Lorna Simpson

Lorna Simpson has a different approach to photography, which is why we are probably reading about her. It seems that most of the photographers we read about did something very great, interesting, or controversial. Anyway, what she does different is kind of protest/photojournalism approach. It seems as though she is arguing about political topics through her photography. She seems to have a strong belief in civil rights, a respectable thing to defend, but her message is not obvious. In "Easy for who to Say", the A-E-I-O-U, Amnesia, Error, Indifference, Omission, and Uncivil posted on the faces of African American females is not specifically clear, but present none-the-less. Also in her photos, "Sicily", Eastern Parkway Brooklyn, NY", and "Flushing Meadows Park", there is no central subject, but rather, they look like a picture someone might take with a modern Kodak at a gathering somewhere. The text says to "notice that she has completely avoided the cliche of urban strife, poverty, and dilapitated neighborhoods in which the black subjects are normally portrayed." This feels as if they events are natural, unstaged, and fluid. It also allows for some strength in the African American community. As commited as her work shows she is to the cause of civil rights, she does not choose a composition showing disgrace or drawing sympathy. I think is a good depiction because it shows the progress that had been made in this area over the last 30 years or so. Overall, this was a good writing and explanation of Simpson's work, but it got a little too much into the issue of rascism and left the field of photography at times.