Preface: I just wrote this piece for an art-photo-history course I'm taking and wanted to put it somewhere on the web - it's pretty long and involved so I won't be insulted if you don't read it all:
Love him
or hate him, there is no denying the contribution to, and the
influence on, the contemporary, fine-art photography world of the
British photographer Martin Parr. A polarized opinion of Martin Parr
and his work has followed him throughout his career, from his first
exhibitions in the mid-1970's through to the present day. The breadth
of this polarity is wide stretching from the working class, English
layman who has encountered the the Parr controversy in the tabloids;
through the educated middle class, whom Parr targets with much of his
wit; through art patrons, gallery curators, and picture editors who
cannot get enough of Parr's work; through Parr's influences and
students even, and especially, through his contemporaries at Magnum
where he is the agency's most controversial member and one if its
most financially successful. It seems that in Parrworld
there is little middle ground and to paraphrase reviewers of Parr's
work, one is either a fan of his stunning and vivid imagery or one is
a critic of his cruel and lurid work.
I myself am very middle class. One of the things I wanted to do as
a photographer was to connect the subject matter which I was actually
part of with the photography. Photographers tend to be attracted to
things very different to where they are from .. they tend to like
things very different from their own lifestyle, so one of the rules I
try to engage with is to try to photograph things that I am part of.
So all the things like consumerism, tourism and being middle class is
something I've been very interested in.
The
above quote applies well to Parr's most famous, color work and to his
most recent projects which focus on consumerism, wealth and
globalization which I will consider shortly but this is not
where his photographic career started out. In the 1960's when Martin
Parr was attending the equivalent of high school in Surrey, in the
South of England, an area that is part of what is colloquially known
as stock-broker belt, and in the 1970's when Parr attended the
Manchester College of Art, there was a huge North / South divide in
England. Residents of both sides of this unofficial dividing line
were highly suspicious of each other. The caricatures were, and still
are but to a lesser extent, that the North was uncultured and
industrial, whereas the South was seen as wealthy and the predominant
habitat of the middle classes. Growing up, Martin Parr, as he admits
himself, could not have been more middle class; “I'm so middle
class it's unbelievable. [...] My father was a civil servant. I was
brought up in middle class Surrey. That's it – it's the perfect
middle class pedigree.”
Growing up Martin Parr did have a connection with the North of
England through his grand parents, particularly his grandfather
George Parr, living in Yorkshire. He took regular vacations in
Yorkshire as a child but it was a romanticized view of the North that
Parr experienced on these visits. His grandfather was an accomplished
amateur photographers who introduced Parr to the magic of photography
and the darkroom and took the family on day trips to local sites and
landmarks. Parr saw a holiday Yorkshire idyll not the everyday
reality that is his stock and trade.
Parr's
childhood Northern adventures must have influenced his choice of
college to attend as he escaped the boredom of the suburbs to the
northern city of Manchester to go to art school. We know that his
projects while in Manchester reflected his new 'exotic' environment.
We see pictures of interiors that are much more working class than
his upbringing. We know that he tried to locate the real Coronation
Street
to use as a photographic subject as if the popular television soap
opera had a real-life alter-ego but it is Parr's graduation project,
Home Sweet Home, that seems
to be his first, deliberate use of photography as an ironic weapon.
The project consisted of a free-standing, full-scale model of a
working class sitting room. Kitsch furnishings and decorations were
used as a backdrop to Parr's own black and white photography. The
photographs were mounted in cheap frames of the day perhaps to remove
them from the preciousness of art photography. It is a two pronged
attack; on one level the sitting room setting can be seen as a
criticism of popular tastes of the day – a theme that continues
though most of Parr's work to the present day. On the other hand Home
Sweet Home was a gauntlet slap
in the face to many of Parr's teachers at Manchester Polytechnic who
Parr felt were totally unaware of what was happening in the art
photography field of the day. If Parr was looking for a strong
reaction he got it as he managed to split the opinion of his faculty
lecturers. Graduation projects are usually exhibited no further than
graduation shows but Parr's notoriety ensured that Home
Sweet Home got broader coverage
at two further English galleries.
