^ Diane Arbus + “Fur”
I came late to modern art, includingphotography. I’ve long been more of an Ansel Adams type when it came tophotography, and more Monet and Renoir than Pollack or even Picasso. Adams kept his focus on the naturalworld, as did Monet and Renoir, which historically I liked more than thetroubling landscapes of human faces and arrangements. Georgia O’Keefe, with hervaginal flowers and Art Deco high rises, was more palatable to me than Van Goghor Klimt.
So it was quite shocking for me to be drawnso fully into the story of Diane Arbus and her photographs. Watching the moviebased on her autobiography (“Fur,” starring Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey,Jr.) was an epiphany for me on a lot of levels. It put me in touch with my ownpity for humanity. With my sense of pointless shame over what are trulypeccadilloes in the greater scheme of life. It made me want to take my ownphotos.
One of the most poignant quotes from themovie: “What do you have to leave behind to become yourself?”
It’s a great question, and it’s one that Ibelieve most people don’t want to answer, because the price would be too steep.Diane paid a steep price to be herself and to follow her true calling. I wouldwish to be that brave.
Arbus photo album:
http://photography-now.net/diane_arbus/portfolio1.html
