1901–1983 · United States · Photographer
Lisette Model
Frank, close-up street portraits with a blunt humanism.
Promenade des Anglais, 1934Source: Wikipedia
PHOTOGRAPHER · 1912–2006 · UNITED STATES
Gordon Parks
Humane photojournalism about race and poverty, and pioneering film direction.
- Born
- 1912
- Died
- 2006
- Country
- United States
- Field
- Photographer
KNOWN FOR
- 1942American Gothic, Washington, D.C.
- 1969The Learning Tree (film)
- 1971Shaft (film)
WHY THEY MATTER
First African-American staff photographer at Life; trained at the Farm Security Administration under Roy Stryker; NAACP Spingarn Medal (1972).
THE LIFE
Parks taught himself photography and joined the Farm Security Administration as a trainee under Roy Stryker. There he made American Gothic, a portrait of the cleaner Ella Watson that borrowed the title of Grant Wood's painting. He became the first African-American staff photographer at Life magazine and later directed films, including The Learning Tree and Shaft. He also wrote books and composed music.
Also born in 1900–1929
1902–1984 · United States · Photographer
Ansel Adams
Sharp black-and-white landscapes of the American West with full tonal range.
Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico, 1941Source: Wikipedia
1902–2002 · Mexico · Photographer
Manuel Alvarez Bravo
Poetic, quietly surreal views of Mexican life.
Striking Worker, Assassinated, 1934Source: Wikipedia
1903–1993 · Mexico · Photographer
Lola Alvarez Bravo
Modernist portraits and street pictures of postrevolutionary Mexico.
Galería de Arte Contemporáneo (Frida Kahlo exhibition), 1953Source: Wikipedia
1903–1975 · United States · Photographer
Walker Evans
Frontal, plain-spoken records of American vernacular life.
American Photographs, 1938Source: Wikipedia
1904–1983 · United Kingdom · Photographer
Bill Brandt
High-contrast social documentary, then distorted nudes and stark landscapes.
The English at Home, 1936Source: Wikipedia