After
graduation Parr and several of his peers from Manchester moved a
little way out of the city and into a new kind of photography when
they formed a loose, artistic community in a slightly run-down, rural
village called Hebden Bridge. Although, or perhaps because, Hebden
Bridge was in a state of neglect and decline it became a sort of
semi-pastoral Eden for Parr and his cohorts. Moving away from the
conceptual art photography of his student days Parr seems to fall
more under the influence of the American FSA style than the beatnik
photography of Robert Frank that Parr cites as his major influence as
a student .
Martin and his future wife, Susie Mitchell, zeroed in on a small,
declining community based around the Methodist chapel of Crimsworth
Dean as a subject for a social documentary project that resulted in
some of the most powerful and intimate images of Parr's career.
Mitchell seems to have acted as an agent who allowed Parr who was
already used to working from a slightly stand-off or aloof
perspective, emotionally closer access to their subjects. With
Mitchell, Parr became embedded with the congregation of Crimsworth
Dean; Mitchell taught Sunday school while Parr helped the church
raise funds by holding slide-shows. The great images resulting from
these four years demonstrate that the congregation must have been
aware that they were the subject for Parr's photography and
Mitchell's interviewees were certainly aware of her tape recorder but
when the Parrs were outed by a chapel elder for having more artistic
than spiritual ambitions for being involved in the parochial
community it was painful for both sides. The photographer's usual
line of there being unwritten consent between themselves and their
subjects does not stand in this case. The photographs were powerful,
unsentimental and comprehensive but Parr has never got emotionally
that close to his subjects again. Perhaps it is the Crimsworth Dean
controversy that defined Parr's modus operandi on future projects of
stepping back and being removed from his subject. The experience may
also be responsible for Martin's often repeated and quoted philosophy
that all photography is exploitative. "My line is that
photography by its nature is exploitative. [...] It's unavoidable,
especially if you are earning money from it. You're basically earning
money from other people's image. Most photographers would never admit
that photography is exploitative; they try to hide it because of
their humanistic ideals."
After
the Crimsworth Dean experience and a couple of years self-imposed
exile in isolated Ireland, the Parrs returned to the North of
England. During this time England had changed and was now firmly
entrenched in the era of Thatcherism which had created a devolution
of the English class-system and embraced new-money and consumerism.
Parr's photography had also metamorphosed during this time. No longer
was he concentrating on quaint, gentle, disappearing communities and
rituals but his eye had turned to more contemporary subjects. Some
argue that Parr's work became politicized at this time but Parr
denied this claiming that he was still just photographing people
going about their everyday lives but the emotion does seem more
critical of his subjects however much Parr might deny it. The biggest
visual change was the switch from a black and white, 35mm system to a
medium format, vividly colorful approach that relied on a slightly
wide point of view, consumer color film and a signature daylight,
fill-flash technique. As previously, inspiration for this aesthetic
came not from his peers in the UK but from the US and the colorful
snapshot approach that was gaining momentum with William Eggleston,
Stephen Shore and their ilk.
With his
aesthetic and technical approach renewed, and his subjects being an
emerging, rather than disappearing society the stars were aligned for
Parr's most popular, critically acclaimed and denounced work. This
productive era is prefaced by the works Point of Sale
and One Day Trip which
both focused on Britain's consumer society but it is the work The
Last Resort which catapulted
Parr into the spotlight. The Last Resort
documents working class families at play in a run-down and dirty
seaside town called New Brighton. The work shows naked babies and
children with their parents playing and eating in an environment
festooned with trash and grime. Junk food and
overcrowding are a constant theme through the work. Although Parr
denies that this work is neither political nor critical, critics were
immediately divided about the work. Some saw it as an insightful
portrayal of the times but others thought it a cynical and cruel
condemnation of the working class. Of course, the critics themselves
were mainly from the liberal, educated middle class and Parr contends
that they were being overly defensive and precious towards his
working class subjects. What is undeniable is that the publicity and
controversy The Last Resort
created provided Parr with the financial means and the critical
following to follow his muse where it would take him and, almost in
direct response to the defenders of the working class, Parr's muse
took him back to the South of England and to the middle class who
were most benefiting from Thatcher's government.
