I happened to read about artist Alice Neel online today. I didn't know anything about her until I looked at the information about the current exhibition of her work. https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2021/alice-neel As someone interested in environmental portraiture, I was amazed by the photo of Neel taken by photographer Sam Brody. I want my environmental portraits of artists to say something about the nature of their work. (Arnold Newman is an inspiration to me.) Having read about Neel's connection to the people of New York City and her desire to portray them realistically and with respect for their dignity, I feel Brody's portrait did an amazing job of representing her. She is seated among the people, not above them. The pieces are arranged at various angles and almost overwhelm the image. I can almost see this as a representation of the people living their various busy lives in a New York apartment building. Neel becomes a part of the community she painted. As I try to learn about art, I have taught myself to ask - how might this work have been done differently - in order to understand why something works or doesn't work in a piece of art. If Neel had been pictured standing in front of a few pieces of her work placed on easels, it would have made a different impression of her in my mind. I'm not surprised that this photo has been used multiple times in marketing materials and exhibitions. Another interesting aspect of this portrait is that Neel is not posed or dressed to accentuate any sort of feminine ideal. I struggle with representing women in my photos. Sometimes it's because they want to look attractive, which I totally understand. Or, I want to portray them as powerful, which ties into my political desires to counter images of women as powerless or objects. The problem is that I then create images where my subject is still defined by another (me). Understanding my own motivations in creating portraits has made me reject the idea of a portrait as having the ability to capture someone's essence. While my subject can make whatever expression they choose, I ultimately am the creator of the image - through choice of setting, lighting, editing, etc. The image of painter Gayle Knize is one of my favorites. Gayle's work is very connected to her family. One of the paintings in the background is of Gayle painted by her mother, the other is of her mother painted by Gayle. The repetition of hands, tilted heads, bent knees creates a circle of connection and intimacy. Since Gayle is a private person, I'm not sure she was comfortable with this part of our photo shoot. But, I'm glad that I pushed for the arrangement because I believe the final image reflects something that I feel exists in Gayle's work. In both of these photos, I had in the back of my mind a concern about beauty. I wanted to make beautiful photos, but I was also thinking about making the women appear attractive. I'm trying to figure out how to move beyond that concern in my future work.
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April 2022
AuthorTiffanie Heben is a photographer who has been inspired by the artists in her community |