The Art of photography

FranzKline,withwhomheoncesharedspaceinaNew

Yorkgalleryexhibit.

Siskind'searlywork,doneinthe1930s,wasgenerally

in

the

documentary

style:Hemade

photographicreportsofHarlemtenements,Bowerylife

and

NewEnglandarchitecture.

Hisemphasisthenwasonsubjectmatter.But

somehowSiskindfeltunsatisfied."Therewas

inmethedesiretoseetheworld

cleanandfreshandalive,"hesays,"asprimitive

thingsarecleanandfresh

and

alive.Theso-calleddocumentarypictureleftmewanting

something."

Andsoin 1943 heturned

hiscameraonsomeoftheworld'sleast

freshbut

mostprimalobjects—rocksand

bouldersthathefoundalongtheNewEng-

landseacoast.Hephotographedthemand

thespacessurroundingthemas

starklyelementalshapesthatboreacertainfamily

resemblancetosomeofthe

workoftheabstract

expressionistpainters.Theemphasis

wasnolongeron

subjectmatter.Thepictures

werenotjustreportsofrocks,but

expressionsof

somethingfarmorepersonaland

subjective—Siskind'sownthoughtsand

re-

actionstothem:"Ibegantofeelrealitywas

somethingthatexistedonly

inour

mindsand

feelings."

Thereisa

decidedlynonrepresentationalqualityin

mostofSiskind'slater

work.Hispictureontheopposite

pageshowsapeeling

wallinRome,butitis

scarcelyrecognizableassuch.

Fortheviewerismeanttogobeyondthe

origi-

nalsubject

andinvolvehimselfinthe

photographer'streatmentofit,in

the

texturesand

shapesthatexpressthephotographer's

personalreaction.

Todaymanyinnovative

photographersdonothesitateto

makeuptheirown

scenes,usingingenious

assortmentsofpicture-takingand

darkroomtech-

niques.

Theycombineseveralpictures

intoone,orbreakupa

singleviewinto

parts;

theydaubtheirphotographswith

paint:theyconstructwhole

scenesjust

tophotograph

them,andtheyuseofficecopying

machinesinsteadofcameras

tocreatestriking

imagesfrombitsoftornpaper,

flowers,fabricsandlightitself.

Inshorttheytrytodrawupon

allareasofhuman

experiencetosuittheirown

purposes.Andineachcase

inwhichthephotographerhas

succeeded,inno-

vationonce

againhasexpanded

theart.