ArtiFact #25: Photography From Josef Sudek To Laura Makabresku | Joel Parrish, Alex Sheremet

ArtiFact: Books, Art, Culture

In ArtiFact #20, Joel Parrish and Alex Sheremet went through the history of photography from Louis Daguerre (the creator of the daguerreotype) to contemporary photographers. In ArtiFact #25, there are fewer technicals to address and more emphasis on ‘forgotten’ and misunderstood photographers, with more connections to the art world as a whole. Among the questions asked: how can artists understand the techniques of one medium and apply it to their own art? What should the viewer look for in a photograph, anyway? What are the unique advantages and drawbacks of photography, especially in light of “borrowed” tropes such as painting’s still life genre? What do ‘timeless’ photographic shots look like, and is there a difference between those and documentary-style photography?
Photographers covered: Josef Sudek, Zdzisław Beksiński, Francesca Woodman, Hengki Koentjoro, Gordon Parks, Harry Callahan, Josephine Sacabo, Sebastiao Selgado, Laura Macabresku, William Eggleston, Pete Turner
You can also watch this conversation online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au4d8fjlmhQ

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ArtiFact #25: Photography From Josef Sudek To Laura Makabresku | Joel Parrish, Alex Sheremet

Timestamps:

0:24 – introduction; why there has been such a glut of good (and terrible) photography the past half-century; Joel on the popularization of photography over time

6:12 – Josef Sudek (1896 – 1976) – his strengths & influence; the use of light, color, motifs, and inversions of expectation; an example of a great cityscape; Sudek’s use of abstraction; some issues with still life photography

53:29 – Zdzisław Beksiński (1929 – 2005) – a look at his paintings, surrealism, & comparisons with his photography; an excellent video montage of his photos; how photography naturally lends itself to a ‘softer’ or more muted surrealism; how to apply these principles across art forms & disciplines

01:26:06 – Francesca Woodman (1959 – 1982) – a young photographer who was known for her selfies; how Woodman was able to subvert the “nude in a dilapidated building” cliché; a (rare) excellent photographic still life; responding some flaws in The Woodmans (2010) documentary

01:48:32 – Hengki Koentjoro – a still-living Indonesian photographer known for his landscapes, oceanscapes, and more minimalist shots; Koentjoro’s subtle use of time-lapse photography

02:50:45 – Harry Callahan (1912 – 1999) – a Detroit-based photographer who was excellent in a number of styles, techniques, and photographic genres

03:06:08 – Gordon Parks (1912 – 2006) – a black American photographer who excelled at everything from fashion photography, to the documentary style, to breaking conventions across genres; how his Red Jackson series on Harlem captures the basis for art’s longevity

03:29:00 – Sebastiao Selgado (b. 1944) – a contemporary Brazilian photographer who is most known for his documentary-style photography, even as he pushed boundaries and tropes far outside of the range of more typical documentary snapshots

03:45:35 – Josephine Sacabo – a contemporary photographer with some of the richest uses of analog-style editing techniques; her dipping into ‘painterly’ processes; Josephine Sacabo as a technician

04:06:14 – Laura Makabresku – a contemporary photographer with a tremendous work ethic & an emphasis on symbolism, folklore, religious imagery

04:30:03 – William Eggleston (b. 1939) – a modern photographer who was a pioneer in the use of color, seemingly “unartistic” or banal shots, & documenting the American South at a time when it was out of vogue

04:42:32 – Pete Turner (1934 – 2017) – a photographer across genres and styles anchored by his expert use of color, whether it’s the depiction of New York City in the 1950s using a now-unexpected palette, his travel photography in Africa & beyond, or his more symbolic work
Video thumbnail © Joel Parrish
Joel’s website: https://poeticimport.com

Read the latest from the automachination universe: https://automachination.com

Read Jessica Schneider's review of The Woodmans: https://www.automachination.com/so-mu...

Read Alex’s (archived) essays: https://alexsheremet.com