Aaron Siskind

Aaron Siskind was born in New York in 1903. For about twenty years he taught English in high schools before beginning to pursue documentary photography for the New York Photo league. Eventually, his style switched to the more uncommon at the time abstract photography. Siskind's photographs have been widely exhibited and he won many awards for his photography, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Distinguished Photography Award from the Friends of Photography. His later work focuses on the intricate details of nature and architecture. He died in 1991.

His photographs emphasize several formal elements including lines, textures and shapes of objects. The entirety of his work is captured on gelatine silver prints, an organic and innovative process for the time period.

Siskind's early documentarian work:

Harlem 1930s

Some of my favourite examples of his abstract work:

Reflections, 1956

San Luis Potosi 16, 1961

Guadalajara, Mexico 21 , 1961

This piece was taken in 1961 in Guadalajara, Mexico. This was a tumultuous time for the country, violence riddled the streets due to political unrest- resulting in the Mexican Dirty war. But it was also a time of social change and economic transformation. This image by Aaron Siskind captures a snapshot of the degradation of the area and turns it into a piece that is not only interesting to look at but has a hidden history to it. The name J. Armando Suarez Garcia is written multiple times, this refers to a Mexican football player , a prominent figure in the areas football scene at the time. A name which has disappeared into history has been secretly cemented into this photograph, I think that is a very special aspect of Siskind's work.

Inventive and one of a kind, this piece and Siskind's work in general break boundaries and set new precidence for the form photography can take.

My Work

Walls and Doors

These photos were taken using a Canon eos 4000D, around the Oxford Road/Deansgate area. I am very happy with them, I love the shape and texture captured. Some are purely focused on paint and the texture of walls, while others capture aspects of posters and flyers on those walls. Once selected, photos are taken into Camera Raw and a preset is applied to define specific dimension and put them into black and white. I also purposefully put all my photos into landscape form even if they were taken in portrait to mimic Siskind's work because I have noticed that is a prominent aspect of his work.