Monday, October 13, 2008

Bruce Davidson (Heather's pick)

I have been really drawn to Bruce Davidson's work in the NYC subway system during the 80s. He describes his motivation as, "I wanted to transform the subway from its dark, degrading, and impersonal reality into images that open up our experience again to the color, sensuality, and vitality of the individual souls that ride it each day."I think he does a wonderful job depicting now only the harsh realities of what was going on underground during that time while also sparking a sense of humanity and kindness. The portraits carry and intimacy or sense of voyeurism while still showing a sense of mystery that comes with strangers on a subway car. I think his use of muted and realistic colors also bring about a great sense of place, they really give the feel of a dimly lit subway.

This work strongly relates to Marissa's project in both the goal and the process. I also think it carries some similarities Gregory Helpern's photographs of the workers at Harvard. They both share a common interest with the people that are often looked over.



2 comments:

Janna said...

I like Bruce Davidson's work a lot, too. One of my favorites is his circus series. I like how he is doing photojournalism, but he's really focusing in on things that might not be the obvious event to record. In his circus series, you see both the good and the bad. He makes great use of the harsh lighting to create a mood in his photographs.

Nicole Rejwan said...

Heather, this reminds me of Pilip-lorca diCorcia. You should look him up.