His next large work, The Cost of Living marks his move away
from documenting the working class and can be seen as a direct
criticism of middle class that is Parr's heritage. The Cost of
Living is no more an affectionate work than The Last Resort
and, in some ways can be described as more vicious. The working class
holiday makers in The Last Resort are trapped by their
surroundings and economic position but the middle class subjects of
The Cost of Living and subsequent examinations of a consumer
society such as Signs of the Time, From A to B and
Small World have the freedom and money that provide more
choices of how to live and the environments they create for
themselves. In many ways these works are more damning criticisms of
the middle class than earlier work was of the their working class
equivalents, a point not lost on the critics who felt the bead of
Parr's focus fall upon them. Parr is now accused of being aloof and a
cynical, arbiter of good taste for the whole nation but criticism
brings with it attention and with this attention Parr's career
continued to grow.
He followed up these major works with a slight change in aesthetic.
His color work had, up to this point, remained slightly wide angle
and medium format. This approach changes slightly with Common
Sense when he returned to 35mm. This is was not a return to his
early, romantic black and white work but Parr adopts a macro lens and
a ring flash; he gets in really close in on his subjects and the
style backs away from identifiably documentary to a more abstract and
conceptual approach not seen from Parr since his student projects.
His subjects remain the same: junk food, traditions, tourism, the
results of consumerism and globalization. If anything, the colors
become even more saturated. The tight in approach renders differing
subjects in a similar way and the juxtaposition of particular images
on the page emphasize this; raw bacon looks the same as sunburned
skin, pasty sausages look similar to a piece of spent chewing gum. Of
course, the critics had something to say about this change in
direction and they found it hard to recognize the documentary thread
that had run through Parr's career. They also criticized what they
saw as a less hard hitting style but if you look closely the work
from this period is probably the most damning of western society that
Parr has produced to date.
The art photography world is badly paid for most participants
compared to worlds of fashion, commercial and documentary
photography. Parr saw that his work overlapped into these genres and
looked around for an agency to represent him. He was already a
controversial associate member of the Magnum agency but be decide to
seek full membership of what was seen as the world's top photo agency
knowing that he was likely to be strongly resisted by the old guard.
Magnum functions like a cooperative where membership is obtained
dependent upon a vote cast by existing members.
If he was expecting a fight he was not disappointed. In an open
letter to the Magnum membership Philip Jones Griffiths actively
campaigned against allowing Parr to become a full member of Magnum,
“It would be the embracing of a sworn enemy whose meteoric rise
in Magnum was closely linked with the moral climate of Thatcher's
rule [...] Let me state that I have great respect for him as the
dedicated enemy of everything I believe in and, I trust, what Magnum
still believes in.”
The main criticism of Parr was that, whereas Magnum prided itself on
romantic, humanistic approach to subjects outside of war zones at
least, Parr, in his own words, “... was one of the first to
break that humanist tradition that was so strong in the previous
generation. They thought I was exploitative, cynical, even fascist.
All kinds of words were used.”
It is to Parr's credit that while certain old-school members of
Magnum, although they denied it, made personal attacks against his
person, Parr remained, as ever, aloof and removed from the battle. He
had strong opinions that Magnum's approach and philosophy were
outdated but he never resorted to personal attacks. It was a close
call but the younger, more forward looking but less vocal members of
Magnum recognized Parr's work as different to the traditional Magnum
content but also saw that it was a diversity of vision that Magnum
needed to remain relevant and by one vote, Parr was accept into the
agency. Financially for Magnum this was a good thing as Parr has
consistently been one of their top three best selling photographers
since his admission.
Ironically, one of the other leading horses in Magnum sales is
consistently Henri Cartier-Bresson who had a strong, visceral
reaction against Parr's work when he experienced it. Bresson rebuked
Parr in public when they met in 1995. In a letter that was made
public HCB later apologized for his over-reaction but said that what
upset him about Parr's work was “the philosophy of a man taking
himself seriously, without humor, where rancor and scorn dominate, a
nihilistic attitude symptomatic of society today.”
As HCB had been one of Parr's teenage idols this must have been tough
to read but, yet again, Parr kept his cool and held his ground; “I
acknowledge there is a large gap between your celebration of life and
my implied criticism of it [...] What I would query with you is 'Why
shoot the messenger?'”
