New Documents-sarahlynn

To continue my study of the photographers, I chose to examine an exhibition by the Museum of Modern Art in 1967. The exhibition titled "New Documents" contained the photography of two photographers on our list: Diane Arbus and Lee Friedlander. Although the exhibition copies are not able online, the commentary by the curator (John Szarkowski) is. According to Szarkowski, even though Arbus and Friedlander have different photography styles, they held a common belief that the world is worth looking at. The exhibition is where Friedlander came to prominence and was celebrated because it redirected the technique of documentary photography to more personal ends. In particular, Arbus wanted to capture people who were considered misfits in a way that would make them remarkable. Arbus accomplished this through the following picture, where the girls stand out individually instead of being regarded to as one entity: twins.

Unlike Arbus, Friedlander had a greater emotional distance from his subjects. He sought to understand life in order to present it through photography. Although simple in nature, the following picutre shows the artistry of Friedlander through the reflections and emotions of the people represented.