Salgado is a photographer that could be described as a photo-journalist. He travels around the world taking pictures that are as beautiful as they are tragic. One of my favorite of his bodies of work is one that he took of a gold mine in Brazil. He was able to capture the filth and oppression that was the everyday life of these workers. A part of Brazilian life that the country did not want the world to see.
The composition of the images is visually appealing. The image shown here on the right titled "Going Up," is shot in such a way that the we as the viewer actually feel like we are one of the workers. You can imagine the effort it takes to get out of this mud pit that these men had to work in everyday. The mud is so close to the bottom of the frame that it seems like we can just step into this world.
The details that Salgado captures is so acute that it rivals that of Ansel Adams. The musculature of the men is so defined that you can see the strain they are exerting. It is this closeness that the viewer feels to the subjects that has made Salgado's work so influential in the world of photo-journalism. I have always been drawn to this type of photography, because of the artist's courage to go out there in the world and show the public things that those in charge would rather leave unpublished. And their ability to go into these harsh environments and at the same time create artwork that is so moving that it can start that spark of outrage needed to commence change.
No comments:
Post a Comment