IN PHOTOGRAPHY.
Women's Work is a collaborative project by Courtney Borresen, Peter Bull, Claire Concannon, Nina Coyle, Jessica Greenberg, Ben Haist, Nicole Harvey, Zachary Press, Elizabeth Sankey, Hannah Sonnier, Bayley Sprowl and Zari Williams-Yee.
This web page is an assignment for Foundations of Art: Photography, a course taught by Stephen Hilger at Tulane University.
Mary Ellen Mark - Celebrities
Over the past four decades, Mary Ellen Mark has photographed hundreds of celebrities, many on the sets of movies. Her black and white portraits of film actors are of particular interest because they include a remarkably diverse variety of settings while consistently maintaining distinct focus on the subject—the actor. This blog post examines five of these portraits. Mark creates interest in her portraits by drawing attention, very distinctly, to the face and hands of the subject.
Mary Ellen Mark, Jim Carrey: Hollywood, California, 2001
Carrey’s gaze intimidates the viewer while his white face stands out among the darkness of his jacket and the surrounding leaves; his hand thrusts a flag toward the camera, blurry yet large. His persona is the everyday, passively patriotic American.
Mary Ellen Mark, Kevin Costner: Sante Fe, New Mexico, USA, 1993
Half of Costner’s face is—and notably, his eyes are—hidden by the large brim of his hat, inspiring some mystery about his focus; his black-gloved hands are at the very foreground, while the only action of the photo is implied by his right hand pulling on his left glove. His persona is the elegant, dutiful cowboy.
Mary Ellen Mark, Jodie Foster: Los Angeles, California, USA, 1994
Foster’s face nearly blends in with the background at first, but her determined look and gaunt cheeks slice through the photo; her skeleton-like right hand peeks out of her shawl toward her left side, a strange sight. Her persona is the alluring stranger.
Mary Ellen Mark, Meryl Streep: Salisbury, Connecticut, USA, 1994
Streep also stares without expression, but the beauty of the background suggests that she is remembering something or somebody; she presses her hands to her heart, reinforcing the idea of love or fondness. Her persona is the solitary romantic.
Mary Ellen Mark, Robin Williams: San Francisco, California, USA, 1998
Williams leans over with his hands behind his back, unable to break his fall; his slightly comical expression and hat (similar to the hat of Charlie Chaplin’s Little Tramp) imply that he is showing off, and he succeeds in creating a silly picture. His persona is the spontaneous, friendly comedian.All of these photographs have backgrounds or settings that are certainly interesting, inspiring, or beautiful in some way. But they arguably go unappreciated, as Mark draws intense focus to the actor in each photograph. This focus creates the actor’s persona. Each is presented simply, with a few aspects that stand out, so the mood is very specific—at times, overpowering.
- - Peter Bull
