Migrant Mother, 1936
Egyptian Villagers, 1963
Classroom, 1963
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Dorothea Lange Summary
Dorothea Lange was a courageous American photographer who used her images to rally support for the destitute American people enduring the Great Depression. Lange accomplishes her lofty goals by capturing the optimistic human spirit in image form. She was able to look past the outer appearances of her subjects and see their determination and hope for a better future.
Lange was born in New Jersey in 1895 and learned from a young age how to deal with adversity. At the age of seven, Lange was diagnosed with polio which left her with a limp in her right leg for the rest of her life. Then at the age of twelve, Lange’s father walked out on her family. This event was so hurtful to Lange that she dropped her father’s last name and took up her mother’s maiden name. This was an extremely unusual act for a woman during the early 1900s and shows Lange’s strength and independence.
In 1918, Lange moved from New York to San Francisco and opened her own portrait studio. One day as Lange was staring out her studio window she noticed a man standing at an intersection and in that moment she vowed to photograph the now rather than the timeless and undated. It was these documentary photographs that caught the attention of Roy Stryker who was in charge of the Farm Security Administration (FSA) of the United States Government. Lange joined the team of famous photographers in traveling across the country and documenting the Great Depression for the U.S. government.
The most widely recognized photograph by Lange is Migrant Mother, 1936, which depicts a poor mother trying to take care of her children. Lange was unique in the sense that she saw her subjects as real people instead of just subjects in a photograph. She got to know her subjects and listened to their stories. Lange truly cared about their well being and wanted to help them.
Lange did not pose or stage her images, yet they are more optimistic than her coworkers in the FSA. Lange’s subjects typically stand tall and have their heads held high. They have a look of determination and hope for a better future in their eyes. Lange could see the strength behind the raggedy appearances and was drawn to it.
When Lange was married for the second time, her husband had to travel all over the world for work and she accompanied him on his journeys. Lange captured the same human characteristics in her Asian portraiture as in her work during the Great Depression.
Lange was a brave woman who dedicated her life to helping others. She had numerous obstacles in her own life but was always able to overcome them. Her photographs display optimism and hope, two qualities that Lange admired most. Without Dorothea Lange, the way we view the Great Depression would be completely different.
Possible Prompts
- As a photojournalist, do you feel Lange was distorting the truth by capturing optimistic images? Why or why not?
- When you look at Migrant Mother, what feelings and emotions come to mind? Do you feel this is an optimistic photograph?
- In your opinion, what makes an image or photograph look optimistic?
- Lange’s goal during the Great Depression was to use her photographs to shock the nation into helping the destitute people. If you were a wealthy American during this time period and saw Lange’s work, would you be inclined to help? Why or why not?
- Write a short history for the subjects in either Egyptian Villagers or Classroom.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Olympia's Look
Caring, tolerant, and loyal are all words that describe Suzanne Manet in Susan Vreeland’s short story, Olympia’s Look. At first glance Suzanne may seem like a simply housewife whose sole purpose in life was to fulfill her husband’s wishes, but that is just not the case. As the story unfolds Suzanne learns that she is a much stronger woman than she realized and is finally able to find her inner voice. Suzanne’s shift from living a passive life to being in control was brought about by the same person who she loved with all her heart and ironically made her passive in the first place, Édouard. Suzanne was so madly in love with Édouard that she would do anything for him. This included pretending her son was her brother, living in secret with Édouard for many years because he would not tell his father, and ignoring his many indiscretions.
The first spark of life seen in Suzanne is when her nephew, Albert, comes to visit her after the funeral. Suzanne wants copies of her husband’s paintings and lets it slip that she had nicknamed all of them. Her defiant spirit that had long ago been silenced was begging for the chance to verbalize her opinions of her husband’s models. Suzanne was not the type of woman to walk around with a blind eye to the world and she knew perfectly well that he husband was having affairs with those prostitutes. But, in her heart she loved Édouard and believed that he loved her more than any of his mistresses.
Suzanne’s forceful side again shines through when she received the letter from Victorine requesting money. This passage was written in such a way that the reader can actually feel the tension mounting between the two women. Suzanne is not going to let Victorine live blissfully unaware as to Édouard’s cause of death. She wants Victorine to feel the same way she does but then realizes that she never will because Victorine never truly loved Édouard and was only involved in mere “collaborations” with him.
