Art Knowledge News
Michael Hoppen Gallery hosts An Exhibition of Early Photographs by Weegee |
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| Written by Bernice Koster |
| Thursday, 26 November 2009 02:14 |
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Born in 1899 in the Austrian province of Galicia, which is today part of Ukraine, Weegee (real name Usher, then Arthur Fellig) was the second of seven children from Jewish parents. Weegee's family left Europe in 1910 for the Lower East Side of Manhattan, where Weegee grew up. He left home at 15 and in 1917 got a job in a photo studio and became assistant to a cameraman. In 1921, he got a part-time position at the New York Times and its legendary agency Wide World Photos, soon afterwards switching to Acme News pictures. Eventually, frustrated with the lack of recognition for his work, and not having his name on photographs, he became a freelance news photographer by late 1935.  Weegee’s images bridge the gap between art, evidence and
photojournalism. His nickname was a phonetic rendering of ouija,as in ouija
board, due to his sixth sense of being able to arrive at a scene minutes after
the occurrence of a crime. In 1938, Fellig was the only New York newspaper
reporter with a permit to have a portable police-band short wave radio. The
trunk of his car was a carefully maintained darkroom, to enable himto deliver
his freelance images tothe newspapers as speedily as possible. He worked
predominantly at night listening closely to radio broadcasts, often beating the
NYPD to the scene. It also meant he was on hand to document the raucous night
life in the Bowery, Harlem and The Village, and he went on to document the
society events and functions of the era. His photographs were taken with the very basic press photographer equipment, a Graflek and blue flashbulbs which gave his work such graphic qualities. He had no formal photographic training being entirely self taught, and was a relentless self-promoter. As an adjunct to Weegee’s work, we will also be showing further images by Sergei Vasiliev, and Stan Healy. Sergei Vasiliev's graphic and unflinching photographs show the grim reality of the Russian prison system and some of the characters that inhabit it. The tattoo motifs which Vasiliev was helping to document for the KGB represent the uncensored lives of the criminal classes, ranging from violence and pornography to politics. This was an underclass with its own caste and judicial system, and the history of each individual was instantly recognizable to the other. Edward ‘Stan’ Healy was born in Missoula, Montana and as a local newspaper photojournalist documented crime scenes and local news stories. Healy has been praised for anability to capture a story in a single image and do so with an eye for composition. However, he also had a taste for the provocative and disturbing, and his images can be shocking. all the more so because of the parochial backdrop of mid 20th century Missoula- a small Midwest city whose boom years at the forefront of the logging industry were sadly over. This unique exhibition at Michael Hoppen Gallery. Prepare to be shocked, amused and informed! Visit : http://www. Click on logo below to add this article to your favorite Social Website ~ |
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