The City in Photography
Photography established at a time when cities had provoked formidable literature and arts.
Panoramics were important early, eg Daguerre and Muybridge. Panoramic photographs have always been important by making viewer centre of the totality.
City photography has had central icons like churches and skyscrapers but the opposite is street scenes which "engage with the clutter of the city, its chaos and process..."
Negre established street figure as significant in late 19th century eg The Organ Grinder. By comparison Talbot showed less sense of what to do with urban scene.
Stieglitz was most well -known early New York photographer. His photographs commonly omit people (eg Flatiron) typically aiming for skyline or architectural view. (eg From the Shelton).
Others, notably Jacob Riis in How the other Half Lives, did try to enter the secret City.
Hine also made the human figure central in his photographs of Lower East Side, Ellis Island & Empire State Building.
Perhaps most photographed city is Paris - Marville, Negre, Bayard and Le Secq are all examples, but the central photographer is Eugenne Atget who shot samll detail. His images were preservation of the past.
Lartigue sought a more modern Paris, Brassai photographed night life. Kertesz, like Brassai, photographed from hotel room but also during day.
The overall message of Clark in this chapter seems to be that the city defies easy classification by photographer - the city is what the photographer shoots. Architecture orpeople, daytime or night time, run down areas or large structures; these are all part of the dialectic of urban photography.
Clark clearly has his favourites, eulogising about Kertesz for example but relegating Lartigue to a mention. He has an irritating tendency to resort to meaningless tautology such as: "All is a hierophany of meaning".
Perhaps most photographed city is Paris - Marville, Negre, Bayard and Le Secq are all examples, but the central photographer is Eugenne Atget who shot samll detail. His images were preservation of the past.
Lartigue sought a more modern Paris, Brassai photographed night life. Kertesz, like Brassai, photographed from hotel room but also during day.
The overall message of Clark in this chapter seems to be that the city defies easy classification by photographer - the city is what the photographer shoots. Architecture orpeople, daytime or night time, run down areas or large structures; these are all part of the dialectic of urban photography.
Clark clearly has his favourites, eulogising about Kertesz for example but relegating Lartigue to a mention. He has an irritating tendency to resort to meaningless tautology such as: "All is a hierophany of meaning".
