Lee Friedlander
February 1st, 2023
Lee Friedlander
By: Connor Albaugh
“I always wanted to be a photographer. I was fascinated with the materials. But I never dreamed I would have this much fun. I imagined something much less elusive, much more mundane” (Article 2). This was said by Lee Friedlander in 1989, and I couldn’t agree more. There was a time in my life that photographer began to become a hobby and something that I genuinely enjoyed. It didn’t take much before I became addicted. I would spend long hours photographing while learning as much as I could to improve my craft. The hard work and dedication certainly allowed me to not only gain a better understanding of photography, but allowed me to see the world differently. Everything about photography excited me and I couldn’t put down the camera. This was the same for Lee Friedlander as he had the luxury of creating incredible work.
The life of Lee Friedlander began in 1934 (Article 3). Lee is an artist, notably “an American photographer (Article 3). He “was born in Aberdeen, Washington” (Article 1). His interest in the field of photography came at the age of 14 (Article 1). His father, “a Jewish immigrant,” helped to fuel this interest which allowed him to begin earning small earnings of money at such a young age (Article 5). With talent and some experience, he studied “in Los Angeles from 1953 to 1955” where he would “study photography at the Art Center School” (Article 1). Immediately following this time in his life, he started “freelancing” which meant that he only worked for himself and not for a company or private entity (Article 1). This would give him the opportunity to practice different techniques and eventually find his niche in regards to what he liked to photograph and ultimately what he was good at. A lot of his work “appeared in Esquire, Art in America, Sports Illustrated, and other major networks” (Article 1). Lee would hold “his first solo exhibition at the George Eastman House in 1963” (Article 1). Having his own solo show after merely freelancing a couple years prior is very impressive and would pave the way for future work he would create and present.
Lee’s style of photography was quite interesting. He used “Leica 35 mm camera coupled with black and white film” (Article 3). With the camera and his film, his coined style “focused on the social landscape” (Article 3). This focused on social interactions, systems, and practices that are among us in our everyday lives. The photographs he had the opportunity to catch used “detached images of urban life, store-front reflections, structures framed by fences, and posters and signs all combining to capture the look of modern life” (Article 3). In essence, he was a street photographer, and the majority of his photos as reflections through windows, storefronts, and anything that could reflect his self image or things in the foreground or background. Overall, taking photographs on the social landscape allows one to be more aware of their surroundings and develop meaning for the different things they see, people they talk to, etc.
One of the photos that caught my eye was from Lee’s series “America by Car” (Article 4). Through this series, he drove across “mostly all fifty states in the US in an ordinary rental car where he deployed the sideview mirror, rearview mirror, the windshield, and the side windows as picture frames” (Article 6). His goal in this series was to capture what people liked about the country of the United States and what they found to be integral parts of our identity as a population. The photo at the top of this blog is compositionally unique. It uses a few components from his series which includes a rear view mirror and windshield. I do not know where this is located, but this photo is a great example of how daunting American infrastructure can be. With the Statue of Liberty in the front of all the buildings and the pointed top on one of the buildings, it reminds me of New York City although the Statue of Liberty there is only accessible by boat while the one in this photo is on land. Additionally, the pointed top on the building reminds me of the Empire State Building of NYC although the buildings are farther away in this photo than they would be while traveling through streets in NYC. Overall, I think the focus on this photo is excellent. The viewer is able to see the details on the buildings such as the windows, overhead wispy clouds, and the car and road details. The pillar on the car which contains the rear view mirror divides the city and one who are entering the city. That divide creates what life is like on the outside of the city which shows traffic lights, moving cars, and the sky. The city side has multiple buildings packed in on top of each other which means life is more apparent in the buildings then on the outside. Another thing that I really enjoy about this photo is the depth. Not only does it show a bridge in the bear view mirror while Lee is on the road, but it also shoes the city infrastructure and clouds behind them. Not one, but multiple things are in focus which forces the viewer to look at all of the details in the photo whether they are of smaller or larger magnitude. The lighting is spectacular here, as the emphasis is on the buildings off to the left side of the photograph. The light on the buildings brings out a whiter color and allows the viewer to see not only the detail in and around the buildings, but paint a perspective of their size in relation to other surrounding buildings. The foreground of the photo contains a road which leads on into the background of the photo which would be the city off to the left of the photograph. The lines dividing lanes, the poles for the traffic lights, and the sides of the window frame within the car Lee is in all do an excellent job leading one into the primary focus of the American infrastructure in the background. Last but not least, taking such a photo in black and white creates a different mood as opposed to color. Color in this case would overwhelm the viewer in the sense that there would be too many colors to keep track off. Having a photo with whites and blacks creates this idea of simplicity. This place that Lee photographs is merely one of many places he will visit and the notion of black creates clear differences in different areas of the photo which can be of the higher or lower magnitude of importance. City life creates this feeling of excitement and livelihood and the things we see cannot be changed but can give all different meanings mentally and physically. It is like race. White people and black people should coexist in harmony regardless of their differences which is what this photograph does an excellent job of. The side of more black shade acts in “harmony” with the side that is mostly white which creates a well orchestrated image while traveling in a car which is also very impressive.
Lee Friedlander and the presence of his dad plowed him the opportunity to pursue his dream of photography and make a name for himself in such a decorated field. He has had “multiple exhibitions of his work, published books and has received more than a few awards for his photography” (Article 1). His work on behalf of the “social landscape” not only create visually pristine and exquisite compositions, but they tell a story and shows “his awareness on behalf of his relationship to each picture” (Article 1). This relationship merely takes upon the challenge of showing different social situations that he happened to witness through the lens of his camera. Whether they were of high or low importance, there is always something the viewer can pick up on and designate to be important on behalf of his style and genre. As the historian Graham Clarke suggested, “Friedlander’s images had changed the history of the photograph” (Article 5). With certain references to current social ideologies or practices, his photos had a role of giving the viewer a new idea or viewpoint on what modern photography and its overall development should look and feel like. In the viewer’s mirror, this is the goal he achieved and did this so very well.
Sources:
Article 6 - https://whitney.org/exhibitions/lee-friedlander
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