Visual Culture - 1920-35 in Europe and Russia
Avant Garde Cinema of Germany or Soviet Russia in the 1920s. 

Avant Garde Cinema of Soviet Russia in 1920s. 

In the Russian Avant-Garde movement it covered art, literature, cinema, architecture and political propaganda. This occurred from the final Czarist regime to the 1930s. This period recognised for its bright colours, geometric shoes and bold lettering.

1920s, for the soviet union was when everything was revealed, creative designed poster were produced to promote the burgeoning silent movie industry. This was known as the 'Golden Era of Soviet Posters'. Artist were brought in, creating some of the most imaginative and startling films posters of all time, they recognised as an important movement of the 1920s in Soviet Russia.
Movies and posters were an art form and part of a culture for people with huge suns of money spent.

Posters shown such as the ones bellow...

Kino/Film: soviet Posters of the Silent Screen 

Stenberg Brothers, poter for three million case - 1926

Stenberg Brothers, poster for 'October' - 1927

1920s was the beginning of new graphic design created to advertise silent films across the Soviet Union. Film posters are now masterpieces of their rights, they were created when screen techniques were being incorporated into design of advertisements.  In the mid 1920s, cinema flourished in the soviet union, creating a new art form which film matched. 

Visual Culture - Bibliography 1920-1935 in Europe and Russia

Books :

• AKINSHA, K. (2007) The Holy Place : Architecture, Ideology and History in Russia. New Haven: Yale University Press. 
• CHUBAROV, A. (2001) Russia's Bitter Path to Modernity: A history of Soviet and Post Societ eras. London: Continuum Publishing Group. 
• GILLESPIE, D. (2000) Early Soviet Cinema: Innovationtion, Ideology and Propaganda. London : Wallflower Press. 
• HAYWARD, S. (2006) Cinema Studies: The Key concepts. 3rd edn. London: Routledge. 

Visual Culture -Toward the end of The 20th Century - The Digital Age. 

Fine Art, documentary or commercial photographers from 1970 to present. 

Documentary  photographers 

1970s -  Robert Johnson 

All the photo above belong to Robert Johnson

Robert Johnson a documentary photographer from the 1970s, in his work he uses the environment and other belonging such as tv, windows, billboards, this develops the human subject and the street. 

The photo above, looking closely repetition is occurred until the man is seated on the bench. Lines on the floor, wall and bench.  

In his work during the 1970s Johnson paid special attention to signature shapes, in furniture, and excoriation, round edges and circle where classes as being a sign of modernity. 

His work that depicts tv's, window and billboards are extremely vocal. 

An iconic image of the 1970s included Charles Manson framed by a television as seen in one of the above images. 

1980 - Chris Killip

All the work above belongs to Chris Killip 

Chris Killip is a documentary photographer in 1980, his work is known as being immediate and enduring, this work is described as the most authoritative and intense of work produce in the decade. his work in the 80s show the stark reality of industrial society in decline. 

In Killip's work it showed realism through the powerful, intense personal inflection. It is killip's long term goal to make photography perceived in a book, showing art, and the narrative. 

1990 - Martin Parr

All the Photos above belong to Martin Parr

Marin Parr is a documentary photographer in 1990, documenting people, object, situations.  His project are critical of modern day life, focusing mainly on the suburban life in England. 

In Marting career he has published around 50 book and has been featured in around 80 books.  

When Martin Parr is taking photographs he is an observer, he observes people behaving in different ways. His work uses humour, they mirror people, culture, occasions of the society. His photographs raise questions which he leaves the viewer to think for them selves. He tries to change people's point of views. 

2000 - Gulnara Samoilova 

All the photos above being to Gulnara Samoilova 

Gulnara Samoilova is a specialised documentary photographer, who witness the devastating tragedy of the 9/11. Gulnara work his recognised around the work, and has earned many prizes for them. In her line of work she documented the tragic 9/11 but she usually photographs wedding, to her a wedding is a very significant and emotional event, and her approach to the wedding makes is as stress free as possible.

Visual Culture -Toward the end of The 20th Century - The Digital Age.  Bibliography 

• 1000 Photo Icons: Georgians Eastman House (1999) Koln: Benedikt Taschen
• The Photography Book (1997) Oxford: Phaidon Press.
• SMITH M. http://sickoftheradio.com/2010/12/13/art-robert-johnson-documents-1970s/ (16/03/2014)
• http://we-english.co.uk/blog/?p=1121 (16/03/2014)
• ARDENNE, P. (1990) Face to Face: The art of portrait photography. Paris: Flammarion. 
• BADGER, G. (2001) Chris Killip 55. Oxford: Phaidon Press.

