Exploring the Neglected Through Diane Arbus

Diane Arbus is known for her controversial photography during the 1960’s that is reputed for changing what people considered socially acceptable. Her work captured the fringes of society, opening new doors for photographers who followed her. She was enthralled with the abnormal and studying and observing “freaks” was her passion. She desired to satisfy her curiosity that budded as a child when her upper class family forbade her to associate with the people who were different and odd.

Her marriage to Allen Arbus, a war photographer, spiked her interest in photography and she credits him as her first teacher. They began a partnership, as photographer and stylist that allowed them to exploit fashion through their passion for photography. They were in perfect collaboration; their love and partnership so deep that people ridiculed them, saying that one would not be able to work without the other. Arbus, however, was not satisfied by this line of work and, after some inspiration from Lisette Model, she discovered her true calling, photographing the people society looked down upon.

Her fascination with hookers, dwarfs, giants, gypsies, transvestites, nudists and the mentally ill, and her ability to photograph were un-ignorable. The public, although hesitant to grab hold of this blunt portrayal of a previously overlooked population, could not disregard how captivating her art was. She gained popularity quickly for her unmatched talent but it wasn’t until near the end of her life that people began to appreciate the meaning of her art and the subjects exposed by it. Arbus truly extended the limits of what was previously considered acceptable and crossed the line no one had been daring enough to cross before. One’s understanding of Arbus’ intentions behind her photography may never be complete, but her story gives insight into what she was attempting to capture and, perhaps, the void she was trying to fill.

Prompts:
1. Do you think that it is socially acceptable to exhibit and portray some of societies oddities in the way Arbus did? Or was her work, in your opinion, inappropriate, perverse and unethical?
2. Is it possible for any given photographer to photograph the people and places Arbus did or does it take a specific mindset/personality?
3. Arbus wrote photographic essays on many of the subjects she photographed for magazines. Use one of her photographs to inspire a story about the subject's life and write an article that could be featured with that photograph in Harper’s Bazaar or Esquire.