Brooklyn, 1991 by Mark Peterson. © From the exhibit “Whose Streets? Our Streets!” 1980-2000 Click to enlarge.
By Paul Goldfinger, photography editor @Blogfinger.net
I first saw this image in Photograph magazine. It is from an exhibit held earlier this year at the Bronx Documentary Center, Bronx, NY. The photograph was described this way: “A woman walks by a line of police during the Crown Heights race riots in Brooklyn.”
According to Arts News Magazine, “The group exhibition brings together the images of 38 photographers who documented various protests throughout New York City, including demonstrations on affordable housing, LGBTQ rights, access to AIDS medication, police brutality, labor rights, and matters related to the Culture Wars.”
Although it is certainly an example of photojournalism, I was struck by its power, not only in the story it tells, but in the beauty of the image, and that is a hallmark of the best photojournalism.
The image reminds me of a Pulitzer Prize nominated newspaper photograph from 1967. It was taken during an anti-Vietnam War rally. Since then there have been many such photographs obtained during demonstrations, including those for 2017.
“Flower Power” by Bernie Boston © 1967. Internet image. Vietnam War protest held near the Pentagon.
The link below offers more images from the “Whose Streets? Our Streets” exhibit which concluded on March 5, 2017.
Blogfinger is a photographic website, so we don’t usually get into the political or historical aspects of someone’s work. I suspect that Mark Peterson has a lot to say about those elements, but I doubt he would quarrel with our fine art emphasis here.
BARNABY BRIGHT “Gravity.”
“I lied when I said I was alright
I’m anything but alright
I am anything but winning
Take your world off my shoulders
Weight is breaking me
Into pieces it’s colder…”
Two classic Vietnam era photos come to mind : Eddie Adams photo of a S.Vietnamese General executing a Vietcong prisoner via shooting him in the head and John Filo’s photo of young girl kneeling over(and screaming) body of dead student at Kent State protest . Both powerful photos that helped change Americans hearts & minds about the Vietnam war.
Editor’s note: Thanks Frank S–you are right abut those two famous photos, but the theme I am looking for is that of someone standing up to military or police forces.
Another one of that sort was in China’s Tiananmen Square where a man stood up to a tank.
I haven’t so far seen any of the sort in Charlottesville where, evidently, the police stood back.