History of American Art
The photographs of Gary Winogrand, William Eggleston, and Diane Arbus allinterpret the social climate of America in the 1960s. Their photos are allin black and white, which makes them feel timeless and eternal as theydepict people, places, and events. Some of Gary Winogrand's pictures simplyshow snapshots of American fashions in the 1960s. For example, his New Yorkshot dated 1961 shows two women from an unusual angle. They are wearingsexy miniskirts, showing that the fashion of that time. The 1962 photo of acouple in New York City shows them standing outside a gate with a dogbehind it. This captures an upper-middle class feeling. The 1964 shot ofthe World's Fair shows several people gossiping on a park bench. Theatmosphere is joyous and lighthearted. However, some of Winogrand's photosinclude more social commentary. For example, his 1964 shot of a bi-racialcouple at the Central Park Zoo has both the black man and white womanholding monkeys. This shot exhibits the ability for Americans to overcomeracism but also hints that racism is still alive in America. Anotherpicture, shot in Los Angeles in 1964, shows a man and a woman in a movingautomobile. The male driver has a broken nose and the scene sugges
This shot indicates the triumph of big tobacco inAmerica. Weston's shot of the Woodland Plantation in Louisiana (1941) creates a nicecomposition of architecture and open land, one that summarizes the Americanplantation experience. She especially captures the mood of New York-arearesidents. Eggleston's photos are more rural and less urban than eitherWinogrand or Arbus. By showing the ariddeserts and sand dunes of California, he reminds people of how central landis to the American experience. It also subtlyhints at the plastic, materialistic, or false character of some parts ofAmerican culture. These types of photos show theAmerican family during the 1960s. However,some of Arbus's photos simply depict American family life. For example, an undated shot of an older woman sittingon a bench has an American feel to it. His photos are also people-centered and show fashion andleisure life in America during the 1960s. All four of these photographers captured a unique vision of Americanlife and culture. Both those New Yorkphotographers show some elements of the war. In 1967, Arbus took a photo of a boy wearing astraw hat, waiting to march in a pro-war parade. Ina similar vein, Eggleston took a photo in 1968 of trophies sitting on topof a cigarette machine.
Common topics in this essay:
Central Park,
Edward Weston,
York City,
Winogrand Arbus,
William Eggleston,
Plantation Louisiana,
Goldwyn Mayer,
Gary Winogrand's,
Diane Arbus,
Grass Sea,
american family,
york city,
william eggleston,
gary winogrand,
sand dunes,
william eggleston depicts,
1964 shot,
life photos,
social commentary,
dunes california,
sand dunes california,
eggleston's photos,
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Acceptance Essays
