Dawourd BeyDavion Mauzy

May 6, 2011

Art History

Bio Dawourd Bey was born in

1953 in New York’s Jamaica, Queens. He continued to study in the United States. He studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York from 1977–78, graduated with a BFA in Photography from Empire State College in 1990, and received his MFA from Yale University School of Art in 1993.

Inspiration Dawoud Bey is a photographer who draws inspiration from everyday

life in my opinion. He has said both he and his work are products of the attitude, “if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” This state of mind inspired him, and changed his artistic view. This caused him to think of a style that is both community-focused and collaborative in nature. He originally had the style of what we would call street-photography. This changed into a five year experience of documenting the life of the people of Harlem, New York. He is also inspired by young people. He believes that they are the voice of the community, and that their experiences speaks most strongly of how a community of people defines themselves at a particular historical moment. He says that “they are the arbiters of style in the world.” This is what I like particularly about Dawourd Bey. He gets inspiration from the everyday experiences of everyday people.

Dawoud Bey, Odalys, 2003, chromogenic development print, Class Pictures

Dawoud Bey A Boy In Front Of The Loews 125th Street Movie Theater, 1976/2005

Dawoud Bey, A Man In Bowler Hat, 1976

Dawoud Bey (American, born 1953) Omar, 2005; chromogenic prints, 40 x 30 inches, image courtesy of Aperture.

Dawoud Bey, A Girl With School Medals, 1988

Dawoud Bey, Hillary and Taro, 1992. Two internal dye diffusion transfer prints (Polaroids), 30 1/8 × 44 in. (76.5 × 111.8 cm) overall.

Dawoud Bey, Danielle/Emily, First-Year Florida Project, 2010, Pigment inkjet print

Dawoud Bey, Kevin, 2005; chromogenic prints, 40 x 30 inches

Dawoud Bey: Toyia, Kelvin & Erica II, 1993Dye dispersion prints, 63 1/2" x 95 1/8".

Dawoud Bey, Accra Shepp and Alva Rogers, 609x533 mm; 24x21 inches, Polaroid print, 1992

Art Criticism Kevin Interpretation

Description The artist of the

photograph Kevin is Dawoud Bey. It was tooken in 2005. It seems to be a photograph at taken during the day. It depicts a young man that may be sitting in his classroom because of the chalkboards in the background.

Analysis Even though this is not a

photograph, the picture seems to have a triangular composition. It shows the light coming in from the right. The young man seems to pop because of the darker background. He has a smooth, calming mood.

Interpretation This is part of his Harlem

project. This was made to represent the everyday life or struggle of the people in the background. I interpret it as look of sadness. Seems like his face is saying that he needs help; somewhat showing his struggle.

Judgement I don’t think much of this

particular photograph. But this picture is part of a series of photos. The series of pictures is impressive to me. You can really see the expressions of the people of Harlem. I believe this photo is a piece of a puzzle to something better.

Bibliographic List http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawoud_Bey http://www.artmuseum.msu.edu/exhibitions/

current/Dawoud%20Bey/ http://www.mam.org/bey/