Voting Station

Paul Strand

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Photographer

The Resume

    (October 16, 1890-March 31, 1976)
    Born in New York City, New York
    Considered a pioneer of straight photography, a school of photography that emphasizes taking highly detailed photos
    Photographs include 'Winter, Central Park' (1913-1914), 'From the El' (1915), 'Shadow Pattern, New York' (1915), 'Wall Street' (1915), 'Abstraction, Twin Lakes, Connecticut' (1916), 'Blind Woman, New York' (1916), 'White Fence' (1916), 'Portrait, Washington Square Park' (1917), and 'The Family: Luzzara, Italy' (1953)
    Wrote 'Photography and the New God' (1917)
    Served in the Army Medical Corps during World War I
    Worked in the movies 'Mannahatta' (1921), 'Redes' (1936), 'The Plow That Broke the Plains' (1936), 'People of the Cumberlands' (1937), and 'Native Land' (1942)
    Established the Photo League, a group of photographers devoted to raising social awareness through photography (1936)
    Appointed chief photographer and cinematographer of Mexico (1933)
    Published the photo books 'Time in New England' (1950), 'La France de Profil' (1952), 'Un Paese' (1955), 'Tir A’Mhurain, Outer Hebrides' (1962), 'Living Egypt' (1969), and 'Ghana: An African Portrait' (1976)
    Received Honor Roll of the American Society of Magazine Photographers (1963), 'David Octavius Hill Medal' (1967), 'Swedish Photographers Association' (1970), and 'Swedish Film Archives Award' (1970)
    Died in Orgeval, Yvelines, France

Why he might be annoying:

    He got divorced twice.
    He was a socialist during a time when being one was considered tantamount to treason.
    Additionally, many of his close associates were prominent communists, whether real or suspected.
    He insisted that his books be printed in then-East Germany, so they were initially unavailable on the American market.
    Even though he spent the last 27 years of his life in France, he never learned French.

Why he might not be annoying:

    Believing that art can exert a positive impact on social awareness, he used photography as a means to promote social causes.
    The subjects of his photos were down-to-earth types rather than anything evoking glamor or power, which were typical subjects of his time.
    The movies he worked on, either as director, photographer, or writer, also had the same amount of quality as his pictures, with simple subjects shown in great detail that show the values he espoused.
    The 1950s Red Scare that resulted in his friends being put on trial prompted him to move to Europe.
    Life in Europe proved to be no better, as de-classified intelligence files uncovered under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that he was kept under close surveillance while traveling around there.
    He maintained a creative and productive life in France amidst the tight scrutiny he had to live under.

Credit: Big Lenny


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 12 Votes: 58.33% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 18 Votes: 11.11% Annoying