Paul Strand: A Look Back in Time: Mexico-The Beginning

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Mexico-The Beginning

Paul Strand was both a recognized and criticized photographer and filmmaker. Strand aimed to visually capture the social culture of Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. His Mexican work Photographs of Mexico, later renamed, as the Mexican Portfolio is comprised of about one hundred seventy five negatives, twenty platinum prints. In addition, he also photographed, produced, and directed the film (Redes), which was well received by Mexican Nationals because of its connectivity to the national ethos in the 1930s. * Strand was considered an "American-Mexican" whose photographs are considered the best of its kind. Paul Strand was an advocate for straight photography, which can be defined as photography that prohibits the manipulation of negatives. He knew the importance of each stage of botch the creating and editing process that added to the objectivity of his creations. By traveling to Mexico from a received invitation by a friend, Carlos Chávez, Strand fled many disappointments such as: a failed marriage, a failed relationship with his mentor, Alfred Stieglitz, and a failed application for the Guggenheim Fellowship. In Mexico however, Strand found success as an elementary school art instructor and later Director of Photography and film for the Mexican Department of Fine Arts. Although Strand had many achievements In Mexico, he was forced to leave in 1935 over much controversy. An example of his work done in Mexico was an image of the Ranchos de Taos Church, New Mexico, 1931. ** This church is a cultural landmark and extremely important to the common tradition of humanity. It is also a sacred place for the native dwellers in the area, which is what brought Strand to this location.

* Kripner, James. “Traces, Images, and Fiction: Paul Strand in Mexico.” The Americas 63, no. 3 (Jan 2007): 359-383.

** Tompkins, Calvin. Paul Strand: Sixty years of photographs: excerpts from correspondence, interviews, and other documents. Millerton, N.Y.: Aperture, 1975.

Photo Credit: http://aperture.org/shop/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/t/strand_st-francis-church-ranchos-de-taos-new-mexico-1931_1.jpg

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Paul Strand Biography

Paul Strand was an extremely innovative photographer, filmmaker, and visionary. Through his lengthy career, he received many awards and was highly decorated and admired. Born October 16, 1890 in New York, Strand found a love for photography at an early age. At the age of seventeen he began to study under Lewis Hine and learn the skills and thrills of photography through him. Studying under Hine could have potentially shaped the way he will later photograph portraits. As time passed, Strand encountered Alfred Stieglitz and received much inspiration to continue his work. Around 1915, Strand became less interested in the painter-like, soft focus, photographs of the pictorialist movement and vastly interested in sharpness and detail available with a large-format camera. This brought about the movement known as “straight photography.” This radically shaped Strand’s career. Roughly about five years later, Paul Strand’s focus switched from capturing architectural and geometric structures towards what was actually occurring in the world around him politically. This shift in his career brought about many travels around the globe. He moved to France and began to explore the culture there. Strand also spent time in Mexico, where his assimilated himself into the culture to an extent to teaching elementary school. From there he photographed the villages of New England, the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, Ghana and many other places. Towards the end of Strand’s life he began to focus on nature and plant life. During this time he produced phenomenal images of Iris plant leaves and twigs that have landed in a way that the movement created by the lines of the sticks become mesmerizing. This was Paul Strand’s last work and it was never fully completed. Paul Strand died on March 31, 1976 in Oregeval, France.

* Stange, Maren. Paul Strand: Essays on his life and work. New york: Aperture, 1990.