I had a 2 hours chat with my ill friend today, she is holding strong and looks very confident so now, after sending her lots of love and positive energy for tonight, I am able to concetrate on something else:
Edinburgh is home to a collection of 70 prints by Diane Arbus, one of my favourite American photographers of the 60s and 70s (the others being Lee Friedlander and Robert Frank).
It is nice to see her work in the gallery environment when you can have a look at real 50x50 cm prints instead of flicking through a book (last time it was 'Revelations'). We also went to a lecture by Robin Gillanders who took a more personal view to her work (from a point of view of a working photographer) but from what he mentioned about style of work by Arbus, I seem to be kinder and more compassionate to my subject...or at least I think I am.
As this is the main problem with Arbus' work to me: is she feeling any emapthy towards her subjects at all or she just sees the image and goes for it trodding over the people in front of her camera to get her imaginary result? This is a very tricky subject for me - where are the boundaries of being a genius photographer and exploiting one's subjects? (Well, her good friend Richard Avedon somehow managed to escape that route).
There was also an interesting mention of DA being ASHAMED of her family fortune and coming from a rich, 5th Av family - this was what stopped me in my tracks after reading Patricia Bosworth's bio of the photographer - that her family never helped her financially. Now I think it might be a reason why but somehow I am not convinced.
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