19/04/2017 APhotographNeverStandsAloneTheNewYorkTimes

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Magazine

APhotographNeverStandsAlone
OnPhotography

ByTEJUCOLE MARCH14,2017

DannyLyonsphotographTheCottonPickersmakesmetense.Iloveandhateit
atthesametime.Thephotographisfromthelate1960s,butitsformissoiconic
anditsatmospheresofabularthatitcouldhavebeenmadeahundredyears
earlier.Onawidefield,menarestoopedoverinagriculturallabor.Thefield
stretchesagreatdistanceback,endinginalineoftreesthatmarksoutthe
horizon.Themenworkingthefieldaredressedallinwhite.Theyhavelongwhite
sacksontheirbacksandwhitehatsontheirheads.Itshardtotellexactlyhow
manyofthemthereare,perhapsjustunderthreedozen,butthefourorfivein
frontaredistinct.Thesemeninfront,inadditiontobeingdressedsimilarly,are
stoopedinunison.Theirfacesareverydark,devoidofdetail.Itcannotbesaid
withcertaintythattheyareblackmen(theycouldsimplybecaughtindeep
daytimeshadow),buttheyverylikelyare.

Thisphotograph(TheCottonPickers,FergusonUnit,Texas,togiveitits
fulltitle)hasanextraordinarysenseofrhythm,arhythmthatmakesitasvisually
arrestingasRenBurrisphotographoffourmenonarooftopinSoPaulo.The
CottonPickerswastakenonaprisonfarm.Thelongcurveofeachmansbackis
continuouswiththelineofthesackslungfromhisshoulderandsetdownbehind
himontheground.Thisgiveseachmanastrangeprofile,asthoughheweresome
longbodied,gianttailedmarsupial.Thephotographhassuchhighcontrastthat
itlooksmorelikeanengravingorapainting.Setagainstthefieldsdarkness,the
cottoncropisfloralineffect,orastral.Or,astheescapedslaveSolomonNorthup
wroteinasurprisingpassageinhis1853memoir,TwelveYearsaSlave:There
arefewsightsmorepleasanttotheeye,thanawidecottonfieldwhenitisinthe

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19/04/2017 APhotographNeverStandsAloneTheNewYorkTimes

bloom.Itpresentsanappearanceofpurity,likeanimmaculateexpanseoflight,
newfallensnow.

Imagesmakeusthinkofotherimages.Photographsremindusofother
photographs,andperhapsonlytheearliestphotographshadachancetoevade
thisfate.Butsoonaftertheinventionofphotography,theworldwasfullof
photographs,andnewlymadephotographscouldnotavoidsemantic
contamination.Eachphotographcametoseemlikeaquotationfromthegreat
archiveofphotographs.Eventheearliestphotographsarethemselvesnow
burdenedbythisreality,becausewhenwelookatthem,wedosointhe
knowledgeofeverythingthatcameafter.Allimages,regardlessofthedateof
theircreation,existsimultaneouslyandarepressedintoservicetohelpusmake
senseofotherimages.Thissuggestsapossibleapproachtophotography
criticism:ariverofinterconnectedimageswordlesslybutfluentlycommentingon
oneanother.

Butwordshavetheirplace,too,andwhatgoeswithoutsayingoftenneedsto
beprimedwithspeech.TheimagesthatassociativelycometomymindwhenI
lookatTheCottonPickersarehighlypersonal,buttheyremainopaqueuntilI
namethem.ThepatternofthecottonfieldinLyonsphotographremindsmeof
somethingthegreatartcriticJohnBergeroncewrote:thatwhenwelookata
starfillednightsky,weareabletotellstoriesaboutitonlybyorganizingthestars
intoconstellations.AstrongphotographlikeTheCottonPickersislikeastaron
aclearnight.Wecantrackitbetterwhenwelocateitinrelationtootherstars.

ThesemeninLyonsphotographwiththeiroutsizeburdensimmediatelyremind
meoffiguresinoneofSebastioSalgadosphotographsoftheSerraPeladagold
mineinBrazil,theentirepictureplaneofwhichisanarrayofsmallsacksseton
glisteningbacks.Thereisnoindividuality:Themenareinterchangeablepartsin
aterrifyingtheaterofmasslabor.AndinthedrawingofPrudence(1559)from
PieterBruegeltheEldersseriesontheSevenVirtues,thereisadetailoftwo
figuressidebyside,almostidenticaltoeachother,theirheadsobscuredbythe
twoenormoussackstheyprudentlyhaulawayforafuturetimeofneed.WhenI
begantothinkaboutLyonsimage,theSalgadoandBruegelpictures,quietlyat
restinmymemory,glowedinresponse,asthoughsummoned.

