Famous Photography Series - Part 12 - Joel Meyerowitz
Famous Photography Series - Part 12 - Joel Meyerowitz
Meyerowitz is the first of this series who is still living. Another difference from the ones already covered is that he did much of his work in colour. Although my preference for classic photos is black and white, he has been highly acclaimed for his colour photography. His photos are varied with considerable photojournalism such as in his 9/11 aftermath photos, everyday street photography (mostly in New York City), his special views of Cape Cod, and many other topics. I was in Cape Cod and Nantucket half a century ago, (in fact I've been there 4 times) and his pictures remind me of the local sights, the atmosphere, and the effect the area had on me at the time. I am particularly interested in his methods, whereby he breaks many rules, such as "Rule of Thirds", and having extraneous objects blocking some of the photo, etc.
From Wikipedia:
"Joel Meyerowitz (born March 6, 1938) is a street photographer and portrait and landscape photographer. He began photographing in color in 1962 and was an early advocate of the use of color during a time when there was significant resistance to the idea of color photography as serious art. In the early 1970s he taught photography at the Cooper Union in New York City.
His work is in the collections of the International Center of Photography, Museum of Modern Art, and New York Public Library, all in New York, and the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago.
After alternating between black-and-white and color, Meyerowitz "permanently adopted color" in 1972, ... Meyerowitz also switched at this time to large format, often using an 8×10 camera to produce photographs of places and people. [He has also been using a Leica SLR camera.]
Meyerowitz photographed the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, and was the only photographer allowed unrestricted access to its Ground Zero immediately following the attack.
On January 18, 2017 Meyerowitz was honored for his lifelong work with a place at the Leica Hall of Fame and was described as a "magician using colour" and being able to "both capture and framing the decisive moment.""
Here are 50 of his photos for your perusal and, hopefully, your comment.
1. Flag. Provincetown, Cape Cod, July 4, 1983
2. Camel Coats, 5th Avenue, New York City, 1976
3. Girl on a Scooter, 1965
4. W 46th Street, New York City, 1976 (Buzz note: Looks to me like a couple of guys are "making a deal".)
5. New York City, 1963
6. Greece, 1967
7. New York City, 1965
8. Fallen Man, Paris, 1967 (Buzz note: Meyerowitz has said that this is his favourite photo.)
9. New York City, 1968 (Buzz note: I might have made a mistake here. This looks more like Cape Cod than New York.)
10. New York City, 1976
11. Florida, 1970
12. Hillside, Tuscany, Italy, 1996
13. Couple, Tuscany, 1996
14. Field of Poppies, Tuscany, 1996
15. Tuscany, Roses Taverna d'Arbia, 1991, 1996
16. Greenwich Village, NYC, 1975
17. Young Dancer, 34th Street and 9th Avenue, NYC 1978 (Buzz note: I like the way this photo frames the Empire State Building.)
18. Truro, Massachussets, 1976 (Buzz note: This starts a series of Cape Cod photos.)
19. Dairyland, Provincetown, Cape Cod, 1976
20. Dusk, Provincetown, Cape Cod, 1976
21. Cocktail Party, Wellfleet, 1977 (Buzz note: If it's a cocktail party, why isn't anyone holding a drink?)
22. Baseball Game, Provincetown, Cape Cod, 1977
23. Bay Sky, Provincetown, Cape Cod, 1977
24. Provincetown, Cape Cod, 1977
25. Hartwig House, Truro, 1976
26. Provincetown (Buzz note: He must be particularly proud of this shot, since it was on the cover of his book on his Cape Cod photos. I think it's an amazing photo.)
27. Cape Cod Cottage (Buzz note: At this point I could not find titles or dates for most to the following photos.)
28. Cape Cod
29. Cape Cod
30. Cape Cod
31. Cape Cod
32. Cape Night
33. (Buzz note: This is now a series of four Ground Zero photos taken immediately following 9/11. Sorry for unpleasant memories, but it's an example of his disaster photojournalism.)
34. Ground Zero
35. Ground Zero
36. Ground Zero
37. 1959 Cadillac Sedan de Ville in snow
38.
39. (Buzz note: I think we can assume he took this photo in London, England.)
40. Buzz note: I think the hair style should date this photo.
41. White Road (I did get this title)
42.
43. Buzz note: You should get a "kick" out of this photo.
44. This one was entitled "Dusk".
45.
46.
47. This still life is entitled "Objects"
48.
49.
50. Buzz note: And finally, the piece de resistance , an example of what a colour photo can look like. I don't know why he entitled it Wild City, but it was his call.
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Hope you enjoyed the show. I enjoy putting these Famous Photographers articles together.
Great series again Buzz. I love the ''Girl on a Scooter''. The WTC photos were sobering.
Thanks, Buzz..This is the best yet.
Okay, so this article has been up for 3 days, and two (other than myself) commented on it. Since these Famous Photographers articles take me a considerable time to construct and post, I'm wondering if it is worth the effort if nobody bothers to even look at this latest one. The only way I know is if a comment is posted or a thumbs up on one of my comments is provided. Waiting to see, but if no response, this will be the last one.
Buzz, I know it's frustrating to only get a few comments but look at it this way...Those few comment represent members that really enjoy the essay...Hope that you keep posting them, cuz I'm really enjoying them and learning at the same time. Many of the photos and photographers I was not familiar with.
Kavika, I very much appreciate your encouragement. You know how much work it takes to put something like this together because of the many hours you spent on our collaboration of the Reed article. I can just send these to you by means of a private note.
If you choose to stop posting these articles I would appreciate if you would send them to me via email.
I hope that you don't stop posting though.
Buzz, need I remind you that it was you who told me that the work itself speaks to the art? even if no one posts, it is still the same profound statement?
You said to trust in the fact that there are lots of people that look but don't comment.....
I've been looking my friend..... and yes it is great work, what could I add that you already haven't posted?
Don't worry about the non-posters my friend, they are looking...
"Street Photography" is, for the most part, "Genre" art. Historically, "genre" has referred primarily to painting, engraving and other graphic arts.
Genre painting, painting of scenes from everyday life, of ordinary people in work or recreation, depicted in a generally realistic manner. Genre art contrasts with that of landscape, portraiture, still life, religious themes, historic events, or any kind of traditionally idealized subject matter.
My favorite American Genre painter … William Sidney Mount … note what constituted "everyday" subjects in the mid-Nineteenth Century …