5:30 a.m.http://images.artnet.com/artwork_images_118598_186074_weugene-smith.jpg
Winnowing Grainhttp://imagecache.allposters.com/images/pic/LIFPOD/5922998~Grain-Flying-in-Air-During-Winnowing-by-Women-in-Famous-Spanish-Village-Posters.jpg
Having Done His Besthttp://toonz.ca/bose/wiki/images/thumb/c/ca/Smith_country_doctor_surgery_lgKenJacob.jpg/646px-Smith_country_doctor_surgery_lgKenJacob.jpg
After Midnighthttp://www.geocities.com/minoltaphotographyw/smith_country_doctor_exhausted__602.jpg
Untitled Photographhttp://img.timeinc.net/time/time100/images/main_gi.jpg
Wounded, dying infant found by American soldier in Saipan Mountains. http://www.icp.org/atf/cf/%7BA0B4EE7B-5A90-46AB-AF37-7115A2D48F94%7D/wesmith_landing.jpg American photographer, Paul Strand once said, “It is one thing to photograph people. It is another to make others care about them by revealing the core of their humanness.” One man stands out above all the rest for his ability to effectively bring out the “core of humanness” of his subjects in his photographs. His name was William Eugene Smith. In my research of the man, I looked at his life and his most famous works, and analyzed the emotion of his subjects to try and get a feel for their character. W. Eugene Smith succeeded at documenting the human condition through his brilliant and often shocking photographs. While he was starting his work, there was a standard of photography that most artists adhered to. Few dared to venture outside of the typical picture taking occupation, which consisted of posing subjects and snapping shots of smiling faces. Smith, however, chose to work differently. He refused to conform to the norm of candy-coated pictures and posed settings that his professors and colleagues tried to force upon him. What he saw through his lens was real life, and with the quick snap of the shutter, he captured it. When he took pictures, he did not falsely beautify his subjects, nor did he wait until he could snap a flattering shot. Their emotion is authentic, and their character is genuine. He took them untouched, regardless of their beauty, their brutality, their mystery, or their rawness. Smith also pioneered the art of taking photographs in series. He is regarded as the master of the photographic essay, and his brutal images of World War II, his peculiar portraits of the “country doctor”, and numerous other controversial photographs illustrate why. His work is unaltered, and he has influenced the photography of many photojournalists. W. Eugene Smith’s life’s work was to portray life sincerely one moment at a time, and he did it masterfully.
Smith became interested in photography at a young age, but he liked to work independent of critique and discipline. As a result, he was often at odds with his professors and early employers. He left Notre Dame University to go to New York and pursue a career with Life magazine. While in New York, he did freelance work for many different publications until World War II started, and he became a war correspondent for Life magazine.
World War II helped jump-start Smith’s career as a photojournalist. Until he was injured in 1945, he published hundreds of brutal and controversial war images for Life. He put himself in harm’s way, so that he could relay a factual representation of the war to his viewers. After the war, Smith continued to work as a photojournalist for Life.
Three of his most famous photographic essays are entitled Country Doctor, Spanish Village, and Nurse Midwife. Country Doctor follows Dr. Ernest Guy Ceriani, who is the only doctor in the little town of Kremmling, Colorado. In a series of photographs, Smith documents Dr. Ceriani’s every waking moment, on and off of work. The emotion on the face of Ceriani in many of the pictures is incredibly dramatic and telling. In Spanish Village, Smith documents the poverty of the small village of Deleitosa, Spain. It is far away from civilization, and villager’s way of life has advanced little since medieval times. In Nurse Midwife, Smith follows a woman named Maude Callen in Pineville, South Carolina, as she attends to the sick and pregnant mothers.
W. Eugene Smith’s work was unprecedented, and it set a high standard for photojournalists in the future. His photographs capture the essence of the human condition in all its glory and hardship, joy and suffering. The character and emotion of his subjects is deep and moving. It truly is documentation at its finest. Smith was fanatically dedicated to his mission as a photographer. “His passion for truth invariably places the integrity of the picture far above such matters as monetary gain or personal safety”. As a result of this dedication, Smith is a figure universally admired as an artist.
Prompts
1.Was there any part of my presentation that was unclear or should have been expended upon? What would you have liked to know more about?
2.In your opinion, by examining the photographs I provided, do you believe that W. Eugene Smith succeeded at honestly portraying truth in his work? Are his photographs accurate portrayals of “the human condition?”
3.Choose your favorite of the photographs shown. Tell why it is your favorite. What emotions do you feel from this photograph? What can you tell about the character of the subject?
Smith became interested in photography at a young age, but he liked to work independent of critique and discipline. As a result, he was often at odds with his professors and early employers. He left Notre Dame University to go to New York and pursue a career with Life magazine. While in New York, he did freelance work for many different publications until World War II started, and he became a war correspondent for Life magazine.
World War II helped jump-start Smith’s career as a photojournalist. Until he was injured in 1945, he published hundreds of brutal and controversial war images for Life. He put himself in harm’s way, so that he could relay a factual representation of the war to his viewers. After the war, Smith continued to work as a photojournalist for Life.
