André Kertész, Poughkeepsie, New York, 1937
Gelatin
Silver Print, 23.6 x 18.3cm. Metropolitan Museum of Art: 1972.572.1
André Kertész is a
migrant himself. In following a job opportunity, he was transplanted from
Hungry to New York. Kertész’ work has
strong semblances to both formalism and surrealism. In Poughkeepie, New York, strong elements of formalism are shown
through the stark lines that guide the eye in navigating through the picture.
However, aside from the formal elements, there is something else happening in
the subject matter. All of people in this photograph are Caucasian. Also all
are middle-class to upper-class citizens (excluding the one station worker that
is separate from those on the platform). The interesting phenomenon in this
picture is the surprising lack of interaction among those waiting for the
train.
Ansel Adams, Untitled, 1944
Born Free and Equal: Camera Book. Library of Congress: F870.J3 A57
Ansel Adams, typically known for his landscape photographs, shifts his lens to document the plight of Japanese-Americans. Taking pictures of the Manzanar interment camp, Adams seeks to argue through his photographs the humanity of people he is photographing. This picture shows a scene of girls presumably walking either to or from school. The picture is captioned with “Manzanar is only a Detour on the Road of American Citizenship” showing the persistent faces of those willing to do what it takes to enjoy American freedom. The contrast can be seen between this piece and Ketész’ Poughkeepsie. While the formal elements remain, the contrast in subject matter and its portrayal is quite powerful.
Ansel Adams, An American School Girl, 1944
Born Free
and Equal: Camera Book. Library of Congress: F870.J3
A57
Ansel Adams captures
the contagious smile of a young, Japanese-American girl, once again seeking to
show his presumably Caucasian, middle-to-upper class American audience the
humanity and genuineness of the people he is photographing. A smile is
something shared by all humanity. It melts barriers and helps the viewer to
realize how much more similar everyone is than different. I think that was what
Ansel Adam’s was trying to convey in titling this piece An American School Girl (emphasis
mine).
Dorothea Lange, Japanese Owned Grocery Store, 1942
Photonegative,
5in x 4 in. Oakland Museum of
California: A67.137.42015.1
Dorothea Lange gives
us a compelling photograph of a shop owned by a Japanese man. The fact that
this man had to have a sign painted with the message “I am an American” speaks
volumes to the tensions that arose in America especially after the bombing on
Pearl Harbor (which the owner tells Lange happened right before he decided to
have the sign painted). This man, misunderstood due to his ethnic heritage, was
forced to abandon his shop. Unfortunately those in governmental power did not
seem to believe his sign and his plea that he was just the same as them.
Dorothea Lange, Human Erosion in California (Migrant Mother), 1936
Gelatin Silver Print, 13 7/16 x 10 6/19 in.
The J. Paul Getty Museum
This image of a
starving mother with her children immediately draws the viewer in. The mother’s
concerned look can easily be read even as her children, hidden as they are from
the camera, also have a discernable air of grief and desperation. It would seem
that the mother is looking forward, unsure of the future while the children,
with growling bellies, are all too aware of the present. Again, Dorothea Lange
is documenting the plight of migrants and how easily they left alone and
helpless.
André Kertész, The Lost Cloud, New York, 1937
Gelatin Silver Print, 9 ¾ x 6 ½ in. The J. Paul Getty Museum
Many things could be
said of Kertész’ Lost Cloud. One could talk about the photo’s formal
aspects such as the cloud being the only organic shape and the contrast between
the cloud and the skyscraper. However, there seems to be more to this
photograph. It seems that Kertész is analogously comparing himself to this
cloud as though he himself felt alone in New York. This photo was taken soon
after his arrival in New York. The feeling of being alone would continue to
haunt Kertész, a migrant who struggled with English and felt like his was not as
appreciated in the states as he was in Paris. He would stay in America until
his death, bearing to his grave his identity as a migrant.