By Madalena Filosemi
At the beginning of March, I went to see the Frick Museum’s newest exhibition which is titled, “Street Photography to Surrealism: The Golden Age of Photography in France from 1900-1945”. This event was advertised with an old, black and white self portrait of a woman taken on a film camera. So, walking in I believed that the entire gallery would be solely dedicated to the artist, Ilse Bing, and her prolific work. However, the museum was broken up into sections that displayed a total of five photographers work there. Them being: Isle Bing, Man Ray, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Eugène Atget and Brassaï. Although all of their styles are exquisitely unique, the moments each of them captured occurred during the same era, between the two world wars. Every individual artist had a major emphasis on the depiction of European culture and used such powerful techniques that successfully shifted outsider’s points of view to their own.
The artists that stood out to me the most were Isle Bing and Man Ray. As I entered the first room, Isle Bing’s photos were initially the only images I saw. I had the opportunity to read about her upbringing, learning that she grew up in Germany and then later moved to Paris after discovering her passion for photography while studying architecture. The struggle of receiving critical commentary that suggested giving up her livelihood due to her testing social boundaries was prevalent as she dove into the modernized art world. Yet, Bing continued to reveal what elements of life surrounded her, despite the beauty or lack thereof. Shown alongside her infamous self-portrait were photos of civilians that interacted with the world around her. Whether it be glorious dancers in ruffled, puffy dresses or, the homeless sleeping on the cold pavement; she took things as they were presented to her. Which created a spiraling fascination of what other people’s lives consist of, especially in such a detrimental period of time.
Man Ray on the other hand, is a prominent figure who has made his mark in the surrealism and experimentation era by not confining himself to strictly photography. He expanded his artistic abilities to film, sculpture, poetry and screen-printing. Whilst attending an art school in New York, he fell in love with painting and was inspired by artists who lived in France at the time. But, when he later left the United States to move to Paris, he realized he could not sustain a comfortable living off of painting alone. Thus, pushing him into the fashion photography scene where he took portraits for Vogue and Vanity Fair.
Resembling the introductory set up of Isle Bing’s art, there was a self-portrait of him to give the viewers a face to his name. But, when observing his photos, I was struck by a much more soft and inviting feeling in comparison to Bing’s selection. This could be due to the variation in presentation skills, such as Ray’s photos being more gallery-esque, or a much more tamed version of what is considered “raw”. And although his photos aren’t directly linked to the outside world, his models are still captured with a sense of honesty and vulnerability. I studied the way he approached photographing nude women, and it was intriguing to me that his focus was on highlighting their overall shape with the addition of physical brush strokes on the image. He also let the true character of who he was working with influence the way he styled and positioned them. The lighting played a crucial part as well since the shadows and highlights evoke such deeply rooted moods that have the ability to tell a story within seconds.
Attending this local event was such a relaxing and enlightening experience for me. Going into it, I was already excited because I am constantly observing art in galleries and museums in the Pittsburgh community. But, the fact that this was specifically dedicated to photography definitely held my attention longer, especially since I was able to partake in a guided tour. The selection of art was incredibly thought provoking and provided a variety of styles that I can learn from and attempt to incorporate into my own work. This exhibition will be open until May fifth, so there is still time to indulge in this beautiful array of artwork!