"The subject matter is so much more important than the photographer." - Gordon Parks
Gordon Parks was an influential artist who undoubtedly had to fight to produce the same body of talented work that many of the artists that have been featured in my "INFLUENCES" series have had the luxury to produce with the only criticism being based solely on their art. Parks' detriment was simply due to the color of the skin and the time in which he lived.
Born in Kansas in 1912, Parks grew up in a hotbed of racism, receiving a diluted education in a segregated environment and narrowly escaping death when a trio of white boys threw him into a river, well aware that he couldn't swim (cite).
His hardship continued when his mother died and he was sent to live with other family members, eventually ending up alone on the streets and working odd jobs to support himself at 15 years old.
At 25, Parks was inspired by the photographs he saw in a magazine and decided to pursue a career as a photographer, buying a camera at a Seattle pawn shop. The clerk who developed his film saw the talent in his photos and encouraged Parks to move to Minnesota to become a fashion photographer for a women's clothing store. Those images he took garnered so much interest and praise that it led to him being awarded the Julius Rosenwald Fellowship, which then prompted him to move to Chicago.
Born in Kansas in 1912, Parks grew up in a hotbed of racism, receiving a diluted education in a segregated environment and narrowly escaping death when a trio of white boys threw him into a river, well aware that he couldn't swim (cite).
His hardship continued when his mother died and he was sent to live with other family members, eventually ending up alone on the streets and working odd jobs to support himself at 15 years old.
At 25, Parks was inspired by the photographs he saw in a magazine and decided to pursue a career as a photographer, buying a camera at a Seattle pawn shop. The clerk who developed his film saw the talent in his photos and encouraged Parks to move to Minnesota to become a fashion photographer for a women's clothing store. Those images he took garnered so much interest and praise that it led to him being awarded the Julius Rosenwald Fellowship, which then prompted him to move to Chicago.
In Chicago, he captured poignant and moving images of everyday life of African-American citizens in their neighborhoods. Those incredible images caught the eye of Roy Stryker, who offered Parks a chance to work for the Farm Security Administration. (cite)
His fellowship with the FSA moved him to Washington, D.C. where he took one of his most iconic photos, "American Gothic, Washington, D.C." The subject, Ella Watson, inspired Parks to do a documentary-type series depicting her personal life, including her family at their home. It was a great way for Parks to shine a light on a person who was literally invisible to most of her coworkers--not just in the realm that she cleaned the FSA office when everyone was done working, but her plight as a poor, black woman was exhibited, revealing that even though she didn't have much in terms of education or wealth, she still was someone. She was not just the "cleaning woman," but someone's mother or sister...and someone who had a dream, too.
Parks also photographed the many faces and events surrounding one of the greatest wars occurring at that time: the war for equality for colored people. It wasn't all marches and arrests, but simple photos of everyday life for those oppressed, not just black people. These photos told the story of segregation and how people, separate, but equal, still managed to achieve lives full of worth and love.
"I'd become sort of involved in things that were happening to people. No matter what color they may be, whether they be Indians, or Negroes, the poor white person or anyone who was I thought more or less getting a bad shake."
"I'd become sort of involved in things that were happening to people. No matter what color they may be, whether they be Indians, or Negroes, the poor white person or anyone who was I thought more or less getting a bad shake."
In 1950, Parks became the first African-American to photograph for Life Magazine**. He continued to expose the epidemic of racism to the country, this time on a national scale that would reach anyone at any newsstand or drug store. His style was raw and real and helped those on the front lines and in the streets have a greater voice than ever before.
Without a doubt, Gordon Parks was a ground breaker. A leader. Fearless. Courageous. He refused to let anything stop him from doing what he wanted and allowed the world to share in his talents.
*All images borrowed from the internet.
**http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/28/arts/design/gordon-parks-photos-document-segregation.html?_r=0
*All images borrowed from the internet.
**http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/28/arts/design/gordon-parks-photos-document-segregation.html?_r=0