To say that Martin Parr deliberately courted controversy is to
demonize him as being manipulative and contriving. It seems more fair
and honest to say that Parr does not shy away from a fight and that
he constantly stays on message addressing the themes he sees as
important. It is true that controversy has, to some extent, made
Martin Parr the photographer he is today both in his aesthetic
approach and his resulting professional standing and financial
success.
The confrontation at Crimsworth Dean after the Parr's infiltrated
the community and the way their subjects subsequently felt betrayed
shaped the way Martin Parr approached his subjects from then on.
Although he claims to be a part of the society he portrays, and he
may be part of the same demographic as his subjects, his perspective
is deliberately detached and unemotional. This can be construed as
heartless and cynical if this is the way you are inclined to view
Parr's work. If you are more sympathetic to his agenda it can be seen
as simply honest and that Parr is simply the messenger reflecting our
world, and our effect on it, back at us. Parr's unsparing view of
both the working and middle class have galvanized opinions in both
his critics and audience. His most famous fan was, allegedly, Margret
Thatcher while his most vocal and famous critic was Bresson. Everyone
seems to have a strong emotional response to the social documentary
parts of Parr's body of work. Everyone who knows Parr's work has a
strong opinion of it and perhaps this demonstrates Parr's importance
both as an art photographer and as a social documentarian; he makes
people think and examine themselves. Those strong enough to take this
criticism seem to appreciate Parr's work while those who are more
critical of him often acknowledge that they are also disillusioned
with the direction of the modern world and Parr's work, therefore,
makes something of a convenient scapegoat. In the end, Parr's
persistence and faith in his own vision will be responsible for his
legacy: “I have kept producing new work, new books; and I
guess, in the end, people take that seriously. If you're around long
enough, and you keep doing new work, and it keeps provoking an
audience to dislike you, and, obviously, some people like it as well,
people will notice what you do."
I hope I have demonstrated how Martin Parr's career
has been followed by strong, divergent opinions of both the artist
and his work. Parr does not shy away from uncomfortable subjects or
from criticism. Being a popularist his work has escaped gallery walls
and art magazines on to the pages of high circulation magazines and
billboards and his work often makes people think. Parr does not make
pretty pictures in a traditional style but he reflects back the world
and society most of his viewers are part of. It is a strong message
that does not show us in the most favorable light. Strong, difficult,
unflattering messages often elicit a strong emotional response in
those addressed but Martin Parr has made it his mission to be that
polarizing force and messenger.
Love
him or hate him, I began this piece as a huge fan of Martin Parr.
While doing the background reading I found some of what he says
judgmental and difficult to stomach. I see Martin Parr as a hard task
master but remain convinced of the importance of his work and see
controversy as a side effect of the themes he addresses and the way
he addresses those themes. Parr still makes me think about my place
in the world and shows me, in the words of Oscar Wilde “It is
the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors. Diversity of
opinion about a work of art shows that the work is new, complex and
vital.”
Bibliography: Books
Miller,
Russell: Magnum: Fifty Years at the Front Line of History: The
Story of the Legendary Photo Agency - Grove Press; 1st Grove
Press Pbk. Ed edition (October 1999 – Hardback published 1997)
Parr,
Martin: Boring Postcards -
Phaidon Press (September 30, 1999)
Parr,
Martin: Last Resort: Photographs of New Brighton - Dewi Lewis
Publishing; New Ed edition (February 1998)
Parr,
Martin: Small World - Dewi Lewis Publishing; Rev Ed edition
(November 1, 2007)
Parr,
Martin: The Cost of Living -
Aperture (January 1991)
Parr,
Martin: Think of England - Phaidon Press Pbk. Ed edition
(November 1, 2004)
Parr,
Martin & Barker, Nicholas: From A to B
- BBC Books (March 17, 1994)
Parr,
Martin & Badger, Gerry: The Photobook: A History, Vol. 1 &
2 - Phaidon Press (December 1, 2004 & October 7, 2006)
Poynor,
Rick: Obey the Giant: Life in the Image World - Birkhäuser
Basel; 2nd ed. edition (October 24, 2007)
Williams,
Val: Martin Parr - Phaidon
Press (February 1, 2002)
Bibliography:
Audio Interviews
Bibliography:
Periodicals
Bibliography: WWW References
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