Dianne Arbus

 

'Boy with a toy grenade at central park' - 1962

Diane Arbus was an American Photographer who's work was based around people with different looks and had a surreal look about them,  apart from children who may look odd and young twins she looked at people with disabilities such as dwarfs and down syndromes. Other people she looks at are transgenders and members of the circus. Diane Arbus said that photography should be 'A little cold, a little harsh' which the people she did take photographs of no other photographers did, and she believe what is wrong with it? 

She liked to look at the flaws in people, why they look different. 

The photo above shown is called 'Boy with toy grenade at central park' which is a famous photograph. By looking at the image by itself he looks like a seriously disturbed young boy, with his tiny figure, the way he clenches his hands in a claw like way, the strap of his braces handing off his shoulder and the facial expression. On first viewing you think he is seriously disturbed. Why would he be playing with a toy grenade, the image just looks odd overall. There is a juxtaposition between strength and weakness as he looks so young and fragile yet he holds a grenade which if was real he would hold so much power. When you look at the contact sheet after seeing the image, the thought of this boy being disturbed changes, as he actually looks like a normal child playing in a park as he is running around smiling and posing for the camera. Which changes the mode of the photograph completely. 

'Identical Twins' 1967

This image echoes from Stanley Kubrick's 'The shining' where the twins are shown side by side in the corridor. It may not be intentional but because they are twins stood side by side wearing the same clothing it gives a mirror symmetry effect. When i first looked at the image what i noticed the most is how the twin on the right is smiling yet the other twin slightly frowns and looks unhappy. Because of the old texture to the photograph it has a ghostly feel to it, which is what is echoed in 'The shining' as they are acting as ghosts in the corridor. Identical twins, is a surreal thing, that two people can look exactly the same. Which is exactly what Diane Arbus liked to photograph. 

The Twins from The Shining