His distinctively vibrant colours have made McCurry one of the western worlds most famous living photographers. Some of his most famous work was taken in Afghanistan just before the Soviet invasion in 1979, for which he crossed the border dressed in native clothes, and came back with some of the first photos of the unrest, including 'Afghan Girl', a picture that became, for many westerners, a symbol of the invasion.
The picture of the boy with the gun is shocking, It makes you wonder what has happened to him, why he is holding the gun to his head. It was taken in Peru in 2004, at the beginning of an economic boom in the country. "It's a plastic gun. The kid is obviously traumatized by the gun. I try to help him after the picture is taken but he runs away". Steve McCurry http://lemondedesophie2010.over-blog.com/article-conference-by-steve-mc-curry-at-the-national-portrait-gallery-in-london-july-3rd-2010-53395376.html
These 2 photos were of an afghan girl at a refugee camp during the Soviet-Afghan war during the 1980s. Her red shawl may symbolise the war, the pain and suffering that was happening around her and to her (both her parents war killed in the war, before these photos were taken) One photo shows the innocence of childhood, the other the weight of the world seems to be on her shoulders.
In the right hand picture, she looks guarded, and worried. The contrast green behind her, under her shawl, and the colour of her eyes against the red, could again be seen as a possible reference to the war and death around her, but this time as a difference between the west, or any peaceful country, and Afghanistan. The photos are almost like a before and after shot, before the war, and during it.
"What is important to my work is the individual picture. I photograph stories on assignment, and of course they have to be put together coherently. But what matters most is that each picture stands on its own, with its own place and feeling." - McCurry Quote - magnumphotos.com
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Cartier-Bresson developed a love of art, in particular surrealism. After a year in the Ivory coast in 1932, he discovered cameras, in the form of the 'Leica', a camera he also preferred over others.
He documented the French liberation, after also being a prisoner and helping others escape during the war. He also made some films, with Jean Renoir and during the liberation 'Le Retour'
Along with Robert Capa, George Rodger, David 'Chim' Seymour and William Vandivert, he helped found Magnum Photos in 1947. In 1952, after 3years in in the south and east of Asia, traveling, he published 'Images a la Sauvette', his first book.
The right hand picture is a humorous picture as the curator has the same stance as the sculptor next to him. The blur suggests he's very busy and/or stressed with his work
This bottom picture of an old man sat on his own surrounded by sunbathers is strange; in the sense that it looks almost like a line of dying people, and this one old man has to watch it all; It may well be a reference to the 2nd war. Or it shows his exhaustion at the end of a very hot day, again a possible unconscious reference to the recent war.
One of the many books he published was 'The Europeans' - a study of Europe in the aftermath of war. It was published in 1955, his fourth book, showing the wounds were still very raw and many Europeans were still surviving on very little food. The book was a pungent reminder and documentation of the wars effects, as well as commemorating the war itself and the many civilians and soldiers that had died because of it. It showed Europe's slow recovery - the pain and suffering still very much a part of survival - while also showing life, the playgrounds that had become of the ruins, the eccentricities and curiosity of men and children.
Larry Fink
Fink has a distinctive camera flash style, used almost continually throughout his work, much of his current work celebrity-event based or weddings, but, using black and white settings and the flash, the photos look similar to photographs taken in the last 1950's. his work has been shown in an impressive multitude of museums and galleries, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art; as well as publications such as Vanity fair, the New Yorker and GQ magazine.
The Left hand picture looks as though it was taken during or around the '70's, (it was taken in 1968 using an off camera flash) it was taken at an event organised by himself and the Metropolitan Museum of Art to photograph young artists one evening. Much of his photography is taken at events, like this, but her dress and the background leave what is actually happening to the imagination; it does not look like an art event, but more nightclub-esque. She seems caught between two or more people from the expression on her face and her stance.
In the right hand picture a famous singer, Gwen Stefani is the focus. She's clearly having a conversation with either the woman whose back we can see or someone next to her. It's not clear if she's enjoying herself or not, she may know someone whose won/about to win an award (it was taken at the Oscars).
The bottom picture of the couple, has a much older man in the background looking very annoyed at the couple. It captures the couples happiness, as well as the discomfort and embarrassment of the other people in the photo. The photo was most likely taken at a wedding, along with many others, documenting the whole event.
In this picture, the woman is the main focus. She looks either unhappy or drunk. She and her partner are dancing (something that resembles a waltz) , and a chandelier is clearly visible, suggesting a ball, or party in a large (probably rich) building or home. The photo was part of a book fink produced called 'Social Graces' - which was to highlight the differences between the New York elite and working-class Pennsylvania.
This picture is also part of 'Social Graces'. It looks like it was taken at a party as well, but, the people in the photo seem much happier, and more together - showing emotions and holding doors open. The people look like they would be more down to earth than the people in the photo above.
Both photos have used flash to bring out the shapes and make shadows. Social Graces was made partially because of Finks of Marxist leanings, as well as to show just how far removed the two classes were (are) from each other.
"Taken one at a time, Mr. Fink's black-and-white pictures are wonderfully absorbing, funny, skewed, ethereally glowing documents of human situations. The photographer is like a spy, always on the move, catching people at their most unguarded. An anxious, bored-looking woman in evening finery sits near a disheveled fat man in a tuxedo sprawled in sleep on a modern sofa; on the other side of the tracks, as it were, a teenager tries to comfort her drunk friend out in the yard on a summer night. Every picture is like a good short story -- here John Cheever, there Raymond Carver." http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/28/arts/art-in-review-larry-fink-social-graces.html
Bibliograpy
http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP=XSpecific_MAG.PhotographerDetail_VPage&l1=0&pid=2K7O3R13O2CM&nm=Steve%20McCurry
http://www.stevemccurry.com/main.php
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/photography/7635803/Larry-Fink-in-conversation.html
http://www.larryfinkphotography.com/
Google Images
http://www.nowness.com/day/2011/2/5/larry-finks-hollywood
http://www.larryfinkphotography.com/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/country_profiles/1224656.stm
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1318621
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/28/arts/art-in-review-larry-fink-social-graces.html
http://lucidamagazine.com/?paged=1
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/28/arts/art-in-review-larry-fink-social-graces.html
http://www.thamesandhudson.com/9780500281222.html
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/261749/Book-review-Europeans-by-Henri-Cartier-Bresson-Thames-Hudson-24-95-
Guardian Weekender (steve mccurry)
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