Modernism - Edward Weston, Tina Modotti, Manuel Alvarez Bravo - Essay Example

Introduction The essay will examine the works of three artists i.e. Edward Weston, Tina Modotti and Manuel Alvarez Bravo; they were instrumental in the Modernist era. Modernism was characterised by focus on clear life forms. It was quite distinct from the previous era of pictorialism; a period marked with narrative like photographs. Modernism tended to deal with more simple forms. It was also permissible to deal with a range of subject matters without necessarily focusing on one particular item. 1 Edward Weston's contribution to modernism Edward Weston's career in photography lasted for a period of fifty years. He took his last photograph ten years before his death. The rest of his years were spent battling Parkinson's disease. This artist was quite instrumental in capturing the Modernism era during the twentieth Century. Weston was best known for capturing the real essence of life. Most of his photographs were rather idealistic as he had the ability to bring out the full essence of life using his camera. Weston was particularly fond of using an eight by ten inch camera. This facilitated thorough inspection of life forms and was one of the basic influences on the Modernist era. However, the phase of Modernism cannot be represented by one particular style of photography. As a matter of fact, the same can be said of this particular artist. Weston's career was not static; it transformed with the times. At the beginning, Weston began with a pastoralist period. However, Mexico changed all this because Weston spent a considerable period of life there. Afterwards, the latter country transformed his work into close images. Mexico made Weston get more interested in life form that included vegetables, landscapes and even nudes. Towards the end of his career, Weston changed his preferences and began doing complex images. Most of the latter pieces were don in California. Modernism as a form of art and photography is based upon the belief that particular objects need not be the main characters. Modernism allows for a number of objects to be used within an art form without making one stand out. This is exactly what Weston did towards the end of his career. This was the point at which Weston made a landmark contribution towards Modernist concepts. Using the influences form Mexico, Weston began making photographs that were fugal and mixed up. These images rarely had one particular subject at hand. He made use of natural objects such as see weeds and Rocks in order to achieve this. One can say that Weston had finally discovered who he really was. It is a known fact that most artists normally struggle with surrounding influences in order to forge their own style. It is indeed very evident that Weston underwent these struggles through the many phase of his career. But he finally discovered his true self after the abandonment of iconic pictures. During the first years of his career, Weston was particularly fond of centrality and unification of issues. These were all ideas that he forsook after he started taking more basic images. 2 It is also important to note that one of the outstanding issues in Weston's work was the fact that he seemed to take issue of printing very seriously. During the Modernist era, there was a serious respect for beautifully printed images. This is an aspect that Weston covered critically. For instance most of his prints are quite refined. He considered this aspect as the epitome of his work. Other artists may not be very interested in the printed versions of their work. Most of them may tend to focus on the theme of their work. The latter view is especially prominent in post modernist eras. Weston's manner of photography was unique to his work at that time. However, his methods became very famous later on. He influenced other artists in the Modernism era. For instance, he was one of the first artists to mount his camera on a tripod. He was also instrumental in making most photographers take up the use of large format negatives. Additionally, Weston was instrumental in ensuring that prints were wrought meticulously. 3 Weston got most of his inspirations from his surroundings, friends and the attitudes of his times. During the 1920s, Weston made a trip to Mexico. This was a place that transformed his was of thinking and hence his woks. Mexico was affected by Modernist ideas from Europe. At the same time, the country was still holding true to some of its traditional views. There were some rising socialist ideas that took up precedence in Mexican's daily lives. During this decade, Mexico had embraced Modernism and the theme was central in photographic and other art work in the country. During Weston's stay in Mexico, a lot of things changed as the artist was undergoing self discovery. Mexico's influences led Weston to adopt new objects such as; Clouds Still life Landscapes At that time, the artist did not abandon some his earlier work though. He still continued with them but in a different light. These included capturing portraits and photographing nudes. Mexican influences also led Weston to adopt a more