Let Us Now Praise Famous Men

Let Us Now Praise Famous Men is the current exhibit at the Foster Gallery in UWEC. This exhibit is composed of photographs by Walker Evans during the Great Depression. When I first walked into the gallery I was amazed at the detail and thought that would have gone into each picture Walker Evans took. Walker Evan’s photographs served an important purpose throughout the depression. His photographs showed the world the living conditions and lives of farmers during this time. His photographs of the three families in Alabama gave insight into a different lifestyle. After hearing Baldwin Lee, Walker’s former assistant, talk about the photograph’s content and process of making such amazing photographs, I became much more intrigued with the subject. Baldwin Lee had much to share about the style of Walker Evan’s photography and how each picture meant more than meets the eye. I thought one of the most interesting points Baldwin Lee brought up was about the Shoe Shine photograph. Listening to the story behind that photography made me realized that there really is much more to the photograph. When he first put the photo on the screen I didn’t think much of it, however when he went into the detail of the meaning of the word, the placement of the shoes, the font of the word, and the skill of the artist who drew the shoe I realized that it was much more than just a picture. It made me realized how much of an artist Walker Evan’s really was. The thought that went behind each picture isn’t always shown until you really take a good look at the picture.

Another interesting aspect that Baldwin Lee shared was the quote from Evans of

“Looking is harder than it looks”. The picture of the Shoe Shine poster is a perfect example. It’s easy to just take a picture of a shoe shine sign, but the placement of the shoes, the font, and all these other variables come into play when you take a deeper look at the meaning of the picture. Other examples include how he set up his photographs. He perfectly positioned the families to put them in vulnerable positions. One example of how he set up a photograph was the picture of one of the family’s bed. He took the picture to include the flies and the stain on the bed. This is one example of why he said, “looking is harder than it looks.” It takes a good eye to set up a photograph where you can expose the family’s hardships just through one picture of their bed. Also, the photograph he took of the family’s silverware. The more spoons than forks, shadow lines where the silverware was moved, and the background all show how artistic he was when taking these photographs. Another example of how he has shown that looking is harder than it looks is his photograph of the building with the pillars and the word “signs” written on it. The angle of the photograph makes the picture look so good. It has the word partially blocked off, and the pillars are uneven, although the photograph looks like it was taken head on. The way he positioned the camera makes this picture so special. I think that’s amazing how he can see the beauty in something at simple as a building and can position his camera to show that beauty in the photograph. His one quote sums up his work entirely, and quite possibly applies to many other photographers also. Its easy these days with modern technology to just snap a picture of anything, but the real beauty and truth comes out when you look for a deeper meaning that can be expressed through the picture.

Hannah Walsh