Suzanne appeared to have let her environment shape her life in the beginning when Édouard was alive but after his untimely death, she began to regain control. Even with something as simple as starting the fire, Suzanne opted to do it on her own instead of letting her maid do it for her. She also decided that she was going to make sure her husband’s mistresses knew the real reason he died and that they took part in his death from Syphilis.
Vreeland’s story, Olympia’s Look, was a much more enjoyable read when compared to her other short story, The Yellow Jacket. While both stories required the reader to have prior knowledge of the painter’s lives for total comprehension, Olympia’s Look was easier to follow and flowed well. Although most of the story seemed to be comprised of facts about Édouard and Suzanne Manet’s lives, it is still a fictitious story. Did Suzanne really intercept a love letter from Édouard or was that simply created to display her character? Also, did the Olympia really never sell in the auction or was that just added for extra drama?
The first spark of life seen in Suzanne is when her nephew, Albert, comes to visit her after the funeral. Suzanne wants copies of her husband’s paintings and lets it slip that she had nicknamed all of them. Her defiant spirit that had long ago been silenced was begging for the chance to verbalize her opinions of her husband’s models. Suzanne was not the type of woman to walk around with a blind eye to the world and she knew perfectly well that he husband was having affairs with those prostitutes. But, in her heart she loved Édouard and believed that he loved her more than any of his mistresses.
Suzanne’s forceful side again shines through when she received the letter from Victorine requesting money. This passage was written in such a way that the reader can actually feel the tension mounting between the two women. Suzanne is not going to let Victorine live blissfully unaware as to Édouard’s cause of death. She wants Victorine to feel the same way she does but then realizes that she never will because Victorine never truly loved Édouard and was only involved in mere “collaborations” with him.
Suzanne appeared to have let her environment shape her life in the beginning when Édouard was alive but after his untimely death, she began to regain control. Even with something as simple as starting the fire, Suzanne opted to do it on her own instead of letting her maid do it for her. She also decided that she was going to make sure her husband’s mistresses knew the real reason he died and that they took part in his death from Syphilis.
Vreeland’s story, Olympia’s Look, was a much more enjoyable read when compared to her other short story, The Yellow Jacket. While both stories required the reader to have prior knowledge of the painter’s lives for total comprehension, Olympia’s Look was easier to follow and flowed well. Although most of the story seemed to be comprised of facts about Édouard and Suzanne Manet’s lives, it is still a fictitious story. Did Suzanne really intercept a love letter from Édouard or was that simply created to display her character? Also, did the Olympia really never sell in the auction or was that just added for extra drama?
Monday, February 2, 2009
Annotated Bibliography
Berger, M (2001, January). About the artist: Alice Neel biography. Retrieved February 1, 2009, from Michael Berger Gallery Web site: http://www.mbergerart.com/neel/about.htm
This web site was an excellent source for information about Alice Neel’s personal life as well as how most of the American public viewed her work. Alice Neel was married twice and had multiple children. Her first husband once destroyed three hundred of her paintings in a fit of rage. I also learned that Neel did not paint portraits of celebrities but instead of people she knew and cared about. She painted at home because she could not afford a studio and it was not until the 1970s that her work began to get the recognition it deserved. Neel was also very careful about the details in her paintings, she typically made the backgrounds simplistic and when she included something it was for a specific purpose. Also, Neel would exaggerate certain facial features, in particular the eyes, to reveal her own personal insights. She never used photographs and worked exclusively from memory.
Unknown, (2008). Biography. Retrieved February 1, 2009, from Alice Neel Web site: http://www.aliceneel.com/biography/
This web site contains the biography of Alice Neel with links to each decade of her life from her birth in 1900 to her death in 1984. I paid particular attention to the 1950s because her portrait, Last Sickness, was created in 1953. Although it does not specify that the portrait is of Neel’s mother, it can be assumed that she was at the very least an influence. In 1953 Neel’s mother moved in with her and her children and then the next year her mother passed away from complications from a broken hip. The web site also went into detail about Neel’s left-winged ideas and how she would paint black activists and supporters of the women’s rights movement. She had strong political views that she was not afraid to show in her portraits and paintings. This site also included a gallery of Neel’s paintings and multiple articles written about her.