simplified form of his representation through more emphasis on form. Mexico was quite rich in vast number of items. For instance the famous depiction of a maguey plant was one of the photos that highlighted how Weston had been affected by the Mexican landscape. Additionally, Weston did a photo on an old circus tent. It should be noted that Weston rarely depicted people in a socially sense. His forms were rather abstract in nature. Mexico also affected Weston's' work in that there was lot of earthen ware and desert plants there. Weston drew inspiration from these forms and began working on other still life forms even after leaving there. One can definitely see the relationship between the pots of Mexico and the shells that Weston later started photographing after he left Mexico. 4 After some years in Mexico, Weston decided to return to his home country; California. At that time, he continued doing portraits because there was a commercial need for them. On the other hand, he pursued new subjects during his free time. At that time, Weston mostly worked on vegetables and things like peppers. He depicted these images in a unique way. Thereafter, Weston started working on a range of subject matters. He would work on items such shells, vegetables, nudes, rocks and sand. At that point, he was trying to bring out the fact that most form are similar and there is universality about them. This was during the nineteen thirties. Later on in the mid thirties, Weston starting depicting parts of the human form by photographing only specific images. This was achieved through a smaller camera. At that time, Weston would make negatives that were 4-5 inches in size. 5 As it can be seen from the image below, the model's legs have been moved away from the rest of the body. Her arms take up a small portion of the rest of the frame. Source: http://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/weston/ Weston also worked on other static images. He would get items such as tree stump and the like and then he would arrange them in his studio. This approach was well laid out and not too spontaneous. However, Weston changed this approach during the late thirties when he started getting more spontaneous. He still wanted to depict forms of life but was more interested in objects that moved. This was why he started working on clouds and water waves. He also did a lot of work on landscapes at this time. The work highlighted rather calm phage of his career. Even his portraits seemed to bring this out. They were not as sharp as they were in his earlier years. Thereafter, Weston embraced complex images which were some of his last pieces. Modotti's contribution to Modernism Tina Modotti was an Italian by birth but had moved to United States ever since she was young. She entered the field of photography as a model. This was partly because Modotti was well endowed with beautiful features. She had full lips and a heavy presence about her; these were both characteristics that were sought after by many artists. Modotti started working for Weston as a model. They went to Mexico together and as they were there Weston taught Modotti the skills and art of photography. 6 She then began her work in the 1920s. At this time, Modotti's work also reflected the modernist tendencies present at that time. However, one must remember that there were some socialist tendencies too. These were elements that clearly stand out in Modotti's work. There are some images that she did depicting Mexican workers; she photographed some of the tools they used at that time. Here she brings out the sheer humility in the work and embraces the fact that they are indeed going through some struggles. These ideas are illustrated in a photograph she did in Mexico City in the year 1926 Source: http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/6aa/6aa406.htm Tina Modotti' work was quite political in nature. Weston, her mentor and tutor was a less political artist and this eventually led to the loosening of their friendship. Tina Modotti eventually formed a political movement and this was probably the reason why most of hr paintings were socialistic in nature. She was fond of highlighting ordinary day to day conditions among the Mexican. Her most outstanding theme was that of struggle and inequality. Her photos seemed like a documentary. Tin was involved in number of exhibitions and magazine covers. One of the magazines depicting her work includes El Machete. This was deeply political magazine and was also quite radical in nature. Any association with such a magazine meant that on had to be ready for condemnation it also meant that the government of the day was constantly under attack. Her approach eventually led to her demise in Mexico because she was interfering in Mexico's political life yet she was a foreigner. This is eventually what caused her deportation from Mexico back to her home country California. 