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| Self Portrait, New York, NY, 1953 |
This week I visited Fotografiska to see Vivian Maier: Unseen Work.
I’ve made one previous post about this special artist, comparing my own work to hers and reflecting on the myriad inspirations that arise when I spend time with her photographs. I rarely feel emboldened to make pictures of people (in truth I feel more confident in doing so when abroad, perhaps because the language barrier provides a buffer), but again, after seeing the work on view, I’m considering trying my hand at candid portraiture in my own city.
That said, there is something in Maier’s photographs that I feel I won’t readily attain: character. The bulk of my work is centered on documenting what remains of past generations of this city amidst a depressing homogenization of buildings (see: oppressive glass boxes) and it’s uncommon to see well- or interestingly-dressed people out and about (see: athleisure). I’m not saying it can’t be done, but achieving the same quality Maier did in her portraiture might not be within the realm of possibility for a photographer of my predilection in a city this hyper-gentrified.
This was the second Maier exhibition I have had the pleasure of attending. The first was Vivian Maier: The Color Work at Howard Greenberg Gallery in November 2018. While she predominantly shot monochrome, Maier’s color work is exquisite. At Unseen Work, there were a select few color images, printed by the photographer, that have lost their luster to the ravages of time; these were not part of The Color Work show. I overheard a French woman, speaking to another attendee while viewing these images, remark that Maier’s work loses quality when in color. I had to stop and tell her about The Color Work, of which she was not aware, which lead to an interesting discussion about Maier and the difficulty of finding great photo exhibitions in New York City. I could only partially agree: I have seen some truly incredible gallery shows, exhibits, and retrospectives in my time here, but they do seem less frequent these days. Shieli, the woman with whom I was speaking, then told me that in Paris for the entire month of October, all of the art galleries have photography on view. Apparently this is a yearly tradition, and one that I am now eager to experience.
One of my favorite things about Maier's work is her framing. Whether it be self portraiture in various reflective surfaces or of other people going about their business, she was a master of finding interesting ways to frame her subjects. Below are a selection of images from the exhibition I found myself lingering over that had this quality.
