Robert Frank's The Americans compared to Walker Evans' work.
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- čas přidán 7. 07. 2023
- THIS VIDEO: In this video I explore how we as photographers are influenced by those who have produced great work before us. In particular I will focus on the influence that Walker Evans had on Robert Frank. Walker Evans’ book American Photographs was published in 1938 and documented American life in the late twenties. Tod Papageorge in his essay suggests that Frank’s genius was in his ability to transform the same subject matter that was present in Evan’s book - morphing a tribute to a country and a culture into an assault on the superficiality of the American dream.
ABOUT ME: The conversations focus on topics related to different aspects of photography including: art, documentary and photojournalism. The discussions explore the personal experiences of photographers and artists and how their work reflects both their internal and external landscape. During the past 30 years I have photographed in over 50 countries for magazines including National Geographic, Time, New York Times and Newsweek. I have held solo exhibitions in New York, London and Paris and my work is showcased in private and institutional art collections around the world.
COPYRIGHT: The copyright for all images belongs to the photographer/s being discussed.
WEBSITE: www.graemewilliams.co.za
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MUSIC: CZcams Audio - Pale Rider Blues - Mini Vandals
I Have a Reservation - TrackTribe
Ok i did not know this connect, thank you for another enlightening study in Photography.
Thanks for your videos, I'm really enjoying them. The contrasting images at the end showing the different use of light are so interesting.
Thanks Linda
❤ Mr. Williams, THANKS for offering your reflections on great Robert Frank and Walker Evans! I find your reflections to be the most valuable part of your videos beside the didactical element like learning new names etc. These days having someone reflect and talk about serious photography is very rare. Especially when it comes from a true photographer with many, many years of photographic practice. Frank's and Evans' images became iconic. On the less serious note. One thing I realized: if you want to be a GREAT photographer you MUST have an "American" project in your portfolio 😄 Here are just a few examples:
Americans - Robert Frank
American Photographs - Walker Evans
American Prospects - Joel Sternfeld
American Surfaces - Stephen Shore
American Power - Mitch Epstein
American Night - Paul Graham
American Mirror - Philip Montgomery
American Index - Taryn Simon
(there are few younger folks☟)
American Geography - Matt Black
American Cloud - Kaj O’Connell
(Surprisingly Alec Soth doesn't have a project with a word "American" in his title. But most of his photo projects are very American in their core.)
Even if you are a Canadian, you still have to make an "American" project:
American Mile - Kyle McDougall 🇨🇦
American Squares - Leah Frances 🇨🇦
American Dreams - Ian Brown 🇨🇦
Well, you get the point 😀
By the way GREAT choice of music for this video!
Can we consider Graeme Williams a serious photographer in this case? 🧐 He has no “American” projects… unless we count “Diverging Dreamlines” shot in US 😜
Avedon: In the American West
@@blueboy4244 Good one! 👍 Will add to my list :)
Yes, the American art elite are the gatekeepers for the world's artists. So get out there and do 'Rostyk's America'. Thanks for your feedback.
Just to add to the list - literally few hours ago a landscape and architecture photographer who I follow - Nick Carver - announced his solo exhibit… American Desert 🇺🇸
There is no Robert Frank without Walker Evans.
Fascinating. I'm struck by the profound subversion and subtlety of Evans' images. The 1930s were an inflection point for America and Evans' asks hard, hard question in these 'innocent' images, but he never signposts or harangues. So interesting many in positions of power and influence never even saw the inherent criticism and Evans was regaled as a documenter of positive Americana. Re the barber chair pair, I think Evans' is by far the more powerful and less obvious.
Yes, but what is happening around one as a photographer makes a big difference to how one responds. It would have been interesting to see how each responded within a different era.
I found this fascinating. Thank you
Shocked Frank shaded HCB, they were my two earliest influences.
Nice work thnx Graeme
Evans vs Frank I always thought of as: glass half full vs glass half empty. same subject - different viewpoints, which brings us back to..again... photographs telling way more about the photographer than the subject
Hi That is probably true...although the era in which the images were made and the mood of the country at the time - would play a big part.
Good video. Papageorge is an excellent writer. Only thing neither of you do justice to, is just how ‘odd’ (unique) both characters were. Evans’ immense artistic ambition (initially literary) and the strange way in which Frank’s book is distilled down, with the help of his Beat poet connections. Frank made several road trips and bought back thousands of photos. But beyond the 80+ in his book most of the rest are pretty average.
The outline of the project for which Homer Page was given a Guggenheim in 1949-50 reads very like that of Frank (who had the help of Walker Evans in drafting). Page’s photos are good. But Frank’s darkness, the intimate blurring and the use of the American flag make Frank’s book special. (One of his road trips happened to co-incide with 4th July) And Frank’s book was first published in France with a text because it fitted loosely into a series of such text+photos books. Otherwise might never have been published at all. And that was the end of Franks public statements… he turned to film and to more personal projects. Evans really had projected him onto the public stage.
Hi Lloyd Thanks for the feedback - I'll have to dig deeper about their personalities. Frank shone bright for quite a while, London/Wales/The Americans/movies maybe so he did okay. The fact that Frank's Americans is still so powerful and raw, for me, solidifies him in my top five ... throughout time. Thanks for the idea of Homer Page - that could be a good one.