Essay: Paul Strand

Paul Strand Essay
By Nadia Arnold

Paul Strand was a photography pioneer and was responsible for creating the genre straight photography. He broke away from the soft style of the Pictorialists and created a new genre that focused on everything in the image have a large amount of detail and deep depth of field. By breaking away from the norm he was able to the abstract objects and capture the hustle of the rising metropolis New York. His love for photography led to a career in film as well. He was interested in capturing the social problems of the time and highlighting the plight of the people who weren’t able to voice their plight. His work was based at a time of deep despair and depression and Strand was focused on creating work that was socially aware. It was very essential that people looked like they were unaware they were being photographed and he even used fake lens to capture the real essence of the people. By doing this he was able to capture the rawness and reality of these people.

Born in New York on the 16 October 1890 he began his love for photography when his father gave him a camera at age 12. He attended the Ethical Cultural School where he was influenced by one of his teachers Lewis Hine. (Oden, L, 2004) Lewis Hine had been photographing immigrants arriving at Ellis Island and Hine was inspired by this social project and instilled this social awareness into Strand. A field trip to the 291 art gallery which was owned by Alfred Stieglitz opened Strand eyes to the modernist painters and photographers such as Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Steichen who was part of the group called the Photo Secessionists. The exhibition made him realise that photography was not just a simple hobby and he could have a career from it. (Wikipedia contributors, 2009) Even though he wished to make a living from photography his father did not agree and when he finished school he went to work for his father as a clerk in the family enamel ware import business. He continued to do photography as a hobby until he finally he decided in 1911 to open up his own commercial photography business. (Oden, L, 2004)

During this time many photographers were inspired by the Pictorialist genre. Strand produced work that concentrated on the Pictorialist elements such soft focus and he did this by using gum bi chromate printing to capture the paint effect of the Impressionist. (Oden, L, 2004) With the help of his mentor Alfred Stieglitz he was able to break away from the current trends and focus on more sharp and crisp images. Stieglitz’s gallery was a platform for Strand to view the modern works of Europe such as Cézanne, Matisse and Picasso. These works inspired strand to focus on abstract everyday objects and capturing the shadows of that object in an innovative way. He focused on capturing the image as it was in the view finder and not manipulating the image in the dark room. With the use of a large format camera he was able to capture maximum detail by using a 64 aperture. The themes in Strand’s work changed drastically and he focused on movement in the city, abstractions and street portraits. (Department of photographs, 2004)

New York had become a vibrant city filled with different types of people jamming the streets with pedestrians, carriages and automobiles. New York became the new representation for transformation and modernity. At first Strand did not want to encapsulate the chaotic elements of the city he want to capture more slow movements usually using only one person. After some time his images became more complex and the tempo increased with his compositions featuring the crowds of downtown. (Department of photographs, 2004)

Strand said “how you build a picture, what a picture consists of, how shapes are related to each other, how spaces are filled, how the whole thing must have a kind of unity.” (Department of photographs, 2004) Strand focused on these points at his summer cottage in Connecticut. He used everyday items to experiment with framing and positioning the object in ways that they become abstract and you are no longer aware of what the object really is. Strand was the first to create abstract images with a camera.

Despite his love for photography Strand was also an avid film maker with the use of narrative he was able to tell the stories of the disadvantaged. In 1921 he collaborated with Charles Scheeler on his first documentary film called Manhatta. This film was silent but it was able to portray the everyday life in New York and it was very similar to his photograph “Wall Street” that illustrates the movement of the people. (Wikipedia contributors, 2009) During the years of the depression Strand became more involved in politics and was a socialist. He worked with the Group Theatre that was formed by Harold Clurman, Cheryl Crawford and Lee Strasberg in 1931.The members of the group did have left wing political views and wanted produce plays that dealt with these issues. In 1932 Strand decided to make film in Mexico which was based around Mexican fishermen called “The Wave”. He returned to America and worked on “The Plow that Broke the Plains” (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2009)

Once World War II had finished Strand left the US and moved to France this was where he worked throughout Europe. He produced many books and this became his new forum of expression he enjoyed the narrative format of the books. He also utilised text with the images to expand on the narrative in the images, he wanted to mimic the narrative elements of film in his books. (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2009) Strand stayed in France till his death on March 31 1976. (Wikipedia contributors, 2009)




“Wall Street”
Strand was able to capture the morning mood of Wall Street. The city was known as a chaotic and crowded place but the opposite is achieved in this photograph. The long shadows of the people and how they are completely frozen in time gives the essence that these people are not in hurry at all. The scale of the people compared to the huge windows that are full of darkness creates a sense of abstraction. The flat shapes of the people and the square frames are so solid that the lines and shapes is all that is left.



“Porch Shadows”

This is another example of Strand use of abstraction where we are not even sure what this object is. The use of the shadows and the crisp diagonal lines generates a strong contrast between the light elements of the image and the dark. The sharp crisp nature of the photograph is nothing like the soft romantic images of the Pictorialists. There is so much detail captured in the image we are even able to see the cracks in the porch this element of deep depth field is what straight photography is based around.

Paul Strand was an innovative photography legend and the work he produced influenced many artists after his time. He was able to break away from the Pictorialists and create a genre of straight photography. By focusing on the city, street portraits and experimenting with abstraction he was able to be the first person to abstract with the use of a camera. His mentor Alfred Stieglitz is the person who influenced him the most and he encouraged Strand to break away from the norms of society. He used his photography to break into the film market and cater to a broader audience and educate them about the social problems of that time.





Bibliography

Online Resources:

1. Encyclopædia Britannica Online , Paul Strand, 2009, Available Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/568003/Paul-Strand, last cited 31 May 2009

2. Department of Photographs, 2004, Paul Strand (1890–1976), Available Online: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/pstd/hd_pstd.htm, last cited on 31 May 2009

3. Oden, L, 2004, Paul Strand (1890 – 1976), Available Online: http://iphf.org/Hall_Of_Fame/Inducties_Bios/Paul%20Strand_Bio.html, last cited on 31 May 2009

4. Schjeldahl, P, 2004, 20th-century strand, Available Online: http://www.artnet.com/Magazine/features/schjeldahl/schjeldahl4-3-98.asp, last cited on 31 May 2009

5. Simkin, J, Paul Strand, Available Online: http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAPstrand.htm, last cited 31 May 2009,

6. Wikipedia contributors, 2009, Paul Strand, Available online: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paul_Strand&oldid=287834613, Last cited 31 May 31, 2009