The Works by Diane Arbus - Case Study Example

Photographs Within the scenario of portrait art, direct communication with the viewers is important because portraits communicate with the viewers by amalgamating artistic craftsmanship/creativity to photography. The works by Diane Arbus can be considered as the proportionate combination of art and artistic craftsmanship/creativity because she considered portrait art as her private interest, not as a demanding career. Thesis statement: The evaluation and compare contrast study based on Diane Arbus’s artistry as a portraitist proves that her artistic craftsmanship/creativity is based upon her attitude towards photography beyond careerism and deep interest in the darker corners of human life (special references to the photographs by Diane Arbus and Annie Leibovitz). Analysis: Evaluation: One can see that Arbus’ artistry as a portraitist is deeply rooted in her urge to redefine the general view on ugliness. To be specific, she consciously ignored popular subjects chosen by other portraitists. Besides, she accepted the universality of ordinary subjects which are generally assumed as ugly and useless. For instance, she made use of marginal people as her subject of portraits because she knew that she can reveal truth/reality by inculcating ordinary themes into her portraits. She considered that her portraits must represent the real world and the happenings in the lives of the individuals ignored by the mainstream society. Susan Sontag stated that, “Thus, what is finally most troubling in Arbus’s photographs is not their subject at all but the cumulative impression of the photographer’s consciousness: the sense that what is presented is precisely a private vision, something voluntary” (31). Those who go through her portraits will feel that time element is stagnant because there is no artificiality in her works. For instance, she used to conduct regular visits to the darker and ordinary areas of the society to mingle with ordinary people. From a different angle of view, she never considered individuals as her subjects, but as the integral part of civilization. This difference in view and perception of life is evident in her portraits. Similarly, she provided ample importance to artistic consciousness because she knew that sophistication cannot reveal her role in the society as a portraitist. This difference in view and outlook is important for a portraitist because conventional portraitists hesitate to go beyond their safe zones. To be specific, the general notion on privacy as a hidden factor in human life attracted Arbus because she was interested in dealing with ordinary people. So, one can see that Diane Arbus’ artistry as a portraitist is deeply rooted in her attitude towards photography as a medium to communicate with her viewers. Compare/contrast: Arbus’ approaches and achievements are related to her different outlook on photography as an art with social responsibility. To be specific, she totally ignored artificiality and chose spontaneity of daily life events as her theme. She knew that the viewers can be amazed by innovative and pompous themes, but cannot be satisfied. Susan Sontag stated that, “Arbus’s work expressed her turn against what was public (as she experienced it), conventional, safe, reassuring—and boring—in favor of what was private, hidden, ugly, dangerous, and fascinating” (36). So her approach was different and the same is evident in her photographs. For instance, her photograph named as Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park (1962) (see appendix-1) proves that artificiality does not attract her. To be specific, the boy in the photograph is symbolic of a child’s attempt to imitate the adult world with full of desperation. Besides, the boy’s expression (irritation) proves that he is totally fed up with Arbus’ attempt. So, one can see that there is less artificiality in the portrait and the same evident in the boy’s expression. On the other side, Annie Leibovitz’s work named as More Demi Moore (1991) (see appendix-3) proves the economic value of portraits. To be specific, the economic value of nudity is exploited by the portraitist. Besides, this portrait is used as the cover page of the publication named as Vanity Fair. From a different angel of view, this portrait reveals the economic value of portraits, apart from its aesthetic value. In addition, this portrait resulted in the production of more portraits related to pregnancy and nudity. The portrait named as Jewish Giant, taken at Home with His Parents in the Bronx, NY, (see appendix-2) produced in the 1970 by Arbus proves that the portraitist attempts to prove that the society considers abnormal growth of certain individuals as a tool for entertainment, but parents never do so. Within this scenario, the portraitist visited her model named as Eddie Carmel and produced this everlasting portrait. On the other side, the portrait by Annie Leibovitz, named as Pilgrimage, (see appendix-4) is symbolic of technical perfection and economic value of portrait art. Besides, this portrait (nature) was used as front cover by magazines and the same proves its economic value. Still, this photo is more important than other works by Leibovitz because the same is original without any retouching. But the portraitist is aware that her work is with immense economic value in the world of art. On the other side, the works by Arbus does not provide importance to economic value because she provided importance to aesthetic value of photography. In short, one can easily identify that Arbus’ approaches and achievements within the field of photography are related to her outlook on art. Personal opinion: Arbus’ portraits have won such enormous critical success because she was aware of her role among other portraitists and within the context of photography. She consciously chose subjects which are considered as odd. For instance, she did not ignore the lives of the downtrodden people in the society. Generally, people with difference in appearance are neglected by the mainstream society. Arbus’ portraits contain all these people because she considered them as normal individuals, but with difference. She deserved success because her family background proves that artistic craftsmanship is a hereditary factor in her family. She belonged to a well settled family, but she tried to escape from comfortable and peaceful life and mingled with people. Susan Sontag stated that, “Arbus’s interest in freaks expresses a desire to violate her own innocence, to undermine her sense of being privileged, to vent her frustration at being safe” (34). In short, she knew that art can help herself to be free from a mechanical life and to enjoy the freedom put forth by art. Summing, Diane Arbus’s works prove that one’s attitude towards art determines one’s status within art. As an artist, especially as a portraitist, Arbus was ready to go beyond the limits of traditional art. On the other side, the economic value of portraits attracts portraitists and they try to imitate famous portraitists. But Diane Arbus did not try to copy the style of any other portraitist because she knew that photography is her personal interest. Besides, her positive attitude towards social responsibility helped her to be successful within the context of art. On the other side, careerism did not affect her art because she chose odd subjects for her portraits. In short, single minded dedication and the effort to be beyond the contemporary portraitist in style, themes, and subject matter, helped Diane Arbus to be a remarkable portrait artist. Works Cited Sontag, Susan. On Photography. New York: RosettaBooks LLC, 2005. Print. Appendices Appendix-1 Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park Available at: - http://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/boy-with-toy-hand-grenade/ Appendix-2 Jewish Giant, taken at Home with His Parents in the Bronx, NY, Available: - http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/13/arts/design/diane-arbus-recorded-a-bronx-familys-unsettling-dynamic.html?_r=0 Appendix-3 More Demi Moore Available at: - http://backissues.com/issue/Vanity-Fair-August-1991 Appendix-4 Pilgrimage Available: - http://chrisbonney.blogspot.in/2011/11/original-and-not-touched.html Read More