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Essay / Dorothea Lange – One of the most renowned documentary photographers
Dorothea Lange was best known for her emotionally compelling portraits during Depression-era America. She grew up in a home that encouraged reading in the creative arts. After high school, she studied photography at Columbia University. His first experience in photography occurred as a receptionist for Arnold Genthe, a nationally known portrait painter at the time. From him she learned the basics of art and the appreciation of quality and design. After studying at Columbia, she led a somewhat nomadic life, moving around the country wherever her work took her. Some of his most famous early work documented bread lines and soup kitchens in San Francisco. She accurately captured the struggles against unemployment in the city at that time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Lange captured the image she titled “White Angel Breadline” in 1933, at the height of the Great Depression. She reportedly called this photograph a “breakthrough in documentary photography.” The image is strong emotionally and artistically; the dark colors and repetition of hats make it seem crowded. The subject of the image turns his back on others in the shot, which conveys a feeling of solitude and loneliness, even in a cramped situation. His clothes are dirty and his head is bowed, all elements that convey what it was like to live at that time. The photos Lange took in San Francisco, which so vividly showed the struggles of the homeless, attracted a lot of attention, and she was soon approached by the Farm Security Administration (FSA). They asked him to document the living conditions of migrant workers in California during the Dust Bowl (Burns). Lange spent a lot of time with the people of this region and took some of the most important images of his career during this time. In 1936, Lange photographed “Migrant Mother” in Nipomo, California. The photo, a portrait of a mother holding two children who shield their faces, conveys a raw emotion of exhaustion and worry. This photo is considered the most important documentary photo of that era, and perhaps of all time. The painting is now on display at the Library of Congress. The photos Lange took of the workers revealed to the public the nature of the horrible living conditions and subsequently brought about real change. The FSA used his photos to advocate for government camps with better sanitation and protection for migrant workers who were continually arriving in the area. This area of his photographic career was the best known. Lange worked for over 30 years as a documentary photographer. After documenting workers in California, she continued to cover Japanese-American internment camps following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. She also traveled abroad, adding more and more to her portfolio. Keep in mind: This is just a sample.Get a custom paper from our expert writers now.Get a Custom EssayAt the very end of his career, Lange worked on compiling an exposition of his work which will be featured at the Museum of Modern Art, however she died before the exhibition opened in 1965. Lange is still renowned for her incredible documentation of human struggle. As a photographer who moved around a lot and whose assignments took her away from home, her personal life was a bit hectic. She went through a divorce, a remarriage and.