The Way Back | Bruce Davidson
New York City, 1965
Written by Max Wiener
Praising him would be semantical, and pointing out his genius would be comically familiar. In The Way Back, however, Bruce Davidson's true artisanry is amplified, and the walls of the Howard Greenberg Gallery are adorned with what could be his finest batch of work. Selected over twenty years from 1957-1977, the series, apart from showcasing some of his most iconic images, shows some of Davidson’s more overlooked works, highlighting the unmatched perspicacity of his photography. The series opened on June 23 and is scheduled to run until September 16, giving viewers ample time to fully absorb its mastery.
East 100th Street, New York, 1966
Rarely can a photographer invisibly place themself in the world they’re capturing. Automatically, the world becomes a pseudo-society of reality. While this is all said and true, certain artists seem to defy this narrative, inserting themself into their captured world under an invisible cloak; Davidson is one of these artists. Seldom do we see such raw humanism in contemporary photography, where subjects are completely unphased by an outside presence invading their oeuvre. He aligns himself with the same school of thought as Robert Frank or Frank Herzog, where the world shown in the film is as we intended. There is no posing or Hollywood lighting, just raw, unfiltered action captured with the all-seeing eye of a deity. Among his celebrated works being shown are selections from his East 100th Street series, where he captures the daily activities of a Harlem block from 1966-1968. In perhaps one of the area’s most tumultuous and revolutionary periods, we see a delicate touch from Davidson, showing the mundane humanity of it all and the nooks and crannies of a world hitherto unexplored.
Washington, D.C., 1963
Washington, D.C., 1963
Speaking on his work, Paul Roth, director of The Image Centre at Toronto Metropolitan University, says, "[Davidson’s] work is characterized by detailed observation revealing the complexities of distinct individuals, their beliefs, the communities where they live, and the subcultures they belong to.” He doesn’t highlight the mainstream heroes or the trailblazers but rather the individuals experiencing a life unfolding in the shadows of titans. Their every move is highlighted, and their normalities are displayed as icons, a nod to Davidson’s mastery of the camera.
In some of his more unseen work, we are reminded of Davidson’s ability to transport us into worlds that seem simultaneously familiar and foreign. He records, not stages, and we return to his photographs for nostalgia. We see a world we yearn for, a place of refuge because of his mastery. The walls of Howard Greenberg remind us that we should appreciate our surroundings. For now, they will be mere memories.
