Imogen Cunningham and Russell Lee

Title: Dream
Artist: Imogen Cunningham
Medium: Not specified
Year:1910

Give a brief description of the movement, photographer, or term you researched. How are they significant to the history of photography (50-75 words)? Imogen Cunningham bought her first camera in 1901, but only applied herself to the art in 1906 when she was inspired by Gertrude Kasebier's work. Throughout her life Imogen's work covered a broad array of subjects. These included still-life, documentary, street photography, flowers, and nudes. Her mainstay was portraiture. She was a co-founder of Group F/64. There she helped push the notion of photography as a art form with "simple and direct presentation." She additionally worked for Vanity Fair and, at the request of Ansel Adams" the California School of Fine Arts



Write a short personal reaction to the movement, photographer or term you researched. What is interesting or not interesting about the work (50 – 75 words). Looking through Imogen's work I was amazed by the clarity of contrast she captured in all of her images. She studied botanical photography in the mid 1920's, but soon turned to industrial landscapes depicting the cities of Los Angeles and Oakland. She later became more interested in the human figure and became a photographer for Vanity Fair. In her photographs it is easy to see that the hands always held an emotion emanating from their position. Belonging to group F/64 she helped modernize photography based on "precisely exposed images of natural and found objects."




Name (please only include if it is ok to publish on blog): Blaine Anderson

Title: FSA photograph
Artist: Russell Lee
Medium: Not specified
Year: 1937

Give a brief description of the movement, photographer, or term you researched. How are they significant to the history of photography (50-75 words)? Russell Lee's notoriety was gained by working for the Farm Security Administration. He criss-crossed the United States documenting the plight of tenant farmers, sharecroppers, and migrant workers during the dust bowl and great depression. These photographs were of both urban and rural areas. His team's photographs were used by newspapers, books, magazines, posters, and exhibitions. During World War II he helped the U.S. Airforce by using aerial photography to help train pilots. After the war he documented the life of the average coal worker. The conditions, stores, medical facilities, etc. His last years were spent teaching photography and the University of Texas. He was the first photography professor employed by the U of T.




Write a short personal reaction to the movement, photographer or term you researched. What is interesting or not interesting about the work (50 – 75 words). Russell Lee's work seems to set apart major scenes in American History. He documented the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl era, segregation in the South, U.S. Airman, Japanese Internment, snake handling in Kentucky. The list could go on. He does a great job of expressing the realities of life in his work. Always focusing on the particular plight of his subjects. The framing of his photographs are always interesting and add a lot to the finished work.




Name (please only include if it is ok to publish on blog): Blaine Anderson