Visual Culture 1950s & 1960s

Documentary, street and fashion photographers in the 1960s. 

Documentary Photographer :   Eddie Adams 

All the photos above belong to Eddie Adams. 

A short film about Eddie Adams work, documented by the photographer himself. 

Eddie Adam was a perfectionist when it came to his photographic work. He has taken picture for a long time, photographing portraits and many other photos but his most iconic searing portraits where taken during his time in the Vietnam War. His close up portraits and images show and tells you stories with the way they are being presented. They show fear, desperation, anxiousness, scariness, and other emotions. That is what make Eddie Adams such a great photographer, he capture moments which are unique, feelings which are strong and the background of the people. 

The work he produce here were some of his most famous piece but shocking pieces of work known.

Street Photographer :  William Klein 

All the images above belong to William Klein 

This is a documentary sowing William Klein in the work he does and how he goes about doing it.

William Klein is a known photographer known for his beautiful, creative, unique street photography with a hint of fashion. In 1954 Klein started documenting the city, exploring the urban chaos. William Klein is an incredible man he has been called 'father of street photography'. His fashion photography has been described as influential and striking of the 20th century. He has ale put together over 20 films.
His street photography - William Klein use to shoot fashion photography for the money and only that, his passion was street photography, when creating his fashion shots he would try and use the outdoors because it would give him as much freedom as possible to experiment with styles and ideas.

I have been fortunate to visit one of his exhibitions in Amsterdam, and i found it to be incredible  inspiring and interesting to look at. I got to look at his work and how he presents them and they way he does too. his work is outstanding and you get an understanding of where it is and what he wants to portray in his images. 

Fashion Photographer :   David Bailey 

All the photos above belong to David Bailey. 

This is a short film about David Bailey and his work. 

In 1960 was when Bailey started his career as a fashion photographer, working for many magazines such a vogue, Elle, etc... In his work he photographer influenced people of the 20th century, photographing models,  pop stars, art directors, actors and photographers. His photographs consisted of hedonistic lifestyles and social mix of the 60s. An awful lot of his photographs were taken for Vogue magazine, but he did bring out his own book called 'Goodbye Baby and Amen', this book is the record of his entire photographic career. It shows many iconic peoples portraits such as the Beatles, the rolling stones, actresses, politicians, artist and writers. He was hailed as one of the Most Innovative photographer of the 1960s.

Visual Culture - 1950s & 1960s Bibliography

• BREWER, P (2005) War in Focus: 150 Years of Dramatic Photography From the Battlefield. London: Carlton Books. 
• The Photography Book (1997) Oxford: Phaidon Press. 
• BADGER, G. (2010) The Genius of Photography: How Photography has Change our Lives. First end. London: Quadrille.
• ARDENNE, P. (1990) Face to Face: The art of portrait photography. Paris: Flammarion. 
• BAILEY, D. (photo.) and HARRISON, M. (2003) David Bailey: Locations: The 1970s Archive. London. Thames & Hudson. 

Visual Culture - 1940s &1950s
Photographic Documentary In The Second World War....

In the second work war, it was not unusual for photographer to go out into the dangerous situations and record the living life of thousand of soldiers, families and businesses. 

This link to the video below is to show the different photography which photographers took in World War 2. 
Looking into documenting the world war 2, i decided to look onto the Internet and this is what i came across. 

Iconic documentary war Photographer Wayne Miller.

All photos above belong to Wayne Miller.

Wayne Miller was documentary photography who gathered as much photographs as he could have in  the second world war. He photographed anything that caught his attentions from boredom to horror. 

Wayne Miller photographed the human conditions in both the best and worst states, this shows their mankind and how they are surviving. When Miller started photographing after he left the arm, he was back on the front lines again photographing; photographing the horror of the war. 

Miller work was unique and was different from anyone else, what made this happened was that in 

his work he strove to climb inside those people, and look through their eyes. 

Another Photography from the Second work War

Yevgeny Khaldei 

All the above Photography taken by Yevgeny Khaldei

Khaldei found his love for photography when given a box camera and lens off his dead grandmother, by the time he was 18, Khaldei found a job as a photographer, but was soon sent into the army as a lieutenant to photograph the war, with only a backpack, his camera and some chemicals to develop the film and a black leather jacket he went a hot pictures. Khaldei was out in the war photographing for all the 1,481 days, whilst working for his job.
The outbreak of the Second world war, he was sent away to work with a group of British pilots.
1945, he documented war crimes trials in Nuremberg, where many Nazi were convicted. He photographed many during his time in the army as a documentary photographer. He saw many situations, good and bad but still documented to show the true war and conditions. he photographed till he died at the age of 80, but his work is still known today.

