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A Personal World: The Imagery of Aaron Siskind Final Project Essay and Images
Alexis A. Clements GS 625 OL1: History of Photography, David Arnold Academy of Art University, Spring 2011
Figure 1: Aaron Siskind, Chicago 224, 1953 Why Siskind Matters Aaron Siskind (b. 1903) was a man who was not only short in stature and often noted to be characteristically abrupt, yet lived a duality of fragility recalls student, friend, and biographer Carl Chiarenza [1]. Siskind is a photographer who cannot be mentioned without comparing his works to that of abstract expressionist painters like Franz Kline and Willem De Kooning, both painters who adopted acceptance of Siskind's abstract photography before being accepted by other photographers [2]. Before turning the
camera to found abstractions, Siskind was a member of the Photo League and his photographic beginnings began with depictive artistic involvement by photographing politically charged documentary works. Although commiserative of the political ideas of the Photo League, Siskind became disenchanted with their political agenda and separated from the group. In 1943 Siskind had what he called a picture experience, a photographic epiphany in Gloucester, MA (Figure 5) where he began allowing objects to express themselves in their own way [3]. This pivotal moment created a stir among photographic communities, yet acceptance from all other arts. Taking the ideas sown by Alfred Stieglitzs The Equivalent and straight photography, Siskind advanced them and found his place in the history of photography by introducing the idea of expressionistic abstract photography that is noted to be one the most widely used approaches in photography today [4]. This essay will explore Siskinds picture experiences by addressing Siskinds formal and artistic involvement, photographic syntax, as well as technological choices.
Equivocal Form During the early 1940s, Siskind began transitioning from making architectural and social photographic recordings and begun focusing on small details of crumbling urban walls (Figure 4). John Szarkowski notes in Siskinds new work as being less rigid in depicting public meanings for the stationary vigilance of formal concerns [5]. Siskinds work carries within its frame a deliberate use of flatness of space, visual texture, shapes, differences between high and low contrast values that heighten the sharpening of each image for expressive purposes. These formal qualities combined with abstraction did not gain him popularity among photographers. Siskinds work using gestural formal qualities was most accepted within the abstract expressionist school (of the time that) and this signature style Siskind carried through the rest of his life (d. 1991) [6]. Siskind was not only influenced formally by these painters but also had a hand with his early abstractions of influencing the work of Franz Kline who was known for painting with a black and white palette (Figures 2 and 3) [7]. Like noted, not all were observers and critics of art were sold on abstract expression at the time of its arrival and critic Margery Mann was not easily swayed and was quoted describing Siskinds works as a quagmire of verbalization as thick and viscous as marshmallow syrup [8]. Although Siskind was known for recording the appearance of something, it could be said that he manipulated the scene by tightly composing his images to leave out the big picture to promote expressiveness in the details found in textural surfaces and thus
could be placed as a photographer who used constructed artistic involvement. The purpose of this, when I make a photograph, says Siskind, I want it to be an altogether
Figure 4: Aaron Siskind, Rome, 1963 new object, complete and self-contained, whose basic condition is order [9]. The abstraction of these found subjects for the sake of expressiveness is referred to as the equivalent still life where Siskind is the herald of transforming these photographic metaphors begotten by Stieglitz [10].
What is the true subject of the abstractions of Aaron Siskind? There seems to be a conflict or a duality (much like the authors personality) that resonates in Siskinds images. Siskind desired there be a relationship with viewer, yet the work could be selfexpression that may exclude the viewer. Being they are expressive equivalents, there must be a deeper subject than that of peeling paint on a wall. There is something about Siskinds works that is very sociological or anthropological in its purpose. As Chiarenza writes, He has always been drawn to the remains of human presense and activity, as if he were in search of the sources of humanity and its expression. There is not a true or straightforward subject in Siskinds work and again Chiarenza notes that Siskind was against the self-expressive photograph, that those types of photographs take advantage of art if it solely is about personal feelings rather than holding importance to the viewer (Example: stirring up memories). Siskind strongly believed to make images where the expressive metaphorical subject held a relationship with the viewer [11]. Siskinds Credo was published first in 1956 in Spectrum where he writes about the subject of his images being that of his own interests and experiences [12], and hence that duality. Siskind uses photographic syntax is the traditions of the photographers who had taken their approach in the tradition of straight photography. A movement in photography that chose to use the camera at its fullest mechanical bounds by maximizing focus with small apertures and extensive knowledge in getting the most tonal
Figure 5: Aaron Siskind, Gloucester I, 1944 range from a negative. Siskinds syntax relied on straight technique and the objective power of the cameras lens, but by deliberate election of Siskinds interest in subject and how to depict that subject in an expressive way [13]. Choosing to use primarily large format view cameras, first with a 5x7 and later with a 4x5 Linholf mounted on a tripod working slowly and methodically, knowing for only going out with six sheets of film a day (two exposures for each photograph so three in total) [3]. By the 1970s he traded in sheet film for a square format Rollei, but still was known to work systematically the same as before [14]. This shift from sheet film to roll film is likely due to the technological