Three of his most famous photographic essays are entitled Country Doctor, Spanish Village, and Nurse Midwife. Country Doctor follows Dr. Ernest Guy Ceriani, who is the only doctor in the little town of Kremmling, Colorado. In a series of photographs, Smith documents Dr. Ceriani’s every waking moment, on and off of work. The emotion on the face of Ceriani in many of the pictures is incredibly dramatic and telling. In Spanish Village, Smith documents the poverty of the small village of Deleitosa, Spain. It is far away from civilization, and villager’s way of life has advanced little since medieval times. In Nurse Midwife, Smith follows a woman named Maude Callen in Pineville, South Carolina, as she attends to the sick and pregnant mothers.
W. Eugene Smith’s work was unprecedented, and it set a high standard for photojournalists in the future. His photographs capture the essence of the human condition in all its glory and hardship, joy and suffering. The character and emotion of his subjects is deep and moving. It truly is documentation at its finest. Smith was fanatically dedicated to his mission as a photographer. “His passion for truth invariably places the integrity of the picture far above such matters as monetary gain or personal safety”. As a result of this dedication, Smith is a figure universally admired as an artist.
Prompts
1.Was there any part of my presentation that was unclear or should have been expended upon? What would you have liked to know more about?
2.In your opinion, by examining the photographs I provided, do you believe that W. Eugene Smith succeeded at honestly portraying truth in his work? Are his photographs accurate portrayals of “the human condition?”
3.Choose your favorite of the photographs shown. Tell why it is your favorite. What emotions do you feel from this photograph? What can you tell about the character of the subject?
4.Write a narrative about the subject(s) of one of Smith’s photographs.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think that you did a good job in explaining the circumstances in which William Eugene Smith took his photos. I believe that Smith was a brave man for wanting to provide the truth and for obtaining that truth no matter what the risk was. One thing that I was wondering about was how other war photographers took their pictures. Were they all as daring as Smith? Did they take pictures during the battles too or just the aftermath? I found your explanations on the expressions of the faces of the people in Smith’s photographs to be very interesting but more analysis could always be added. (I am sorry if you addressed other photographers or if there is more analysis in your paper than in your presentation).
ReplyDeleteMy favorite photograph that you showed was "Wounded, Dying Infant Found by American Soldier in the Saipan Mountains". This picture does not just show the viewer the destruction and death that goes on during wartime but it also shows the influence death, even the death of an infant, can have on an American soldier. This moment is surely something that both of the soldiers pictured remembered until they died and it was an experience that they probably held close. It definitely makes one value their life and the life of their loved ones more. Just like that, the life of this infant was destroyed. The child did not start the war, did not participate in the war, and did not agree with the war, but he or she was affected by the war. From this picture one can also see that the soldier was trying to hold the baby delicately, giving the baby the proper respect. Though his face is hard to see, I believe that the soldier was looking at the infant in shock and awe. I think that he was questioning the war, wondering why this poor child had to get hurt and why this child got hurt but he remains unharmed.
I am uneasy by the fate of the child but I can not help but think maybe the child is better of. The infant’s home was under attack and a child should never have to experience the destruction of war. It is also possible that the child’s family died and if that is the case, then the infant would not have to grow up alone. I can not imagine being the soldiers who had to deal with the infant. They were brave and compassionate for taking care of the child instead of letting him or her die alone.
William Eugene Smith captured the truth about war. He showed the battle field while the battle was occurring, and he showed the desperation and weariness of the workers in the hospitals. I am happy that Smith did not include explanations or paragraphs with each of his photographs because I think that would have made the pictures less effective. The pictures speak for themselves and added text would just distract viewers from the importance of the photograph. I believe that William Eugene Smith’s photographs accurately depict “the human condition” during war. The agony, pain, weariness, and devastation demonstrate the outlook of the people experiencing war. Average people unaffected by the war can speculate about what the war would be like but it is hard to believe that they would be able to create a genuine idea of what it is really like.
I think that your presentation was fine and everything was clear. But, I don’t think though that Smith’s World War II photography was as revolutionary as you framed it to be. To me it seems like all war photography is just a contest to find either the most gruesome, or the most “America kicks ass” situation you can and take a picture of it. Also, it’s bonus points if you take your picture in the middle of an explosion, that’s a surefire way to make it on the cover. That is not to say that his pictures aren’t heartbreaking, thought provoking, and in some cases totally awesome. Googling “W. Eugene Smith + WWII” comes up with so many awesome go America pictures that I’m ready to double the national defense budget and invade Canada.
ReplyDeleteThe following is a W. Eugene Smith photograph I found while searching the internet for some of his WWII photography.
http://www.thedailytexanblogs.com/thecameratheprintthenegative/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/picture-2.png
Cast of Characters:
Ship 1: Battleship in the bottom center of the photo
Ship 2: Battleship on the left six from the bottom
Other Ships: Remaining boats in the photo
Ship 1: Alright alpha squad here’s the deal, it’s the Fourth of July and we need to come up with something fun to rally the troops.
Ship 2: Why don’t we shoot of some fireworks? People do that right? It’s super duper American!
