USA. San Francisco, California. 2000
Coming and Going. USA. San Francisco. 1998. Photogram with drawing.
USA. San Francisco, California. 2003. Dave CHAPPELLE at the Punch Line comedy club.
Jim Goldberg
While sifting thru the work of Jim Goldberg, I first resinated with the top photo (the two girls and guy in the elevator in San Francisco). I was living in San Francisco at the time he took this and it captured some memories of when I first arrived there. I stayed at a number of residence hotels while starting my career. These are cheap (one bathroom on the floor, not in your room) places to stay while pounding the streets with a resume. All types people stay at these places, an eclectic mix of characters. From unhinged dreamers who haven't found their american dream, to young golden eyed hipsters desperately trying to lasso the midnight sun. I think Goldberg captured the latter perfectly in this photo.
Looking thru his work further, i noticed he really can't be categorized into a district style. He does famous portraiture. He does photograms with text, as well as object collage. He likes to experiment, yet there's a strong photojournalist vein in his work. What i like, is that he seems to go to the underbelly of culture, or at least western culture. He bring us into cultural places many haven't experienced and somehow frames it away from our own pre-judged viewpoint. He brings us to a deeply human realm with fresh eyes, and for this, I think of him as an Artist.
Is one of them Comedian, and Actor Dave Chappell.Thats pretty funny. Its good to see the realism in each photo but the 2nd one looks like a kid drawing. Good stuff
ReplyDeleteVery thoughtful response to Goldberg's work. I'm also attracted to how he seeks out different underbellies in society. And his photo journalistic tendencies.
ReplyDeleteI think this statement could be elaborated on:
"He bring us into cultural places many haven't experienced and somehow frames it away from our own pre-judged viewpoint".
How does he somehow frame it away? I guess I think of him as the guy that almost always uses text to get the voice of his subject in the work. Most of these images are not his highly collaged work which I find interesting!
Thanks!
I like the words you said, I think that is pretty cool since you said by the time he was photographing these photos in SF, you were there,too! I know this feeling, you can read more emotions than the others. I like the second photo, " coming and going," it's very creative! I understand as the top part is coming, and the bottom part is going.
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