Unknown, (2008, September 6). the Art of Alice Neel. Retrieved February 1, 2009, from Whitney Museum of American Art Web site: http://tfaoi.com/aa/1aa/1aa668.htm
This web site includes detailed information about her family life along with facts about her artwork. It explained that she lived in Havana, Cuba with her first husband and their first daughter died a year after birth. Neel lost her second daughter in the divorce and she tried to commit suicide. She then moved to the Spanish Harlem and had two sons. Neel was employed to paint the homeless during the Great Depression and these events have helped her to develop a style of compassion and freedom. She was also a public speaker and began to get artist recognition in the 1970s. Neel painted portraitures of other artists including one of Andy Warhol. This article states that Last Sickness was a portrait of Neel’s mother during her final months. It portrays the fear and discomfort of her mother in a candid way. Neel considered herself both a “sympathetic or sometimes not so sympathetic translator” and a “collector of souls.”
This web site was an excellent source for information about Alice Neel’s personal life as well as how most of the American public viewed her work. Alice Neel was married twice and had multiple children. Her first husband once destroyed three hundred of her paintings in a fit of rage. I also learned that Neel did not paint portraits of celebrities but instead of people she knew and cared about. She painted at home because she could not afford a studio and it was not until the 1970s that her work began to get the recognition it deserved. Neel was also very careful about the details in her paintings, she typically made the backgrounds simplistic and when she included something it was for a specific purpose. Also, Neel would exaggerate certain facial features, in particular the eyes, to reveal her own personal insights. She never used photographs and worked exclusively from memory.
Unknown, (2008). Biography. Retrieved February 1, 2009, from Alice Neel Web site: http://www.aliceneel.com/biography/
This web site contains the biography of Alice Neel with links to each decade of her life from her birth in 1900 to her death in 1984. I paid particular attention to the 1950s because her portrait, Last Sickness, was created in 1953. Although it does not specify that the portrait is of Neel’s mother, it can be assumed that she was at the very least an influence. In 1953 Neel’s mother moved in with her and her children and then the next year her mother passed away from complications from a broken hip. The web site also went into detail about Neel’s left-winged ideas and how she would paint black activists and supporters of the women’s rights movement. She had strong political views that she was not afraid to show in her portraits and paintings. This site also included a gallery of Neel’s paintings and multiple articles written about her.
Unknown, (2008, September 6). the Art of Alice Neel. Retrieved February 1, 2009, from Whitney Museum of American Art Web site: http://tfaoi.com/aa/1aa/1aa668.htm
This web site includes detailed information about her family life along with facts about her artwork. It explained that she lived in Havana, Cuba with her first husband and their first daughter died a year after birth. Neel lost her second daughter in the divorce and she tried to commit suicide. She then moved to the Spanish Harlem and had two sons. Neel was employed to paint the homeless during the Great Depression and these events have helped her to develop a style of compassion and freedom. She was also a public speaker and began to get artist recognition in the 1970s. Neel painted portraitures of other artists including one of Andy Warhol. This article states that Last Sickness was a portrait of Neel’s mother during her final months. It portrays the fear and discomfort of her mother in a candid way. Neel considered herself both a “sympathetic or sometimes not so sympathetic translator” and a “collector of souls.”
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Children of the Screen
“Children of the Screen”, it sounds like something ominous straight out of a horror movie and yet it is being used to describe multiple generations of both young and old people including my own generation. For most of us the age of information has been thrust upon us since birth and it was inevitable that we would fall into this destructive pattern. All around the world children from an early age are being taught life lessons through the television set and this is luring them into a false sense of ease when it comes to watching television. While TV can teach children important skills, it also stifles their creativity and becomes an easy out for when they are tired or bored. Once these traits are learned it is hard for most people to deviate from them in their adult lives.
A dim glow on the subject of television is that is it an effective means of communicating to the mass population. Most of us were not lucky enough to be invited to President Obama’s inauguration; however, thanks to the TV screen we were allowed to watch and listen to the proceedings. Almost directly after the inauguration I was extremely disappointed to hear a preview of the news for the next day that said, “tune in tomorrow as we reveal Michelle Obama’s dress size.” Are we really that pathetic of a society that the First Lady’s dress size makes bigger news than the war in Iraq or the current state of the economy? Are we so dissatisfied with ourselves that we prefer to hear about Brittney Spears’s latest divorce over the situation in Darfur?
The realist inside of me knows that I am somewhat a “child of the screen” simply because I am just like the millions of Americans who religiously watch The Office on Thursday nights but the key to coexisting happily with this mind numbing influence is simple. Like everything else in life both good and not so good, there needs to be moderation and balance, and we as a society have not found that yet.