7 But before her deportation, Modotti revolutionised Modernist photography through introduction of Straight photography- a concept that was uniquely hers. She also played a crucial role in development of art in Mexico's Modernism era. It should be noted that Modotti too had her on influences. Some of them were well known Mexican artist such a Jean Charlot, Guerrero, Guadalupe Marine, Diego Rivera and others. Modotti used the tripod camera to capture most of hr images. However, she later started using hand held camera after she realized that she needed more mobility. She believed that cameras were a sophisticated yet accurate way of depicting the evils of the day. These depiction of ordinary people were rather different form the earlier mentioned artist; Weston. While Weston did more abstract work, Modotti mainly focused on non idealistic depictions. She also depicted some structures that highlighted the very essence of Mexico. Some of the images that she took included; 8 Peasant sombreros Telephone wires Adobe churches Etc She used some still life forms because these were essential in preserving Mexican culture and recording events of the day. She chose to highlight taut telephone wires because she wanted to bring out the message that there had been some rural electrification at that time. She also took pictures of roses at close range. This was to represent the sculptural nature of the flowers because when taken at close range, most of them did not seem fragile. It should be understood that at that time, there was a revolution in Mexico. Most of the people at that time were protesting against the injustices of the day and Modotti was quite instrumental in portraying these sentiments. Her photos mostly showed the extent of poverty in Mexico. It should be noted that despite her political coz Modotti did not compromise on artistic values. Her photos depicted texture, geometry and form. For instance, there were some photos she took of sickles, hammers and bandoleers. The composition of these items clearly stands out and their textures are also clearly visible. Her still life forms were well arranged in pace and she brings out the fact that there is an artistic story behind the objects. She was not just trying to highlight the fact that most of her items were political in nature; she also brought out another perspective. 9 Additionally, Modotti did another still life image on a door and a staircase. The artist clearly brings out the light and shadows in the photos by carefully highlighting an open door and staircase in a well done composition. Another illustration is during the photos Modotti took of a staircase alone. In this photo, the artist brings put the fine arrangement of lines and planes by contrasting the diagonal nature of the staircase with the stability and straight nature of the wall besides it. As earlier mentioned, Modotti had taken a photo of a telephone line. Despite the social context behind this photo, there is also another sharp artistic style that she brings out. The telephone line is set against a background of a rough cloth. The purpose of this cloth was to bring out the sharp contrast of the two images. One can clearly see the differences in texture, tone and shape between the two. There were some images that Modotti created that were taken with the government and the people in mind. For instance, she takes a photo of some puppets made out of wood. These puppets seem to be laughing yet someone else is controlling their movements. Modotti brought out the nature of her wit though this. Many critics have asserted that she was trying to show how the people in Mexico were being controlled by their government (puppeteer) yet at the same time there was nothing that they could do about it. Since the puppets elicited some compassion form the audience, the same could be said of the people of Mexico. 10 As mentioned earlier, Modotti was interested in flowers too when she took the image of some roses. However, Modotti does not bring out the image of these roses in the manner that one would expect. She chose roses that were almost withering as some of their leaves were brown. The petal are quite limp and they depict the theme of decay or death; an issue that was very much present in modern day Mexico. Modotti also does the same thing for a manias plant. This plant by its very nature is quite awkward looking. It can be likened to a Simian paw, many art lovers have asserted that this plant symbolized the working nature of the people of Mexico because the plant was as tough as they were. Manuel Alvarez Bravo's contribution to Modernism Manuel was born and raised in Mexico. During his upbringing, he was influenced by the Mexican revolution between the years 1910 and 1920. At that time, Mexico was struggling with a number of issues that included rural and urban disparities. Mexico was also attracting a number of international artist like the ones mentioned above; Weston and Modotti. All these changes contributed to what Bravo highlighted in his work. He was one of the most influential Mexican modernists of his time. Bravo was well known for elevating his images. He was rather impulsive in his approach. This was because he believed that art was a journey in which one would discover things. He also embraced the idea that photographer's should not limit themselves with philosophies. Instead, they should simply focus on what they observe. 