The sun has yet to rise on the first Monday of the year. It’s ten degrees outside, and I’m sitting on a green pull-out couch in my gray cotton boxers. I’m also wearing a fifteen-year-old brown flannel shirt, unbuttoned. My hair, washed before bed, is standing in six directions, like the drummer in a band that you’ve never heard of. Like Lee Friedlander.
I feel naughty just for writing about how silly I look right now. None of us wakes up like someone in a TV Show. Seriously, have you ever noticed that people always kiss each other with morning breath in the movies? Please. So here I am, just rolled out of bed, and the very, very last thing that I would do is take a picture of myself. No, scratch that. The very last thing I would do is to show a photo of myself, looking as I do now, to anyone. No, wrong again. The very, very, very last thing I would do is to publish said photograph in a book. Yes, that’s the last thing I would do.
So it’s a good thing that Lee Friedlander is a braver man than I. Or crazier? Edgier? What’s the right word? (Other than better, which is too obvious.) I’ve written about the man before. Twice in fact. Last time was for a book of previously unreleased images of some cars in Detroit in the Sixties. Nice book, but mostly interesting because no one had seen the particular photos before.
Today, I’m here to talk about “Lee Friedlander: In the Picture. Self-Portraits 1958-2011,” which was recently published by Yale University Press. I’m pretty uncomfortable with the fact that Yale Press now co-exists in an article with a description of my underwear. It’s quite possible I’ll live to regret it. So why would I do such a thing? Because I’m writing about an artist who was far more fearless than that. Let’s call it a tribute review. Next thing you know, I’ll put on tight jeans and bandana, round up some friends, and start shimmying on stage to “Dancin’ in the Dark.” No. More likely it would be “Blinded by the Light.” Great song.
Ah, the book, you say? It’s black and thick, but not too large. The cover text colors, blue and florescent magenta, are jarring, but less so than the diptych of self portraits by Mr. Friedlander, which seem to bookend the temporal range covered inside. Rarely do I discuss things such as font color, but the inside of the flap is a day-glo lime, so clearly they were trying to make a statement right off the bat. With color. In a book of black and white images. Nice. Slowly flipping the pages, and the second photo in the book shows Mr. Friedlander, shirtless, in Taos, New Mexico, 1958. Thereby giving a little context to my half-clothed ravings. (It’s all good, bro. Clothes are for squares, man.)
OK, enough about me. The narrative is linear, the kids are born towards the beginning, and the woman I can only presume to be Mr. Friedlander’s wife looks like a be-speckled beatnik betty. Right away, the shadow comes in as a stand-in for the artist. Straight out of Jung, yo. Deep. But not quite so deep as the artist’s penetrating gaze and fantastic use of neck-fat. So unflattering, so brilliant. Really, it’s a lesson that jumps off the page here. Take more risks. Be less afraid. Push yourself. Take chances.
Last week, in the fabled comment section, a fierce debate arose over whether readers have the right to complain about my choices of things that I like. Others claimed that negative criticism is undervalued in the world of photography and art. I beg to differ. The entire critique process is based upon the concept of criticism, only it’s taught that one ought to respect others, and choose one’s words wisely. It’s best to balance a negative critique with a dose of positivity, and to use language that does not denigrate. But at the core level, the critique is about awakening deeper levels of self-awareness, so that we know, in our hearts, when a photo is not good enough. Or when we need to try harder. Or when we’re simply too derivative. So be negative all you like. But how about having the guts to turn that critical eye upon yourself? Like Lee Friedlander.
Back to the book. I swear I didn’t choose this week’s selection as a counterpoint to last week’s article, but now that I’m looking at it closely, the connection is clear. Growth. Change. The passage of time. It’s all here. A very well-made group of photographs, along with some insider references that people will love.(Robert Frank, Nick Nixon…) Most of the most recent images definitely lack the spark of the earliest pictures, but then again, no one listens to the Rolling Stone’s last album. I’d say I’m not surprised, but I saw Mr. Friedlander’s show at the Whitney in 2010, so I know he hasn’t lost it.
After the celebrity section, which at least has a few laughs, you arrive at the inevitable conclusion. The doctor’s office. The tubes. The glazed eyes. The chest scar. Heart Surgery? Probably. Does it matter? Time gets us all in the end, and it’s rarely pretty. But this book, and the artist’s career by extension, are two lessons in the value of investigation and examination, of ourselves as well as the outside world.
Bottom Line: Profound
To Purchase Lee Friedlander: In the Picture visit Photo-Eye.
Full Disclosure: Books and scans were provided by Photo-Eye in exchange for links back for purchase.
6 Comments
Brilliant strategy…take photos of yourself looking at bad as possible so when people see you in person they’ll always think you look good! Entertaining write-up…:-)
Interesting choice. It is one I would look at a bit more first before I could make the investment. I think this goes with the post yesterday “When people are being true and honest….” this is part of that honesty, knowing, allowing the creation of honest photographs.
Boxers… not that I really wanted to know how you’re dressed when writing. Thanks for the honesty. Maybe one of these day you will publish a photo of first thing in the morning.
Ed,
I’d agree that this book is not for everyone, as it delivers more than it’s share of uncomfortable moments. (Without much transcendence to balance it.) As always, I’m trying to show people things that I find interesting and thought-provoking. In this case, it’s a great window into the life and mind of a very important artist. Your continued engagement with the columns is much appreciated.
And if you don’t mind me addressing some of your fellow scribes here, rather than one at a time, Alan, that’s a beautifully written thought below. So glad the images resonated with you in a new way.
Elizabeth, thanks for the continued support.
jb
When I was younger, still in high school… 17 I believe at the time – I was exposed to Lee Friedlander’s work and simply dismissed it as being stylized, something anybody with a camera could do.
It wasn’t until today that this article popped up onto my RSS feed. This is the first time I’ve revisited his work in years and I can safely say that I’ve developed an appreciation for his images. I’m in love.
Very few moments in my life have I looked at a photograph and felt something; this is one of them. I can’t breathe; and I mean that in the best way possible. ;-)
I just spent a few hours the other day with Friedlander’s new book and once again, I am in awe of how his pictures , 30 year later…still affect me. Stunning production and I’m sure it will remain on my night stand stack for a while.
He’s had one simple goal. To see how things in his world would look if he took a picture of it . His pursuit and commitment to this seemingly simple task is at once profound and epic.
He is ” The Man” !
……great. all of it.
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