I truly believe that our society is adapting to a screen-based environment. Have you ever noticed that in most restaurants there are multiple television sets? Almost everywhere we go the screen follows us and majority of the time those images we are saturated with are less than wholesome. The screen is not the sole cause of society’s problems but I do feel like there is a direct link between them. As more and more shows depict violence, language, sexuality, and nudity our society seems to inch its way further from traditional morals.
The portrait that accompanies Hannah Baylon’s essay, Children of the Screen, is a startling portrayal of a child bound to the television. The child’s eyes are wide and she cannot speak. All the child can do is listen and absorb the information being flashed over the screen. It is uncomfortable to look at but at the same time it is an excellent representation of our society as a whole. We need to be more aware of what we are allowing into our minds and if we are not careful we might just evolve so much that we can never go back.
A dim glow on the subject of television is that is it an effective means of communicating to the mass population. Most of us were not lucky enough to be invited to President Obama’s inauguration; however, thanks to the TV screen we were allowed to watch and listen to the proceedings. Almost directly after the inauguration I was extremely disappointed to hear a preview of the news for the next day that said, “tune in tomorrow as we reveal Michelle Obama’s dress size.” Are we really that pathetic of a society that the First Lady’s dress size makes bigger news than the war in Iraq or the current state of the economy? Are we so dissatisfied with ourselves that we prefer to hear about Brittney Spears’s latest divorce over the situation in Darfur?
The realist inside of me knows that I am somewhat a “child of the screen” simply because I am just like the millions of Americans who religiously watch The Office on Thursday nights but the key to coexisting happily with this mind numbing influence is simple. Like everything else in life both good and not so good, there needs to be moderation and balance, and we as a society have not found that yet.
I truly believe that our society is adapting to a screen-based environment. Have you ever noticed that in most restaurants there are multiple television sets? Almost everywhere we go the screen follows us and majority of the time those images we are saturated with are less than wholesome. The screen is not the sole cause of society’s problems but I do feel like there is a direct link between them. As more and more shows depict violence, language, sexuality, and nudity our society seems to inch its way further from traditional morals.
The portrait that accompanies Hannah Baylon’s essay, Children of the Screen, is a startling portrayal of a child bound to the television. The child’s eyes are wide and she cannot speak. All the child can do is listen and absorb the information being flashed over the screen. It is uncomfortable to look at but at the same time it is an excellent representation of our society as a whole. We need to be more aware of what we are allowing into our minds and if we are not careful we might just evolve so much that we can never go back.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The Picture of Dorian Gray
The movie, The Picture of Dorian Gray, is based upon the gothic horror novel by Oscar Wilde. It portrays the classic struggle for external beauty and the sacrifices some deem worthy for endless youth. The handsome Dorian Gray begins the movie a moral person. Everyone has their faults and Dorian was no exception to this but he was an overall good person. The trouble begins when Dorian is having his portrait painted by Basil Hallward and is introduced to Lord Henry Wotton who shares his ideas about beauty and youth. The unfortunate realization that youth and beauty are fleeting traits cause Dorian to wish his portrait will age instead of his body. Dorian’s wish is granted and as his sins increase, including seduction and murder, his portrait becomes more and more jarring to look at. While Dorian stays as handsome as ever, his portrait grows more grotesque with each evil deed until it is barely recognizable. In an act to save the woman he loves, Dorian stabs his portrait in the heart. When he is discovered dead next to his portrait, it is revealed that he had become what he feared for so long, aged. His portrait returned to its original state while Dorian’s face became ugly and disfigured. I felt the message of this movie was that there is more to life than looking beautiful and that you should be satisfied with what you have.
