What are the Becher's up to?

[Shawn Rahman]

Before I get castrated, let me start out by saying that I think the Bechers are superb photographers.

I spent an hour browsing through some of their books. My guess is that there is a real reason they are documenting the building forms to the vast lengths that they have already.

However, when does one say - enough? After the fiftieth different form of water tower (or gas tank, or grain elevator, etc.) I began to wonder ...

Does anyone know enough about the Bechers to know what they are up to? Have they been commissioned to do this work?

 

[roteague]

Who are the Bechers?

 

[JohnArs]

Do a search for Bernd and Hilla Becher and you'll find it somewhere!

Good luck, its easier to find in german then in english!

 

[ath]

Who are the Bechers?

this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernd_and_Hilla_Becher would be a start.

And for pictures: http://images.google.de/images?q=be...ra&rls=de&hs=kdS&um=1&sa=X&oi=images&ct=title

 

[reellis67]

The same could be said for any great photographer, or photography in general - why do people still make landscapes for example. These people appear to me to be documentary photographers, or at least interested in the line and form of these structures (i'm no art critic, but neo-plasticism comes to mind when I see their photographs). I like creating abstract and abstract macro photographs that focus of basic forms, but it's certainly not new.

I think that many people do the same sort of work their entire lives as they progress further and further into what they do, expanding their own vision and exploring the possibilities that vision presents, and when we see a body of work that at first appears very homogeneous it is easy to say they didn't have much variety, but if you spend some time looking at what they did in chronological order you may discover that there are many levels hidden behind that first glance. Or I could be full of s*#t...

- Randy

 

[photomc]

Have seen some of their work, and liked it very much. My take on their work is as others mentioned - it's just what they are interested in. It may seem like it is the same, over and over...but I for one am glad they are doing it. One might wonder how many of the subjects of the photos are even around today - if gone, then these images become more important, if in need of repair today, the photos can aid in putting a building back into it's form at that time. Or maybe they just like what they shoot.