The artwork I chose to share this week is not a painting, but a photograph. As the world of photography began to evolve, the photograph was used to capture specific scenes that in most cases were meant to evoke a certain emotion, or to entice certain political or moral convictions. Both purposes are used in Dorothea Lange’s photo journal of the families most hurt by the Great Depression and in the photo journal capturing the lives of those affected by the Dust Bowl. As the pains of the Great Depression spread across the nation for years, another disaster inflicted poverty on many Americans–The Dust Bowl. Lange was hired by the Farm Security Administration to capture the crisis many families had fallen into during the time of the Dust Bowl as they searched for employment in the fertile lands of the west, or were left in ruin. One such photograph, “People Living in Miserable Poverty. Elm Grove, Oklahoma County, Oklahoma” is shown below.
This picture was taken in August of 1936. It is hard to believe that people in the United States fell into such poverty that was present in the Depression era, but here it is, in black and white. I find it interesting that the mother and son are looking into the distance and the daughter looks straight at the camera, I do not know what that means, but it puzzles me. Lange did not consider herself an artist, according to peoplewhotellthetruth.com, but her ability to capture the emotion of the subjects in the photograph is amazing. The distress on their faces is very evident, although they almost seem numb. My heart aches for the people in the photographs that Lange took. They would have convicted me, jolted me to action.
Very good selection! i like that you picked a photo! The photo is very emotional and it is hard to believe that happened under 100 years ago in the US. It looks very simple but has a ton of meaning. very good job!
Scary that in 2009 we were told that we were entering another depression. Its hard to imagine our world disappearing over night and being replaced with one of rationing and mass destitution, but if it happened less than a century ago it can a happen again. I found your post informative but I could have used some examples of more contemporary works in the same genre to compare this work to, you know, so I could be even more depressed. This image reminds me more of Appalachia than of the productive mid west we know today. I think its funny that this work was basically comminsioned by the Farm Security Administration, so were they paying money to photograph the problem instead of paying to fix it? was it an earlier version of hurricane Katrina? I know the dust bowl was pretty devastating for farming during the early 20th century and I am surprised we were able to rebound from the abuse the land suffered. I liked the photo you chose from this period, it as much as any other photo from the period illustrates the poverty and destitution rampant in the US. good job.
Scary that in 2009 we were told that we were entering another depression. Its hard to imagine our world disappearing over night and being replaced with one of rationing and mass destitution, but if it happened less than a century ago it can a happen again. I found your post informative but I could have used some examples of more contemporary works in the same genre to compare this work to, you know, so I could be even more depressed. This image reminds me more of Appalachia than of the productive mid west we know today. I think its funny that this work was basically commissioned by the Farm Security Administration, so were they paying money to photograph the problem instead of paying to fix it? was it an earlier version of hurricane Katrina? I know the dust bowl was pretty devastating for farming during the early 20th century and I am surprised we were able to rebound from the abuse the land suffered. I liked the photo you chose from this period, it as much as any other photo from the period illustrates the poverty and destitution rampant in the US. good job.
Good point about paying for the photo instead of paying to fix the problem. It often seems to be a pattern for the government to misuse and poorly allocate the finances of the nation. So much economic hardship could be avoided if the government would step back and let the market take care of itself, but that is a tangent that could consume its own blog spot. Interesting to think about though. Thanks for the comment!
The picture chosen is really a reality check for us in the 2009 age. I agree with you in the fact that it is hard for us to believe that this was really the United States. But the neat thing about using a photograph is, at this time, it cannot be altered. You chose a really interesting topic for this blog. A photograph is very interesting to talk about. Great job!
I also chose a photograph for my blog and I can relate a lot with the picture you have chosen. I agree that by just looking at the photo you can easily tell what is going on. The expression on their face gives all the details needed. You did a great job describing what has happened during the Great Depression.
I found this image to be very interesting. Throughout this course, i have been more attracted to photographs rather than paintings, as i feel the photos are unaltered and show a true sense for what the world really is just as you had mentioned. In addition to this, i found it amazing that Lange did not consider herself to be an artist despite all the artistic talent and creation that went into a photograph during this era. I also enjoy how you explained some history behind the image, as well as Lange. This really helped me to understand the meaning and symbolism behind the picture. Ultimately, i continue to find it astonishing how we can look into images and paintings from the past and pic out bits and pieces that remind of of today’s times; perhaps these images can help us to make better decisions in the long run as a society.
Good job with the blog!
Your blog has great information that is referenced and the photo you used definitely brings about an emotional response. I think that you gave good historical information that placed the photograph. I would have liked to know whether you thought this photo was art or just documentation? What elements make it art or nonart? Is the photographer’s intentions for the photograph the deciding point? I would like to think that Lang is an artist although unintended. I notice that the focal point is actually on the family who are framed by their surroundings. Although the family is inactive the photograph has an innate intensity about it. Overall you made a good choice with great information and wrote an interesting blog.