Download - Dawoud bey ashleyh1
The Bey Basics• Originally born as David Edward
Smickle• Born in 1953 in New York City’s
Jamaica, Queens area• Attended the School of Visual Arts
(1977-78)• Received his BFA in Photography
from Empire State College (1990)• Received his MFA from Yale
University School of Art (1993)• Had a style of street photography,
but just tries to capture the veracity of people
The Beyspiration• Bey received his first 35-millimeter camera at the age of 15; yet, his
photography career did not begin until 1975.• “If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.”
This philosophy influenced Bey’s art and how he works.
• He believes that photography can capture the true essences and identities of people by changing social stereotypes.
• Photographing high school students across the country is his way of “reaching across the lines of presumed differences.”
• “I always wanted my photographs to challenge the status quo, to contest the kinds of images that existed in popular culture, that staked out my own sense of who and what the subject mater was and why they’re important,” stated Bey.
The Beyspiration• Bey wanted to change society’s general view of modern American youth;
therefore, he manifested a book titled, Class Pictures: Photographs.• “Photographs are everywhere and photography has an immediacy and
familiarity that no other medium has. This is both photography’s blessing and it’s curse. Its very familiarity keeps people from engaging with it critically even as they consume photographs almost effortlessly. Because it was a broadly accessible medium I think it has the ability to viscerally describe the experience of one human being to another.”
• Photography can exceed cultural boundaries and stereotypes because it is truly universal.
Sharmaine, Vincente, Joseph, Andre, and Charlie. 1993. Internal dye diffusion transfer prints. Each: 26 ½ x 22 in.
Description• Two boys and a woman• The boys’ shadows• A building with a steel,
decorated fence• Black and white• The woman has one hand on
her hip and the other on the fence
• The boys seem to be walking• Half of the photo has light
and the other half is in a shadow
Analysis• Movement displayed by the boys• Their shadows create a leading line to
the woman• The large, cast shadow in the
background fills the space• The boys have a different form than
the woman• Wide range of values• Emphasis on the woman’s white shirt• Balance is created by the people being
on opposite sides• Proportion, even though the boys are
closer, the woman is still larger because she is the adult
Interpretation• Part of Dawoud Bey’s Harlem
portfolio• He just wanted to convey the
everyday life in Harlem
Judgment• I like this photograph because the
leading line and emphasis on the white shirt really captured my eye.
• It seems to me that the woman is in deep thought, but the young boys are walking by, enjoying life
Beytrospective• Where was Dawoud Bey born?
a. New York city’s China Townb. New York City’s Sewerc. New York City’s Jamaica, Queensd. New York City’s Little Italy
Beytrospective• Which quote did Bey live by?
a. “Get rich or die trying.”b. “If you are not part of the solution, you are part of
the problem.”c. “To be or not to be.”d. “We encounter many defeats, but we must not be
defeated.”
Citations• "Biography." Dawoudbey.net. Web. 20 Feb. 2011. <http://www.dawoudbey.net/>.• "Dawoud Bey." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 20 Feb. 2011.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawoud_Bey>.• "Mobius - Searching Objects." Mobius - Objects. Web. 20 Feb. 2011.
<http://collections.mocp.org/info.php?page=0&v=1&s=Bey, Dawoud&type=browse&t=objects&f=maker&d=>.
• "The HistoryMakers." The HistoryMakers.com - African American History Archive. Web. 20 Feb. 2011. <http://www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/biography.asp?bioindex=60>.