Vivian Maier (1926-2009)
Have discovered this gem today and had to post. Vivian Maiers work was discovered at an auction house by John Maloof, visit his blog of her work here. She did film street photography in the 1950s, 60s and 70s in Chicago. Her work is astounding. The depth, spontaneity and realness of the characters she shoots is not only interesting but a real snapshot of street life at that time.
The man who acquired her work didn't learn of her name and look her up until the day after she passed away. She is said to have been a very private person with no partner or children of her own. She was born in France and travelled between France and New York before finally residing in New York when she was 25.
Since her photos have come out she has grown in popularity and I know it was certainly love at first sight for me.
Here are some of my favourites below:
I find it really interesting that a lot of artists don't get discovered or aren't famous until they die. Why? Is it the fact that they are dead makes them that much more mysterious? So the only way we can see into their soul is through their art? I believe someones photography to be incredibly personal, no matter what the picture is. You are looking at something through someone else's eyes, attempting to see what they saw. What's even better is that you see things they didn't, and they see things you didn't. It's all up to interpretation. What's great about some photos is when you keep seeing something different each time you look at it.
I think the point of this story is that someone's art lives way past the death of that person. As if the art is bigger and more important than the person. A photograph is a memory, a laugh, a devastation, a point in time that can be captured and can live forever past the expiry date of the photographer. Vivian Maier proves testament to that.
Other interesting sites:
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