Arbus turned normalcy on its head, making the ordinary bizarre and naturalizing the unusual. In her photographs of people, many of them made while she roamed the streets of New York, clothes and cosmetics are futile efforts to camouflage psychic emptiness or damage. When Arbus photographed children, she revealed them as little versions of bad-tempered, mean-spirited adults. […] On the other hand, her photographs of people at the margins of society, such as female impersonators, show them to be more virtuous for having unmasked their subjective inclinations. For Arbus, marginal people were symbols for her own psychological fragility and trauma (p. 352).
The thematic power of Arbus’s work is based on the masterful composition of her subject matter, balancing key elements within a square frame format, which is uniquely identified with her mature style.
To prepare for this Discussion:
Review Chapters 2 and 3 in your course text, The Photographer’s Eye.
Review Diane Arbus’s photograph, Child with Toy Hand Grenade, 1962.
Review the websites from this week’s Learning Resources for more inspiration and examples of photographs.
Consider the following questions regarding the Arbus photograph:
How does the use of a square frame impact the balance of the photograph?
What elements contribute to the balance of the photograph presented here? Would you say this is a balanced photograph? Explain your response.
Does this composition draw your eyes more to the center of the frame or more to the edges? Give evidence for your response.
How does the photograph demonstrate contrast, tension, rhythm, and/or depth?
How does the subject of the photograph relate to the background?
How is perspective created in the photograph?
Is the photograph more weighted toward information or emotion? Explain your response.
While considering the questions above, compare the assigned photograph with Arbus’s 1967 photograph, Identical Twins, Roselle, N.J., 1967. Explain how these photographs differ and how they are similar.
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