I have been a fan of Mark Cohen’s photography since my early childhood when my father hung Cohen’s “Headless Horseman”, a black and white image depicting three people on horseback with their heads and other body parts cropped from the photo, on my bedroom wall. So when I had the chance to attend the preview of his newest exhibition called “Strange Evidence” at the Philadelphia Art Museum, I was very excited to be able to see the show and meet him.
The exhibition contained a total of 50 mostly black and white photographs along with a few color photographs that were done over the past 40 years in and around his hometown of Wilkes Bare and Scranton, Pennsylvania. However, most of the work in this show is from the 1970’s. In addition to meeting him, I was also fortunate to listen to a short introduction he gave about his work. I was able to briefly discuss his craft with him and found out he is a self-taught photographer who has been taking photographs since the age of 13. I asked him what photographers influenced him during his career and was not surprised to learn that Diane Arbus, Gary WInogrand, and Robert Frank were among his favorites. He mentioned that he prefers to use a wide-angle lens. In many cases he just jumps out of his car and snaps his photo, not focusing his lens in any way.
Cohen has a very unique approach to his subject matter, in that he gets up closer to his subjects than other artists who photograph candid situations in public places. At times it looks as if he is standing within inches of the person he is photographing. One of his trademarks is that he does not always photograph his subject’s face. Instead, he zooms into a portion of his or her body, allowing the viewer to only see a hand, half of a body, half of the face, or legs. This really makes his photographs appear eerie. For example, in “Jump Rope”, an image of a young girl in a dress jumping rope in the dark, he zooms in so much that he is able to capture all the details of the action. I love this photo it reminds me of the simplicity of childhood.
Similarly, “Smoker”, an image depicting an older women smoking a cigarette, is notable for the way Cohen captures his subject’s gestures. Holding a cigarette in her hand, the smoke is drifting out of her mouth. Bundled in scarves, her hands and face are very wrinkly, the lines of her skin blending in with the flowing smoke. I really enjoyed this image because it captures the decisive moment that the smoke dances from her mouth. Also, “Bubble Gum”, another compelling black and white image, depicts a young girl blowing a massive bubble. Once again Cohen is right on top of his subject, his camera zoomed in tight on the bubble gum that obscures the girl’s face. A giant hand with fingers spread wide hovers over her head. This image is fun because it is not everyday that a big bubble is the center of a photograph.
Another trend shared by all of his work is his sense of simplicity, and the emotional connection he makes to his audience. He captures everyday objects and people, encouraging his viewers to truly evaluate them, a process that builds a deep connection between the photograph and the viewer. For instance, “Untitled Photo of a Man”, shot at close range, immediately draws you into the man’s facial expression. The angle of the camera makes his body appear abnormally large, while his face shows years of wear and tear. His eyes are actually quite scary.
Similarly “Man with Bow Tie”, a classic example of his cropped style, literally looks as if the photo was taken inches from the subject’s face. Also, a photo of a man and women in a skirt and socks is taken from their waist down as they are crossing the street. Cohen takes a simple moment from the everyday and makes us notice it in a new way. I really love these images as they give a totally different perspective on the mundane.
In contrast, “Boy in Yellow Shirt Smoking, Scranton PA” is one of the few color photographs in this collection. It depicts an array of activities around a young boy smoking a cigarette. His mannerisms seem to be playful, and the way he is holding his hand is so eloquently contradicts his crooked grin. He is with four other boys, one eating a red lollipop with a smirk on his face, while another boy in the background is squinting his eyes. All the different facial features and reactions displayed by these young boys imbue the image with character and wit. While much of Cohen’s work gives us a view of ordinary life that can be found in any city, his images make these moments in time appear extraordinary.
In “Girl with Baseball Bat” Cohen captures a young, thin girl wearing who has a baseball bat in one hand, and a ball in the other. The photograph appears completely spontaneous. She is caught off guard; he seems to have snapped the shot at such a precise moment so as to perfectly capture what the girl was thinking. You can feel the concentration level she has, as she is getting ready to swing the bat.
A common misconception is that black and white photography is bland and not very interesting. However, Cohen exploits the medium to his advantage. His basic approach with his work really emphasizes everyday activities and human behavioral reactions to those effortless tasks people don’t usually notice. For this reason, he has been called a “street photographer” or a documentary photographer. He is also notable for the “All American” feel of his images, which may stem from his background having grown up in a small Pennsylvanian town. Overall, the most notable and compelling aspects of Cohen’s technique are his use of over flashing, and the imprecise aim of his camera.
As an artist, Cohen’s photographs express that even the most uncomplicated things have much more depth than we first see. What we see in one split second can express many more gestures, movements, and emotions when captured on film. He lives vicariously through his subjects, showing the reactions of an event through other people’s eyes. He seems to view the world as carefree and undemanding, a worldview we all could use a little more of.
My childhood impression of Cohen’s work was limited to one photograph. I liked his style, but found it strange that the subjects’ faces were not shown in the image. “Strange Evidence” gave me the opportunity to see a larger selection of his work, and to realize that his style was not strange at all.
"Mark Cohen: Strange Evidence" is on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art from October 23, 2010 - March 13, 2011.
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