TheCottonPickers,FergusonUnit,Texasisoneofaseriesofphotographs
thatLyonmadeinTexanprisonsovera14monthperiodfrom1967to1968.Lyon

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alreadyhadbehindhimafinebodyofwork,doneattheforefrontofthecivil
rightsmovement,astheofficialphotographeroftheStudentNonviolent
CoordinatingCommittee(SNCC).Hegainedunfetteredaccesstosixprisonsin
Texas,includingtheJimFergusonunitinMidway,andemergedwithaportfolio
ofimagesoftheguards,theprisoners,theirinteractionsandtheprisons
conditions.Thisprojectbecamethebasisofhis1971book,ConversationsWith
theDead.Thebookisfullofexcellentphotographs,someofwhichworkinmuch
thesamewayasTheCottonPickers,likeaphotographoftheEllisunitclearing
awood:whitecapped,whitecladmendistributedagainstadarkground.

ButwhenItrytounderstandthemysteriousvisualeffectofTheCotton
Pickers,Idontrestrictmyreadingtothoseimagesthatareobviouslyrelatedto
it.IaminterestedinhowLyoncamebytheimageandintheimagesthatmight
haveinfluencedhim,butIamalsointerestedinhowmymindreceivesit,without
referencetoLyonsintentions.IthinknotonlyofSalgadoandBruegelbutalsoof
thesackcarryingmigrantsinJacobLawrencespaintingFromEverySouthern
TownMigrantsLeftbytheHundredstoTravelNorth,apanelinhisMigration
Series(194041).Thepoorsometimeshavebags,butthroughouthistorythevery
pooresthavehadtomakedowithsacks,orsimplywithaclothgatheredupatthe
edges.Thisbulging,precariousloadispartofourcollectivememoryof
deprivation,connotingwearisometoil,hastymigrationorboth.

Consider,forinstance,an1860sphotographbyanunknownphotographerof
awindinglineofblackpeoplestandinginafieldcarryingloadsontheirheads.It
isanimageofsuffering,noquestion.Butisthesufferingrelatedtoanexodus,
withitsuncertainfuture,orisitrelatedtobrutalservitude,withthegrim
certaintythatthelaborisunending?ThisphotographissometimestitledSlaves
ReturningFromtheCottonFieldsinSouthCarolina,whichsuggeststhelatter
butthefeelingofambiguityremains.AndIthinkofthewayTheCottonPickers
isboundtootherrhythmicallysatisfyingimagesfromthehistoryofphotography:
PaulStrandssilhouettedfiguresdwarfedbythegreatbuildingsofWallStreet,
DorotheaLangesbentbackedMexicanmigrantpickingtomatoes,Lee
FriedlandersnoteperfectscatterofmusicianswalkingonaNewOrleansstreet.

TheCottonPickersisanactivistpicture.Lyonhopedthathisprisonseries
wouldchangethewaypeoplethoughtaboutincarceration.Perhapsitdid.Butit
certainlycouldntstemthehugeincreaseinthenumberofimprisonedAmericans

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betweenthelate60sandnow,orthewaythatincreasedisproportionately
affectedblackAmericans.TheCottonPickers,consideredbyitself,isalsoa
workofcompressedhistory.Withinasingleframe,wewitnessforcedlabor,the
plantationeconomy,cottonsallure,blacksubjection,governmentcontrolandthe
facelessnessoftheimpoverished.Itreachesbacktoimagesfromthe19thcentury
andbefore,anditstretchesforwardtothecrouchedandhoodedprisonersof
GuantnamoBay.

IhateTheCottonPickers.Itsunpleasanttobeconfrontedwiththe
abasementofthesemenintheformofaphotograph.ButIlovethephotograph
foritscompositionalharmony,whichisliketheharmonyofachaingangssong,
orliketheparadoxicalpleasureNorthuptookinthesightofacottonfieldin
bloom.

Aphotographcanthelptamingwhatitshows.Weareaccustomedto
speakingaboutphotographsasthoughtheywereidenticaltotheirsubjectmatter.
Butphotographsarealsopicturesorganizedformsonatwodimensional
surfaceandtheyarepartofthehistoryofpictures.Apictureofsomething
terriblewillalwaysbecaughtbetweentwoworlds:theworldofsomething
terrible,whichmightshockusormoveustoamoralresponse,andtheworldof
apicture,whichgeneratesanaestheticresponse.Thedazzleofartandthe
bitternessoflifeareyokedtoeachother.Thereisnoescape.

TejuColeisthemagazinesphotographycriticandtheauthor,mostrecently,ofthe
essaycollectionKnownandStrangeThings.

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AversionofthisarticleappearsinprintonMarch19,2017,onPageMM14oftheSundayMagazine.

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