Berenice Abbott's Ironic Commentary on Modernism Through Photography

Many view early 20^th century America, particularly the inter-war period, in a positive light. This was the age of jazz, of flappers, of a booming stock market and thriving economy, and New York was just the city to embody the vibe of this time. Early 20^th century photographic artist Berenice Abbott, however, was able to capture a more dismal interpretation. The photograph pictured here, “Court of the First Model Tenements in New York City” (1936), depicts tenement buildings that would have housed more immigrants than could safely reside, and long clotheslines bearing ragged white laundry. This photograph reflects Abbott’s aim to raise awareness to the often oblivious upper class of the negative aspects of modernism on the lower class. In his essay “Art, Human Rights and Social Justice,” Jan Jordaan states, “Social transformation begins with a change in human behavior. It has been proven many times how the arts influence positive behavioural [sic] change, particularly in the youth. The arts challenge audiences to reflect on their views and perceptions” (66). Abbott implements this philosophy through her subtle use of mood created by artistic composition.

  Berenice Abbott aims to create a mood of uneasiness that will make the viewer think more deeply about the implications underlying her piece. Before moving to New York she lived in Paris and worked as an assistant to Man Ray, a prominent surrealist, and was a major force in the European avant-garde movement. Although she moved away from the avant-garde movement when she started her New York project in 1935, she still took inspiration from surrealism and Man Ray in particular. Her artistic background is evident in her photographs of New York. At the time, many people saw New York as an embodiment of the future, with tall skyscrapers popping up seemingly every day and change occurring faster than ever before. Abbott sought to show that not everyone benefitted from such a change. Biographer Sarah Miller says in her book Dynamic Equilibrium: Berenice Abbott’s History of the Now, “When she returned to New York in 1929, her intent was not only to look up at the skyscrapers; it was to undertake an investigation of their relationship to what lay beneath—not just beneath the buildings, but beneath America’s ideology of progress and reckless erasure of the past, America’s headlong rush to define its ‘culture’ as mechanization” (54). By acknowledging this, Abbott hoped that her viewers would alter their viewpoints, achieve a better, deeper understanding of the city they call home, and make efforts to improve it.

Abbott’s main focus was on the composition of her photos. Like most of her other pieces, “Court of the First Model Tenements in New York City” is taken at an upward diagonal angle and draws the viewer’s eyes up the photograph. The clotheslines also follow this upward angle, accentuating the verticality of the composition. She makes use of the range between light and dark, with the stark white rags on the clotheslines contrasting with the dark shadows of the buildings and crevices. It is also interesting to note that, like in most of her photographs, this image does not depict any people. This could perhaps be a reference to what Miller refers to as “America’s headlong rush to define its ‘culture’ as mechanization,” as stated above. People are becoming less and less involved in production and progress, as they are being replaced by machinery, new inventions, and new technology. This is a concept that thrived among modernist thought. These formal elements culminate in an extremely mysterious and dismal mood. By making the audience feel uneasy when looking at images of dank tenements in what they believe to be a constantly progressing city, Abbott was successful in making them reevaluate their original opinions.

There is a certain irony to Abbott’s photograph, specifically in its commentary on modernism. She was a protégé of the artistic modernist movement that we have been discussing in class, and she uses those elements in her photography, but with the aim of revealing the harmful effects of modernism. It is perhaps both brilliant and unbecoming. It uses the dialectic of modernists for an educational and enlightening purpose. She creates a thought-provoking and enlightening composition. She appeals to the upper class’s intelligence and ability to analyze the meaning of an art piece and think critically about its implications, and ultimately succeeds in her endeavor.

Works Cited 

Jordaan, Jan. “Art, Human Rights and Social Justice.” Art and Social Justice, edited by Mike Hajimichael, Cambridge Scholars Press, 2015, pp. 63-68.

Miller, Sarah M. “Dynamic Equilibrium: Berenice Abbott’s History of the Now.” Yale University Press, 2012.

"Berenice Abbott: Biography." Smithsonian American Art Museum Renwick Gallery, 07 Sept. 2016, http://www.americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artist/?id=5.