 |
| Maier, Self-portrait |
A 70-minute introduction to the life and work (of what is so far known) of the American-born, French-raised photographer who left behind 100,000 negatives and who in her lifetime never published or exhibited. In fact, almost no one ever saw her photographs until she was near dead and she wasn’t recognized as an auteur until she was.
Joel Meyerowitz observes that not publishing her work is after all not so surprising. He believes that after years of regular practice, capturing images for oneself is enough. This is the way one comes to relate to the world and the opinion or praise of outsiders is no longer necessary.
What remains so remarkable and fascinating is the commitment to visual documentation, to day after day, year after year, seeking out the world’s detail, not only in the world where she found herself, but in far flung locations she sought out. In my own work it sometimes seems difficult to raise the energy to get out there for another day of shooting. Perhaps Vivian had those days, too. Her perseverance is inspiring.
So, too, is her independence. She apparently never married, but in her job kept surrogate families. It seems what she may have valued most was her freedom, the ability to move around, to have a relationship, but also to walk away.
The film can be viewed online here: http://www.veoh.com/watch/v70590131KFPFjY7N
#
No comments:
Post a Comment