Lee
Friedlander was born in America in 1934. He studied photography in Pasedina,
California and later moved to New York to take photo’s of musicians. Lee got
grants to focus on his personal photography. He aimed to take pictures of the “social
Landscape” of his time. Lee took pictures of people, streets, houses, plants,
and living rooms. Often things that are plain and commonplace. In his early photos
he captured life in America in the 40’s and 50’s.(1) He takes pictures that are
simple but meaningful. They transport you to a different time.
Friedlander has an
entire collection of pictures of TV screens called “Little screens” including
the one to the left. Of all the pictures he took of people’s living rooms, this
one is my favourite. This photo catches your attention and makes you want to
look closer. I saw a completely different thing at first glance than I did
after looking closer. At first it looks like the moose is holding up a wanted
sign. You don’t realise until after that it’s a TV. One might wonder if Donald
Stewart Man did something wrong to the moose? Or why the FBI is after him. The
picture is quite whimsical, with the plant and the moose and the wooden walls.
It feels cottagey and like it’s from a different time (which it is). I also
like the dramatic contrast in this photo; it makes the moose and the TV stand
out. The darkness makes it seem even more confusing and difficult to
understand, like you can’t really see the details. It shows how people are
separated from all the excitement going on in the world and in pop culture,
because on the screen there is a suggestion of murder, but the television is
sitting in a calm living room of someone’s little 70’s home. It’s interesting
to think about how our perspective of technology and television has changed
since then. People now have a very different attitude toward it.
Below is a self-portrait of
Lee. He took many pictures touring America; the collection was called “America
by Car”. I find that his photos tend to either be in bright sunlight or a dark
room and this photo is very bright. It looks boiling hot because of the glare
on the car and his squinted eyes. It looks sort of painful and intense. This photo is somewhat
uncomfortable because you feel like you’re too hot and he is staring at you or
he is in pain. I find it interesting that this is how he sees himself for a self-portrait.
Maybe he feels frustrated with something, considering the way the grips the
steering wheel.
For my photo to emulate Lee’s style, I decided to do a self-portrait. Lee did a few self-portraits throughout his life that show his self at different ages in different places. I took a picture that represents me at my current age. Sitting at my computer is basically all I do with my free time. I tried to include different aspects of his photography in this photo. I liked his collection of photos “Little Screens” and this picture follows that theme, except a little bit more modern. Lee photographed different people’s houses and people in their natural habitat. I think this photo encompasses that and also has some dramatic lighting to it, which is another tool that Friedlander used in his photographs.
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Friedlander
2.http://fraenkelgallery.com/exhibitions/mannequin
http://fraenkelgallery.com/artists/lee-friedlander
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