11 Bravo was faced with the challenge of forging out a form of representation that would capture Mexico's origins yet at the same time bring out the changes that had occurred over the years. Consequently, he created away in which this could be done through his creativity. Bravo was well known for his lack of straight forwardness. His images went beyond the obvious and required observers to think about them critically before interpreting them. Bravo was also well known for shunning clichs as irony was an outstanding theme in most of his work. One such example is Bravo's famous depiction of a Mexican boy in his Sed Publica photo. The latter term mean public thirst. In this photo, Bravo takes an image that would seem rather typical and magnifies a particular element to make it unique and creative. The boy in the photo is a peasant as he is wearing the Mexican common dress. He is trying to get water form borehole. Bravo brings out the light in the photo by contrasting the boy's image with nearby wall. Texture is also highlighted through differences between the water, wall and the boy. However, there is one particularly outstanding feature in this photo. The boy is stretching out his foot and a lot of light is concentrating on this foot. The foot itself is quite specific and cannot be used to represent the common peasant. Consequently, one can deduce that Bravo was trying to how Mexicans are struggling with the modern culture. Because of the specifity of this foot, Bravo is able to make seemingly picturesque image magnificent. 12 Bravo was well known for playing around with images in order to bring out Mexico's key elements. For instance, in one of his photos, Bravo was trying to capture a Maguey cactus. Some of the flower stems in the cactus has been made to stand out from the rest of the flower in order to depict the way a television antenna stands out from a television set. Clearly Bravo was fond of surprising his audience. In another picture, Bravo takes a photo of a mattress. While the former mentioned artists; Weston and Modotti had done this before using a woven mat; to depict the tradition in Mexico, Bravo instead depicts a modern mattress. However, he adds a twist to this through the straps used to tie the mattress as they look typically traditional. Bravo was trying to find out what Mexico's true essence really was. This is an issue that is quite different from trying to create a concept. Bravo highlights this belief in photo called 'La mama del bolero y el bolero' this is translated to mean a shoe shiner's mother and her son. In this photo, bravo shows a mother having lunch with her son who has been shining shoes all day and is now taking a break. The photo is quite simple and does not seem to idealise the subject matter. This is in sharp contrast to what had been done by Weston and Modotti. One can see that Bravo tended to avoid romanticizing images as this bought out some sort of creation. His emphasis was on discovery. Bravo will always be celebrated in Mexico for his contribution to Modernism. His style was unique in that he never did picturesque images. He was also quite fond of irony. He also brought out the dignity in the common man through his depictions of their daily endeavours. 13 Conclusion Weston drew his influences from Mexico. His trip to this country led to a journey of self discovery. Here, he was able to move from pictorialist tendencies to more Modern images. He got inspired by the earthen ware in Mexico and this is why he chose to depict other still life forms. Modotti on the other hand found her artistic value in Mexico. She learnt how to photograph in Mexico. She also used people to highlight the political sentiments of the day. Her photos are unique in their depiction of texture, contrast and light. She introduced straight photography in Modernist photos. Bravo was also unique in that he drew his inspiration form what he discovered. He was solely based in Mexico. However, Bravo is quite different form the former two artists because of his dislike for romanticism. He fancied irony and discovery mad these were the most outstanding features of his work. Reference: Weston, E. 'Seeing Photographically', in Wells, L (2003): The Photography Reader; London and New York: Routledge, pp.104-108 Ades et al (1989): Art in Latin America; South Bank Centre, London, 1989. Wilson-Bareau, J. (1992): Manet: The Execution of Maximilian. Painting, Politics and Censorship; London: National Gallery, 1992. Lowe, S. (2004): Tina Modotti and Edward Weston: The Mexico Years: London and New York: Merrel, and Barbican Gallery Hooks, M. (1993): Tina Modotti: Photographer and Revolutionary; London: Pandora, 1993. McGrath, R. (1987): Re-reading Edward Weston reprinted in Wells; The Photography Reader, 10, 8, 27 Mulvey, L. and Wollen, P. (1989): 'Frida Kahlo and Tina Modotti', in Mulvey, Visual and Other Pleasures, London: Macmillan Kismaric, S. (1997): Manuel Alvarez Bravo; New York: Museum of Modern Art Orozco, G. (1998): Clinton is Innocent (exh. cat.), Muse d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris Als, F. (2003): The Prophet and the Fly; Madrid: Turner Read More