit more acute.
ReplyDeleteSince the 70's I haven't seen much in the way a furthering of the photographic psyche. It seems most themes have been explored and milked to death. Most new photography bores me intellectually. It may be pretty, well composed, well executed but not "new".
Maybe it's just a restriction of the medium itself.
Eric
Not gonna play amateur shrink, but at least Winogrand had a lot more of an all around support structure than Maier, which really seems to have cost her in more ways than one- appears taking photos of anonymous people on the street was her major means of social interaction, short of being a nanny.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, the medium is a limited one- video, more "narrative based" photo books and particularly the internet have breathed new life into it... or perhaps just prolonged its demise. And I suppose, that in part, is a good deal of what makes Maier's work so refreshingly appealing- the nostalgia of what unadulterated ("pure?") photography can achieve in skillful hands without pretense to how it will be presented, used or perceived...