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I want to focus this discussion on Black Fine Art Photography. Black Fine Art photography are not words you see in a sentence very often. In fact, almost never. The reality is, the average person would be hard-pressed to name any historically significant photographer who is black. The name that would usually pop-up is Gordon Parks who was best known as a photojournalist with Life Magazine, but a significant part of his notoriety was the result of his work with feature films , “The Learning Tree” and “Shaft”.
Parks was certainly an inspiration to a generation of Black photojournalist, myself included. I always thought I wanted to be a professional photographer, but after reading the Park’s biography, “A Choice of Weapons” a book about a young black man who chose to use his camera as a weapon to fight racism and discrimination—I was hooked.
Since its invention in 1839, photography has endeavored to participate as an artistic medium. And clearly photographers such as Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand and hundreds of others have made their reputations as Fine Art photographers.
Even as I was researching this project, I found it difficult to identify nationally known Black photographers in general and more specifically Black fine art photographers. Many Black photographers who have achieved some notoriety such as Daewood Bey and Carrie Mae Weems are classified as social documentary photographers, a term used to define black photographers who photographed black subject matter with sociological overtones. Social documentary photography is the recording of what the world looks like, with a social and/or environmental focus.
Daewood Bey
It is a form of documentary photography, with the aim of drawing the public's attention to ongoing social issues. It may also refer to a socially critical genre of photography dedicated to showing the life of underprivileged or disadvantaged people).
Anthony Barboza is another black photographer who is well known for his work in advertising photography.
Early in my career, I knew very little about fine art photography and even less about any Black photographers who practiced the medium of Fine Art photography.
Anthony Barboza
In 1996, I was introduced to the work of Black Fine Art photographer Roy DeCarava and my life changed in magical ways. It seems that I had the soul of a fine artist and didn’t know it, I immediately connected with the work of DeCarava.
DeCarava spent most of his life in the city of New York. Photographing the City and its people (especially in Harlem was his Life’s work). Among his many accolades, DeCarava was the first African American to receive a prestige’s Guggenheim Fellowship (1952).
As part of his Guggenheim proposal he wrote: I want to photograph Harlem through the Negro People. Morning, noon night, at work, going to work, coming home from work, at play, in the streets, talking, kidding, laughing, in the home, in the playgrounds in the schools, bars stores libraries beauty parlors churches, etc. ‘’
I want to share the strength the wisdom dignity of the negro people, not the famous and the well known, but the unknown and the unnamed, thus revealing the roots from which spring the greatness of all human beings. I do not want a documentary or social statement, I want a creative expression, the kind of penetrating and insight and understanding of negroes which I believe only a negro photographer can interpret. I want to heightened the awareness of my people and bring to our consciousness a greater knowledge of our heritage.
Decarava was also the first African American to have a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. He was also the first African American to win the National Medal of Arts, the highest honor given to an artist by the United States Government. He also authored 5 books including “the Sweet Flypaper of Life which he co-authored with Langston Hughes. To this day DeCarava is still my greatest source of inspiration.
As a working photojournalist I would go on assignments, but I was never satisfied with what I thought were empty storytelling photojournalistic photographs. I was always looking at ways to interpret what I was seeing. Seeing Decarava’s work made me realize what was possible in my own work.
Why is Fine Art Important?
As with so many aspects of this society, Blacks have been placed in the margins of everyday life. While it can be argued that we have made great inroads in areas such as pop entertainment and sports, when it comes to the Fine Arts, we still have a long way to go. We must choose to be more proactive in the fine arts just as we have in the performing arts. The arts in general are an all-encompassing window for communication, a way to express thoughts that are beyond the scope of words and a vehicle for societal growth.
Fine Art Portrait
Knowledge of the arts provides the building blocks for enlightened citizenship, and we need to be sitting in the front of that bus.,
Or put another way, art does best to reflect the full spectrum of our humanity to expose our greatest failings along with our greatest virtues. Much of what we have learned about the existence and evolution of humanity and culture is through the arts. For our heritage and culture to continue to evolve and thrive in our communities, we must embrace all of the arts and Fine Art Photography is no exception.
"Char Woman" photo by Gordon Parks
Since its invention, photography has endeavored to be accepted as an artistic medium. And clearly photographers such as Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand, and hundreds of others have made their reputations as Fine Art photographers.
What is Fine Art Photography? As mentioned earlier, fine art photography is about Self expression. Fine art photography is first about the artist, second about the subject and third about the technique. The artist is the most important element in the creation of art. Creating a fine art photograph means creating and image that goes beyond the literal aspect of the scene or the subject photographed. It means creating an image that shares a personal vision, a message or metaphorical aspect. It means creating a photograph not just taking a photograph.
To paraphrase the aforementioned Edward Weston, as artist we should photograph the things we see everyday but then photograph them as though we are seeing them for the first time.
Weston practiced what he preached by making what were for the times groundbreaking photographs of household items such as bell peppers, bananas, toilets and nautilus shells and creating images that were clearly his own aesthetic vision.
Edward Weston "Peppers"
Black photographers have been around since the beginning of photography and have distinguished themselves and in some cases achieved some national notoriety. Most black photographers make photography that is commercial, photojournalistic or documentary but fine art photography seems to be overlooked especially In the Black community and that is tragic.
I get it. The life of an artist is not easy. It can take years to build a reputation and following that allows you to live comfortably just by creating your art. But if you have that burning desire to express you own personality and vision in your work it is a no-brainer. I know a number of musicians who only play jazz. These are excellent musicians who can play anything. They could make a lot more money playing pop music or working as studio musicians. But they play jazz because they have to.
The other side of this coin is for fine art photographers of color to have venues to show their work. While there are a few galleries primarily in the south and race specific museums like the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC that feature the work of artist who are black. We are a little more that 12% of the population and yet we rarely have as much as 12% representation in important solo and group shows.
