VIVIAN MAIER'S COLOR PHOTOS - ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

I have written a couple of posts about Vivian Maier. However, for those of you new to Ms. Maier’s name, she was a street photographer shrouded in mystery because her work went unseen until boxes of negatives, prints, and unprocessed film was acquired by chance. There is a documentary, “Finding Vivian Maier”, which was nominated for an Academy Award, that explores a little more about the photographer if you are so inclined to explore her story further. But, I feel like she is a mystery, and perhaps, that is the way she wanted it. We will never know for sure what her thoughts or wishes might have been, but that has not deterred the surge of interest in her work.

Inspiration and InfluencesSuZan AlexanderFebruary 1, 2019Art, Artist, Vivian Maier, PhotographerComment

Film: Finding Vivian Maier

Inspiration and InfluencesSuZan AlexanderFebruary 2, 2018Artist, Documentary, Movies, Photographer, Vivian MaierComment

Happy Birthday Vivian Maier!

Today is Vivian Maier's birthday (February 1, 1926 - April 21, 2009). If you are not familiar with Vivian Maier or her work, it may be because she was relatively unknown prior to the acquisition of some of her personal effects in 2007. Little information is known about Miss Maier. Apparently, she was an intensely private person who worked as a nanny for some 40 years, beginning in the mid-1950's. During this time she was known to walk around with a Rolleiflex camera strapped around her neck, snapping images on rolls and rolls of film. Unfortunately, Vivian Maier did not experience the appreciation of her work during her lifetime. In fact, among the bevy of her personal effects were copious rolls of exposed, undeveloped film. Yep. The undeveloped film means that she never saw much of her own work. Clearly, showing her work was not why she did the work. So, what drove her to continue taking those photographs?

JOURNAL