Thursday, April 24, 2014

Not Sure Yet


            Subject matter and formal principles of design intrinsically inform and aid one another in an artwork. Sometimes, content and meaning are brushed aside for the sake of strong aesthetic quality, and vice versa. The most powerful artworks, though, let the content and the principalities work together to form an exponentially stronger composition than either could accomplish alone. Walker Evans, an influential 20th century photographer, had a keen sense of this interplay, seamlessly weaving together narrative and formal beauty. Evans was often unconventional in the way that he created scenes, especially in his handling of humans as subject matter. In a score of photographs that have young boys as the subject, Walker Evans simultaneously instills feelings of uncertainty and uncomfortability and creates striking compositions that demonstrate his strong formal understanding of capturing moments.
This collection of photographs and film negatives come from the Metropolitan Museum’s extensive collection of Walker Evans’ work. The seemingly off-handed manner of some of them further informs the question of context; namely, what is Evans’ relationship to these “unidentified boys”? The continuity of subject matter in this curation intentionally addresses Evans’ interests and intentions, and is but a miniscule cross-section from what is a 9,000+ image collection of many varying narratives involving people, places and times that were important in his life.


[Unidentified Boy] by Walker Evans, 1930s, film negative, 1994.255.289

            This young boy, dressed in only his underwear and a sweater begs the questions of setting, reasoning, relation and more. Wearing a blank expression on his face, knee propped easily on the arm of the couch, this boy appears either very comfortable, or very out of place The relaxed pose hints at a casual shot, perhaps a candid moment between relatives or close acquaintances. On the other hand, the sparse setting provides a strong composition, emphasizing shadow and lines, and gives no indication of specific setting or time. These two opposing forces combine to create a strong scene that is thoroughly ambiguous, yet strikingly beautiful.


[Barefoot Boy in Chair in Coal Miner's House, Vicinity Morgantown, West Virginia] by Walker Evans, 1935, film negative, 1994.258.155
            This photograph similarly centers on a young boy, but provides more context as far as the setting. The boy is seated in a room that has a lot of character, and one that almost undoubtedly belongs to either the subject of the photograph of the photographer himself. The boy, the dresser and the small table are almost perfectly situated in thirds in the picture plane, creating a strong formal composition, while also holding important information about the subject. 

[Douglas Bedford on Lawn, Bedford, New York] by Walker Evans, 1940, film negative, 1994.254.76
            The title of this piece lets us know that the subject is known, instead of the often “unidentified” boys that are present. The expression that this boy wears is fitting for the outdoor scene, a combination of contentment and joy. Because most of Evans’ work was in black and white, he had a fantastic perception of value and contrast. Here, the range of value is working well to give visual interest to a simple scene, ultimately drawing the viewers eye back to the focal point in the boy.

[Portrait of Unidentified Boy on Lawn] by Walker Evans, 1940, film negative, 1994.252.61

            Unlike the previous images, this one focuses on a young boy who is not facing the camera. Whether he was being photographed without knowing or not, the candid nature of this scene adds another dimension to the ongoing narrative in Evans’ work. In another natural setting, the innocence of youth in the young boy is contrasted with the untamed, openness of his play area. This image is intimate in a different way than the others in this curation, simply because it leaves maximum room for doubt about the relationship between subject and photographer.

[Unidentified Young Boy] by Walker Evans, 1930, film negative, 1994.255.242

            This image almost completely eliminates context or setting, with the boy’s head taking up 75% of the picture. The questioning look in his face, though, is certainly enough visual interest to fill the piece. The use of a shallow depth of field in this photo helps emphasize the facial features, particularly the moist lips, clear eyes and dark shock of hair on the forehead. The intimacy is palpable, and provides probably the strongest implied connection of subject and photography strictly based on the scale.

[Unidentified Boy] by Walker Evans, 1930, film negative, 1994.255.290

            Lastly, fittingly, is a closer shot of what appears to be the same “unidentified boy” as my first image. In this image the boy is now dressed, wearing a sports coat and tie, and an expression that is both amusing and informative. Notable here is the rather awkward positioning of the boy’s upper body, which could hardly be mistaken for any kind of intentional pose. In this image, I think we are left to suppose there is a level of comfortability and casual interaction between Evans and the boy. Like the previous image, the interest and composition rides on the boy’s facial expression, banking on the implied movement of the mouth and peering eyes.   


by J.T. Kelly





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