The scene I found the most captivating in this movie was in the beginning half after Dorian had already proposed to Sibyl Vane. Dorian was all set to marry Sibyl until he talks with Lord Henry, who convinces him that life is all about pleasures and that marriage will not lead to anything other than misery. It is at that point that Lord Henry devises a plan for Dorian to follow that will seduce his fiancée. The scene plays out as follows: Sibyl meets Dorian in his study and he reads her a poem. Dorian then asks Sibyl to stay with him that night and when she politely turns him down, he becomes cold and indifferent and asks her to “let herself out”. Sibyl is confused and hurt so she returns to him for the night in order to please him. The next morning he writes her a note ending their engagement. The interesting part of this scene is how most people are manipulating each other with the exception of Sibyl who sadly just fell in love with the wrong guy. Lord Henry influenced Dorian to commit his first evil act by using his fiancée to satisfy his lust. Dorian then manipulates Sibyl to get what he wants and when he is done he simply breaks up with her and moves on. This act starts Dorian’s quest for all the pleasures of life and the portrait begins to reflect that. This scene foreshadows Sibyl’s fate along with Dorian’s. Sibyl was so distraught from Dorian’s letter that it appeared she would do something drastic and Dorian seemed so clam and nonchalant about his actions that it was clear he would only continue to get worse as time goes on. It is amazing how one justified misdeed can lead to a lifetime of similar actions.
The scene I found the most captivating in this movie was in the beginning half after Dorian had already proposed to Sibyl Vane. Dorian was all set to marry Sibyl until he talks with Lord Henry, who convinces him that life is all about pleasures and that marriage will not lead to anything other than misery. It is at that point that Lord Henry devises a plan for Dorian to follow that will seduce his fiancée. The scene plays out as follows: Sibyl meets Dorian in his study and he reads her a poem. Dorian then asks Sibyl to stay with him that night and when she politely turns him down, he becomes cold and indifferent and asks her to “let herself out”. Sibyl is confused and hurt so she returns to him for the night in order to please him. The next morning he writes her a note ending their engagement. The interesting part of this scene is how most people are manipulating each other with the exception of Sibyl who sadly just fell in love with the wrong guy. Lord Henry influenced Dorian to commit his first evil act by using his fiancée to satisfy his lust. Dorian then manipulates Sibyl to get what he wants and when he is done he simply breaks up with her and moves on. This act starts Dorian’s quest for all the pleasures of life and the portrait begins to reflect that. This scene foreshadows Sibyl’s fate along with Dorian’s. Sibyl was so distraught from Dorian’s letter that it appeared she would do something drastic and Dorian seemed so clam and nonchalant about his actions that it was clear he would only continue to get worse as time goes on. It is amazing how one justified misdeed can lead to a lifetime of similar actions.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Who is this Person?
Who is that person? The question of who someone is, is so deep and profound that can we truly understand who someone is simply by looking at them? To a certain extent we can. Take for instance portrait number four. The woman appears to be in her mid-seventies and has well proportioned features which suggest she was attractive in her younger days. She wears a wedding ring on her left hand and yet she is all alone in the room where she sits. One would assume that her husband passed on recently due to the deep sorrow seen in her eyes. Her lips are pressed tightly together and her eyebrows scrunched in a manner that alludes to her grief. The woman’s overall expression reveals that she is not used to being alone and cannot stand the silence. She wants to embrace her death yet at the same time is scared to face it alone. Her slouched posture and limply laying hands give rise to the idea that she has given up on life and is waiting for the end. She looks very fragile from all the things she has witnessed throughout her long life. Her eyes are deep and reflective; probably of all the people she has met and places she has seen.
The clothing choice also reveals part of her personality. The woman is clad in a dull red robe that one would imagine belonged to her long lost husband. The robe looks worn as if she wears it all the time. She clearly cares more about comfort and feeling close to her husband than fashion or style in her old age. Her sole piece of jewelry is her wedding ring and even that does not look very fancy. At first glance most people would not notice that she was wearing one until further inspection of the portrait. The glasses she wears are simple and old fashioned which leads the observer to assume she has traditional values and was not materialistic. She loved people, not things and that is evident through her dress and the room she is waiting to die in.
Another expressive element of this portrait is the color. All of the colors have a darkened tone and look downcast. The artist even chose to make colors that are normally vibrant and full of life look sullen such as the oranges and reds. The fact that the woman is spending her time waiting in such a dreary room amplifies her hopelessness and depression. An interesting clue to her life is the fact that she has no pictures in the room. Most elderly people adorn their walls with pictures of loved ones and pets. The lonely woman in this portrait has no pictures up and that suggests she probably never had children and that the faces of her loved ones who left her are too painful to remember.
This portrait is indeed gloomy and sullen but there is something about this woman’s eyes that draws in observers. It has been said that a person’s eyes are the windows into their soul and this woman’s soul is crying out for companionship in her final days. She desperately wants somebody to talk with and share her life experiences with before she takes her final breath.
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