"About Vivian Maier"

[MattKing]

Here is an interesting website, which appears to have some fascinating information about Vivian Maier: https://vivianmaierbio.wordpress.com/introduction/

Quoting from the "backstory" part of the blog:

"The priest arched his brow, the cemetery attendant eyed the ledger and the renowned genealogist digested the record, then verbalized what each was thinking, “they’re as dysfunctional as I’ve seen.” He was referring to the family of Vivian Maier"

 

[HiHoSilver]

If you haven't seen the movie, it was quite interesting. 'Nut bag? Seems like it, w/ a sad end. The only normal people you encounter are the ones you don't know well.

 

[Bob Carnie]

Nut Bag- what is that??

 

[Colin Corneau]

Nut Bag- what is that??

Hearing people say things like that, it's no wonder she was a recluse.

We have no place passing judgment on her life or character. Me, I'm just interested in the photographs.

 

[Bob Carnie]

Vivian exposed over 100,000 images on film - purchased on a Nanny's salary . She made amazing efforts to follow her passion. I wish I had known her as
she demonstrates all that is good about photography, and we are better for her efforts.

 

[Peter Schrager]

Second that bob!!..it's the art that counts

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[cliveh]

I do like a lot of Vivian Maier photographs, but can’t help thinking that her work is being exploited after her death. Just perhaps, she just wanted to take pictures and not be part of the money art scene.

 

[pdeeh]

Well, being dead, she's not part of the "money art scene", so that's OK isn't it?

And I'm not sure how you "exploit" a dead person?

 

[crumpet8]

And I'm not sure how you "exploit" a dead person?

Leaving the door open there pdeeh, but I'll restraing myself on this occasion

It was a great documentary to watch though, and I like a lot of her shots. Does anyone else have some good photog films to watch?

 

[MattKing]

Leaving the door open there pdeeh, but I'll restraing myself on this occasion

It was a great documentary to watch though, and I like a lot of her shots. Does anyone else have some good photog films to watch?

"Looking for Light: Jane Bown"

 

[cliveh]

Well, being dead, she's not part of the "money art scene", so that's OK isn't it?

And I'm not sure how you "exploit" a dead person?

I didn't mention exploit a dead person, as my reference was to her work.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Damn those dangling modifiers! My public school English teachers warned me about them!

 

[DREW WILEY]

Without being nosy, you are right in the middle of this, printing some of her negs, aren't you, Bob? How did those get under the wire before
all the commotion?

 

[HiHoSilver]

If you see the movie, you'll likely understand the 'nut bag' comment. If you wish to pose as virtuously insensed - feel free.
It looked like OCD - the real thing, not unlike Nicholson in 'As good as it gets'. Sad? Yup. 'Tragic. It looked pretty clear that her images were her refuge and her treasure. 'Steamer trunks of unprocessed, exposed film, along w/ thousands (?) of prints - started the investigation of who this woman was. That gave the movie a title - Finding Vivian Meier.
If you've not seen the movie, I'd say its very much worth the effort to see. An extended trip through her online archives is also well rewarded.

 

[doughowk]

Very impressed by the amount of research that must have been required for the biographical articles. Not sure how or if it clarifies who should get what from her estate? All the legal entanglements seem to be blocking a fuller analysis of her place in the history of photography. I have 2 of her books [and the DVD] but would like to see more.

 

[Colin Corneau]

Leaving the door open there pdeeh, but I'll restraing myself on this occasion

It was a great documentary to watch though, and I like a lot of her shots. Does anyone else have some good photog films to watch?

Glad you asked!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-ernest-sweet/10-documentary-videos-for_b_7244350.html

 

[Ko.Fe.]

If you see the movie, you'll likely understand the 'nut bag' comment. If you wish to pose as virtuously insensed - feel free.
It looked like OCD - the real thing, not unlike Nicholson in 'As good as it gets'. Sad? Yup. 'Tragic. It looked pretty clear that her images were her refuge and her treasure. 'Steamer trunks of unprocessed, exposed film, along w/ thousands (?) of prints - started the investigation of who this woman was. That gave the movie a title - Finding Vivian Meier.
If you've not seen the movie, I'd say its very much worth the effort to see. An extended trip through her online archives is also well rewarded.

I have seen the movie "Finding Vivian Maier".


Somehow I give no crap for any photographer family secrets, sexual and political orientation, officially pronounced mental health and dead bodies in the closet. I'm still interested in some aspects of their life, but not into the dirty panties and family relationship details.


And my respect to Bob. The True Torontonian.

 

[HiHoSilver]

Truly virtuous, Bob - or Ko.Fe?
The tawdry details are yours, not mine. Like many artists throughout history, their life under the hood was a mess. That's neither the topic of her work, nor the point I made. It was a part of the movie. If its mention is too much for you - consider going someplace where the rest of the world can be safely filtered out.

 

[crumpet8]

Thanks to those who gave movie tips!

 

[pdeeh]

I didn't mention exploit a dead person, as my reference was to her work.

Then I understand even less.

 

[blockend]

It's clear Vivian Maier was dancing to a different drummer, which is directly and indirectly why we've heard of her and her pictures. If she was a tidy housewife and mother of three in a suburban home, she wouldn't have been stockpiling the c20th as seen through her Rollei eye view. The question is was she a dysfunctional person or a highly functioning artist, and it's pretty clear what history's judgement on that is.

 

[HiHoSilver]

Or was she good in spite of the inner demons - or because of them? Its not uncommon, the combination of conflict and high performance. The bios on the masters of classical music would show alot of similarities. Maybe anyone driven to have thousands of undeveloped rolls has enough practice/experience to somewhat reliably excecute a vision. 'Hard to say. The exchange early in the movie Amadeus seemed poignant. The elder Salieri was clearly gobsmacked at Mozart's command of music. He paid Mozart some compliment, to which Mozart's character replies: when you have it crammed down your throat since age 3, its not hard.
Regardless of topics of why, we have the images, thank goodness. And of the thousands of images there's a sizeable amount of nuggets. For those who've not seen her shots, espec. those who like street photography, its quite a treat.
Someone mentioned an Apugger is printing some of her negs. Wow. That has to be incredible. 'Hope we get to see them.

 

[RSalles]

I have a sort of different idea about her work after watching the film: my bet is she was completely driven to journalism, using the camera as a register machine, not a photo-journalist only, but a photo-journalist-editor at the same time - the image captured, but the text all in her head.
I could imagine her working as a successfully press-photo pro in a local magazine in NYC or Chicago, a sort of Weegee on skirt, but she wasn't able to initiate a career on the field. She wasn't a "process" oriented image maker, but a "event" oriented one. Her images seems to start and end in the frame space with all the rest of the story inside his head, in opposition with the news/public interest. I feel also some type of anguish to use the photographic register as a proof of connection with the reality, as even her tourist pictures taken around the world - middle-east, SA et all - were not shared at all, and a lot of this images weren't developed, just stored on film. She seems to have been an amateur photographer, not in the sense of opposite to professional photographer but in the sense of love making images. Some pictures she took are really excellent indeed,

 

[HiHoSilver]

Interesting, RS. The majority of her work that I've seen would go well w/ this perspective. That love of making the image. On the one hand, it seems sad to leave the images unrealized, but on the other hand - if they were all processed and stored the way the film was - we might never have noticed her work. 'Make me wonder how many other such shooters are lost to obscurity. Also makes me glad guys post their work here. Some of it surely stands tall in any crowd.

 

[Wayne]

...and let the psychoanalysis of the dead begin...

It doesn't even work with the living