Ship 1: Oh yeah! That sounds like a great idea, but please never say “super” again.
Ship 2: Okay, do you want me to let everyone know that we’re about to shoot them off?
Ship 1: Nah, It’s the Fourth of July; everyone knows you shoot of fireworks on the Fourth of July.
Ship 2: Are you sure? We’re in Japanese waters. Don’t you think that people might freak out or something?
Ship 1: No, stop being such a wuss. What are you anti-American or something? It’s the Fourth of July, we set off fireworks on the Fourth of July, unless of course you’re a damn communist!
Ship 2: We’re temporarily friends with the communists, I think you meant fascists.
Ship 1: Oh yeah, I F’ing hate fascists.
Ship 2: Yeah, me too!
Ship 1: Alright here we go, let’s do this thing get those fireworks going!
Ship 2: Okay here we go, brace yourselves it’s gonna be awesome.
Ship 1: Yeah!!!!!! GO AMERICA!!!!!!!!
Fireworks Exploding
Other Ships: OH MY GOD SECRET ATTACK!!!!!! WATCH OUT THE JAPANESE ARE ATTACKING!!!!! ABANDON SHIP!!!!
Ship 2: No wait! Stop! They’re just fireworks. False alarm.
Other Ships: THERE ARE NUCLEAR WARHEADS ON THIS SHIP!!!! WE CAN’T LET THE JAPANESE GET THEIR HANDS ON THEM!!!!! SINK THE SHIPS!!!!! ABANDON SHIP!!!!! WE’RE GOIN’ DOWN!!!!
Ship 1: Come on guys! It’s the Fourth of July! What are you Communists, I mean Fascists.
Ship 2: So, this didn’t work out as well as we thought.
Ship 1: Whatever, the only reason someone would abandon ship on the Fourth of July would be because they are communists and don’t know a thing about fireworks.
Ship 2: Yeah they were all traitors. That’s what we’ll tell them.
I believe you did a good job in your presentation. You showed a lot of Smith’s photography and explained how the events of his life framed his work. You convincingly showed his desire to display human emotion with his artwork.
ReplyDeleteI believe Smith did succeed at portraying the human condition in his photographs. He does a good job at showing just a glimpse of life though the camera lens. Many of his photos seem spontaneous and unplanned, but he was also clearly very talented at setting up a shot on his end. While his subjects do not seem posed, the way he frames them is very skilled and gives the photos a professional quality. This duel impression is very effective. Smith also portrayed the human condition through what he chose to photograph: ordinary people. While none of subjects are well off, they are not destitute either. They are simply average people living their lives.
His photographic essays show this very well. Smith photographs midwives, doctors, soldiers, and village laborers, al doing their jobs. Despite the varied livelihoods portrayed, you can see common themes in all of them, the weariness and worry they all share. No matter how different the lives we lead, human beings share many of the same thoughts and emotions. There is something in Smith’s photography that almost anyone can connect to, despite the fact that few of us are midwives or country doctors.
I am particularly fond of the photograph titled “After Midnight,” portraying the country doctor after a surgery that lasted well into the early morning hours. You can feel the weariness of this man, how truly tired he must be from his efforts, and yet he does not appear to be going to sleep anytime soon. He is nursing a cup of coffee and is still dressed in his scrubs. He looks preoccupied, like his find is too full of thoughts. One can imagine him brooding on the surgery he has just done and wondering how it has gone. While his expression is not explicitly concerned, it seems studiedly so. It seems like he has learned to suppress any outward display of such an emotion for the sake of his work, so all he can do is look consumed by unknown thoughts. This entire series of photographs was my favorite, perhaps because there is one consistent subject. Looking at all of these photos in a row, you start to get a real impression of the doctor’s character and feel connected to him.
The work of W. Eugene Smith is stunning, not necessarily in the sense of ascetic beauty, but it actually makes the viewer stop and assess what they are seeing. It was his goal to capture the world as it truly was and share those images. There is obviously going to be a little manipulation in regard to the photographs, as Smith is an artist, but I think he does an excellent job of keeping those manipulations to a minimum and presenting real reflections of humanity. That is a very commendable achievement as well because it is hard to be unbiased in your views and to present art in a balanced manner is difficult.
ReplyDeleteYou did an excellent job of explaining Smith’s work, intentions and actions in your presentation. Though Smith’s goal was to take real photographs, I would have liked to hear an explanation of why he chose the events that he did to document. Obviously they were important to him, otherwise he would not have spent the time, but the war pictures are easier for me to understand than the photographic series of the country doctor. It is real life, but why that and not a schoolteacher or a struggling actor? Your detailing and explanation of his images was excellent, but I would have liked to hear a little more as to the inspiration behind his specific subjects.
As a photojournalist, his work was certainly influenced by the norms of the time, but even though he photographed what was socially interesting, I think there was also something more for him. To succeed in that type of a field you have to have a certain passion and desire to share your passion with the world. That would have been interesting to address. Overall though his work seems to be as minimally influenced by society and what was acceptable during that time and more of an accurate representation of the everyday man and the struggles and hardships of the average life.