Assignment 4: ICP Museum of Art Visit
Title: Susan Meiselas Invades the Photo Centric World of Men
Student: Enid Farber
Mentor: Raul Manzano
Date: October 18th, 2008
Susan Meiselas and Mary Ellen Mark have not only survived the once heavily male dominated domain of hard-core photojournalism but they have thrived. War, strippers, prostitutes, dangerous and hostile arenas that little girls with dolls were never encouraged to play in, whose mothers of these two warrior women would have never imagined their daughters intrepidly navigating.
Meiselas and Mark might not be perfectly matched in their styles, but both have published major monographs on subjects that most photographers might not easily gain access to. Meiselas gained the trust of carnival strippers in America and Mark was welcomed into the lives of prostitutes in Bombay, India. Side by side these incredibly moving and sympathetic photo essays leave one feeling less voyeuristic and more humanitarian. The ability to be a chameleon in any given sociological condition is a gift and a talent possessed by few and far between.
Meiselas’s war photos from Latin America are a great testament to her talent and strength. To be the non-casual observer and recorder with a camera in a war zone, requires more than a voyeuristic curiosity and technical aptitude. Many years ago, I won a scholarship to The Maine Photographic Workshops for a class with the legendary National Geographic photographer, William Albert Allard. What resonated with me most was the welcoming speech by the director David Lyman when he reduced photography to “F-8 and be there” (Lyman). Meiselas’s work exemplifies this idea, i.e., access and the ability to convey these photographic opportunities coupled with precision of craft.
To confidently navigate the kind of photographic territories that Meiselas traverses requires a very distinct character; one cannot feel guilty or invasive or apologetic or hesitant. Like an ER doctor or a homicide detective, one must build a type of immunity to ghastly human horrors, and one must feel that their work is righteous and making a difference, educating those that will never experience these atrocities firsthand. Meiselas explains on her website, “I’m interested in the photograph as a cultural artifact of social history or personal history” (www.susanmeiselas.com).
I made a conscious decision a long time ago that although I hold the highest regard for the artistic beauty of these horrific images, that I could not be so detached as to create them. The question for me that remains is, ultimately, do these photos accomplish what they should, that is to remind humanity that war, oppression, subjugation, famine, etc. are not right, should not be allowed, withstood, and repeated? With some resignation and sadness, I believe the answer is no.
This is not to suggest that the casual observer of these photographs does not walk away more aware, informed, perhaps emotionally moved or maybe angry and depressed. Or is it that one walks away more thankful for their intact lives, realizing that relatively even the poorest amongst us are much more fortunate than those we view in a paper or in a print. Maybe we are provoked to think how long will our collective good fortune last in this country of ours that has escaped this level of despair for most of our lives. Maybe we become inspired to spend less time obsessing about what we don’t have and more time grateful for what we do have.
But the opposite effect is always just around the corner, on the magazine rack or museum wall to the right or left of war and social commentary photojournalism. We are reminded of how much we lust for what others have when we are confronted with images of opulence in celebrity portraiture, fashion photos and shiny still life imagery. These art meets commerce type of photographs are every bit as powerful and often influential as art meets social statement photography. The photographers behind the different worlds all have strong egos and a need to be appreciated and acknowledged. This can determine how hard they work at obtaining the desired image by any means necessary, sometimes without regard for the subject even if unconsciously and without malevolence.
The question of whether Susan Meiselas’s photos are social photojournalism or fine art is an easy one for me, as someone whose own photographic journey has been influenced by the art of the great Henri Cartier Bresson, the French photographer whose aesthetic was summed up by his trademark “decisive moment” style. In accordance with the spirit of Bresson, and in her own words, Meiselas recites on her website, “the object in a sense is a fixed frame moment” (www.susanmeiselas.com).
I view each of these gut-wrenching conflict photos as a work of art, compositionally, stylistically, and imbued with an expert sense of lighting; sensational eye candy. There is no denying that the eyes and sensibilities of Meiselas and Mark are well trained and conscious of creating a striking image even if that choice occurs in a mere split second. The camera becomes second nature to the photographer who is deeply attuned to their environment that they have thoughtfully chosen or been thrust into by assignment. The photographer without compassion and curiosity is just a mechanic and not an artist. Meiselas might be in the right place at the right time to record history but her heart has to be attached to her lens which is attached to her camera to create iconic, profound, awe inspiring and worthwhile art. Once again Meiselas expresses it best, “I love photography, it is my point of engagement” (www.susanmeiselas.com).
Citations:
“Home Page.” Susan Meisalas. 28 Oct. 2008 <http://www.susanmeiselas.com/>.
Lyman, David. “Welcome to Maine Photographic Workshops.” Maine, Rockport. July 1988.
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