Visual Culture 1940s & 1950s Bibliography

• LARDINOIS, B. (2009) Magnum Magnum. London: Thames & Hudson. 
• Family Life in Britain 1900-1950 (2007) Futura Publications. 
• War Diary 1939-1945 (1995) London: Marshall Cavendish. 
• DESQUESNES, R. (2009) Witness Magnum Photographics From the Front line of WW II. France: Flammarion. 

•  http://lumieregallery.net/wp/258/yevgeny-khaldei/ (14/03/14)

Visual culture -  The Great Depression and Photography

What is the great depression? 

The Great Depression, occurred on the 29 October 1929, the day the stock market crashed. The great depression made the stock prices plummet and it had no hope of recovery. This led to many becoming bankrupted. Banks became under threat as people gathering all their money which led them in to bankruptcy and people who never maid it to the bank in time also became bankrupt. 
Many people tried to sell what they owned such as live stock, but no one was buying because they had no money. 
stock market which was always known for being rich, quickly came in to bankruptcy. 
Depression have been around before, but not like this one. In the past farmers was extremely safe, living of their live stock and finding ways of feeding them selves. Unfortunately this depression known as 'the great depression', they were hit by drought and dust storms. This created The Dust Bowl. 

What is The Dust Bowl...

'It was the worst man-made ecological disaster in American History.'

The dust bowl is basically, a drought. A drought which lasted for many years, covering thousand of acres. Destroying crops, live stock and land, turning it into dust. It was a man-made disaster which led to many people being bankrupted and starving, and families not being able to feed themselves. Men, women and children battling to survive. Many people took to the roads trying to find somewhere with new opportunities where they could build their new lives.
Photography played an important role in the Dust Bowl, documenting families and their situations.
Photographers not only wanted to show other of their situations but also to find out how much the camera could portray. 

Photography in the great depression ? 

The Dust bowl is still known today in word and in photos thanks to photographers such as Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange.

Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans were hired to document the work of an agency and also to record the life in small towns, towns which were hit hard by the great depression. During this time they had taken many photos such as  some below and they also created their most famous piece of work too. For Dorothea Lange this was 'the migrant mother' and for Walker Evans this was '....'

Walker Evans 

Starving Cuban Family, 1933.

Sharecropper's Family, Hale County, Alabama, 1935

Alabama Cotton Tenant Farmers Wife (Allie Mae Burroughs), 1936

Bud Fields, Cotton Sharecropper, Hale Country, Alabama, 1936. 

In the Depression years were the start of walker Evans productivity and accomplishments. This was  when he created his most memorable and famous pieces. He was assigned to document the small towns in the great depression and how the federal government was trying to improve many of the communities. 

When it came to Evans working, he paid a personal need to the American life, from the simple and ordinary. He photographed many during his time, such as roadside architecture, small town barbers and cemeteries. 

From the pictures shared in books, magazines, the 1930 the great depression shows iconic images, and now they are known in the visual history of the depression.

Walker Evans was known for my pieces of work but his most famous one was... 

This portrait was Evans most famous portrait. When looking at the image he jaw bones match the background, showing the sharp, strong lines with its premature ageing. In this photos Evans decided to shoot her face on. This could demonstrate that there wasn't any communication involved when setting it up, but she trusted him. 

Dorothea Lange -

Migrant Children, playing at nursery school, FSA camp. Tulare.

The Arnold children, Michigan hill, Washington, 1939

Two Children and a wooden shack they call home. 

Migrant Mother 1936. 

Dorothea Lange started of her career photographing the rich society, and when the dust bowl arrived she found herself photographing them.

She created many photographs but her most famous on was called the Migrant mother (seen above). 

when the dust bowl happened it was a shock and put as many as 14 million people out of work and struggling to survive in America. It was part of the worst man made disaster known in America. 

Dorothea Lange's photos showed the sensitivity to body gesture and language. 

photos like the ones about show the way the people's bodies are bent and out of shape. 

She noticed that all of the people who worked in the city kept themselves to themselves where as the migrant people were a talkative. 

Lange quoted ' migrant camps are always talkative'. 

Langes most famous picture to date of the dust bowl, is of the migrant mother... 

This picture shows a hungry farm worker family living in conditions which are not extremely pleasant. When taking this photo there was originally another child, a teenage daughter with them, but Lange decided not to include her in the photo. Lange got the children to turn their heads away from the camera, which allows the viewer to focus on the mothers facial expressions. 

When it comes to the composition in the photography, she has thought about where the children's would be placed, the angle and expressions. The framing of the image with the two children's heads gave this pictures masterful composition that distinguishes every great photographer.