"So I'm in the Tate/And I'm looking at Hockney.
There's something about that blue/It touches me deep inside.
It makes me remove my tie/It makes me step outside/Sweet Jesus, my heart!"
- Modern Art, Art Brut
I went to the SF MOMA and the Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco this weekend and OD-ed on the photographer Lee Friedlander. There were large shows of his work at both places, and the experience left me feeling renewed and awed.
His work is best viewed en masse, because it's not very striking when taken out of context. I remember seeing his shadow photos in college (below) and being indifferent to them. But when you see his whole body of work, you come to appreciate and marvel at the consistent and genius framing of every photo.
He has done many series over the years, but my favorite is his latest, "America By Car."
The title is pretty self-explanatory. The beauty of these photos is that he's working with two frames; the camera frame, and the frame of the car window/mirror. It's really subtle, and he makes it look easy.
I also love his self portraits and the photos of his family. A lot of his work is incredibly funny and sarcastic. Sometimes it seems that he took a picture simply because it amused him more than anything else.
I've been thoroughly inspired.
There's something about that blue/It touches me deep inside.
It makes me remove my tie/It makes me step outside/Sweet Jesus, my heart!"
- Modern Art, Art Brut
I went to the SF MOMA and the Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco this weekend and OD-ed on the photographer Lee Friedlander. There were large shows of his work at both places, and the experience left me feeling renewed and awed.
His work is best viewed en masse, because it's not very striking when taken out of context. I remember seeing his shadow photos in college (below) and being indifferent to them. But when you see his whole body of work, you come to appreciate and marvel at the consistent and genius framing of every photo.
He has done many series over the years, but my favorite is his latest, "America By Car."
The title is pretty self-explanatory. The beauty of these photos is that he's working with two frames; the camera frame, and the frame of the car window/mirror. It's really subtle, and he makes it look easy.
I also love his self portraits and the photos of his family. A lot of his work is incredibly funny and sarcastic. Sometimes it seems that he took a picture simply because it amused him more than anything else.
I've been thoroughly inspired.