Diane Arbus - Photographer

From perusing Diane's Arbus photographs , I can't say , I adore her work, and could hand some of the photos on my wall at home. I wouldn't do that, but her work leaves strange feeling inside. It makes you stop and stare at them for a moment and think, think of how brave she must be at that time she lived.She knew how to show a sitter from inside and outside of his body, character, state of mind.

The people wasn't so open minded, or at least they didn't show that in public. I thing Diane tried to show , that world is not perfect, and we don't live in a fairy tale. And I think she presented that in very professional way.

Most of her disturbing portraits of people were : transvestites , mentally retarded , giants or lilliputians individuals , colonies of nudes . Some of the images can freak you out. Like photograph named " Child with toy hand grenade in Central park " , New York, 1962. Sunny and beautiful day. At the beginning its just image with young child , playing in the park . Later the eyes catches his petty body, thin bones. His arms . In right hand he is holding toy grenade. After research about this image, i know that grenade is just a toy, but first impression is different , takes your time to think about it : "Is it a real one " ?
His left arm is held like a predator claw. I question myself, is just a creepy gesture or it is congenital defect. Intimidating face expression , derange staring at D. Arbus while she is trying to take a photo of him.