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determinism to attempt in using lighter weight cameras for working more freely. Another technological shift that didnt impact Siskinds syntax was his choice of film stock. Choosing to shoot in black and white for the majority of his career and his few color images were seldom published or exhibited [15]. Influenced by Siskind Taking the lead by Siskind, there is a quiet and contemplative approach to photographing abstract expressionism through photography. Setting out to do so, choosing the alleyways of an urban neighborhood rich in textures of the entropy that is inevitable where evidence of human production and neglect I set out with my modern camera of digital technology with a 35mm macro lens, no tripod and dog in tow. Photographing tight compositions of age worn subject matter in expressive ways is a style in photography that I am no stranger to. In the past I never approached it with Siskind in mind, today I do. In each of the images below, I chose to focus on selective details of the scene before me. Taking flatness of space, visual texture, and unique intricacies in consideration. In each of the images below I feel my images fit in the tradition of Aaron Siskind by the power of seeing. Anyone can set out with their camera with the intention of photographing black and white surface textures just about anywhere. Siskind had a heighten sense of awareness that was unique to him. I cannot say that I serve him any justice, but I can say that I have taken the path of Siskind by devoting these sampling of images working towards a straight methodology of photographic practice and training myself to be hyper aware of form and arrangements to create order within the frame,
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Figure 6: Aaron Siskind, Chicago 27, 1960 and thinking of the previously mentioned quote by Siskind [9] to create an all together new object. A thing that differs from myself and Siskind that is seen in these images is that using lines in a gestural way is a bit of a challenge for myself due to the fact that I seek to make lines rigid and in a sense too ordered, relying primarily in the imperfections of the subjects themselves to assist in any gestural rendering but these could be compared to Siskinds Chicago 27 (Figure 6). Another characteristic lifted from Siskinds work was incorporating graffiti or text as seen in Chicago 224 and New York 86 (Figure 1 and 7)
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This way of photographing is not as easy as it looks as one must look past a subject they may dismiss. I chose to borrow the formal qualities and a modern syntax of Siskinds, but compose and notice details unique to myself and inspired by him. The title of this essay comes from Siskinds credo where he asks, What is the subject matter of this apparently personal world? [12]. As implied above that it rests not only on the photographer and his chosen subject infused with his own personal experiences but that of the viewer to decode with their own experiences a subject that relates to them. If you have the mind that allows free association Siskinds imagery will allow you to find clues that are meaningful to you. Theyre there. He put them there for you to discover. We all see in our own personal worlds.
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Plate One
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Plate Two
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Plate Three
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Plate Four
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Plate Five
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Plate Six
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Plate Seven
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Plate Eight
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Plate Nine
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Plate Ten
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Works Cited: 1. 2. Chiarenza, Carl. Pleasures and Terrors. New York Graphic Society. 1892. Pg. 1. "Aaron Siskind." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011. Web. 11 May. 2011. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/546679/Aaron-Siskind. 3. 4. 5. Rhem, James. Aaron Siskind. Phaidon. 2003. Pg. 10. AAU, History of Photography Module 10, Session 10. Szarkowski, John. Looking At Photographs. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. 1973. Pg. 156. 6. Bunnell, Peter. Inside The Photograph, Aarond Siskind: The Bond and The Free. Aperture. 2006. Pg. 92. 7. Grundberg, Andy. Otherworldly Abstractions of Aaron Siskind. New York Times. Web. 11 May. 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/08/arts/review-photography-the-otherworldlyabstractions-of-aaron-siskind.html?src=pm. 8. Eisinger, Joel. Trace and Transformation: American Criticism of Photography in the Modernist Period. Uiversity of New Mexico Press. 1995. Pg. 201. 9. Siskind, Aaron. Aaron Siskind: Photographs 1932-1978. Museum of Modern Art, Oxford. 1979. Pg. 7. 10. AAU, History of Photography Module 10, Session 10. 11. Chiarenza, Carl. Pleasures and Terrors. New York Graphic Society. 1892. Pg. 4. 12. Siskind, Aaron. Aaron Siskind: Photographs 1932-1978. Museum of Modern Art, Oxford. 1979. Pg. 7.
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13. Eisinger, Joel. Trace and Transformation: American Criticism of Photography in the Modernist Period. Uiversity of New Mexico Press. 1995. Pg. 182 14. Chiarenza, Carl. Pleasures and Terrors. New York Graphic Society. 1892. Pg. 187. 15. Rhem, James. Aaron Siskind. Phaidon. 2003. Pg. 118.
Figures: 1. Siskind, Aaron. Aaron Siskind. Phaidon. 2003. Pg. 61 2. Kline, Franz. The Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection. Web. 11 May. 2011. http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2009/meyerhoff/index.shtm. 3. Siskind, Aaron. Places. Light Gallery, New York. 1976. Pg.60 4.Siskind, Aaron. The Aaron Siskind Foundation. Web. 11 May. 2011. http://www.aaronsiskind.org/images.html. 5. Siskind, Aaron. Photographs 1932-1978. Museum of Modern Art, Oxford. 1979. Pg. 20 6. Siskind, Aaron. The Flying Buttresses. Web. 11 May. 2011. http://flyingbuttresses.wordpress.com/2007/09/29/on-a-plane-somewhere-over-the-sea-above-the-rain/. 7. Siskind, Aaron. Museum of Contemporary Art. Web. 11 May. 2011. http://www.mocp.org/collections/permanent/siskind_aaron.php.