On March 14th, 1923, an American photographer by the name of Diane Arbus was brought into this world and placed in the Big Ol’ Apple. New York City is where she resided with her extremely wealthy family; which wasn’t such a judgemental thing since it basically caused her to avoid the entirety of “The Great Depression.” But she didn’t stay with them very long, at the age of eighteen she decided to marry her high school sweetheart, Allan Arbus, and have two beautiful and talented children. Doon Arbus grew up to become a writer, and Amy Arbus followed in her mother's footsteps and took on the photography world.
Diane Arbus was known for the obscure photographs that she shot during her lifetime, these photographs would appear strange and weird to others when she viewed them as unique and interesting. Diane’s photographs were so unique and bizarre that they stood out enough for her to get recognized in many galleries and even presented with numerous teaching positions all over the country; Diane Arbus even taught photography over at the Rhode Island School of Design (one of the top Art Schools in the country.)
Diane being the New Yorker she's always been, had her first main exhibition at the MOMA, and you better believe that people flooded in. But like any good artist, her success seemed to flood in so flawlessly that she didn’t even have time to witness the downfall. Diane ended up divorcing her husband, losing all motivation in her work, and eventually purposely overdosed on medication and slit her wrists open. July 26th, 1971, we lost probably one of most influential photographers of our time with just a rash decision from an under appreciated Artist and human being.
Without even realizing it, I had a book of all Diane Arbus’s most popular photographs sitting right on top of my bookshelf, that I remember once grabbing at an antique market. I specifically remember the Two Twin’s catching my eye and drawing me into looking further into the book, and being in awe of the natural talent that she so obviously possessed. All the people she chose for her photography just blatantly stood out, and I loved it! I adore when Artists are able to show the simplicity and beauty behind a person or object that one might find hideous or scary. Every single human being on this earth has a story, and you could feel the emotion behind each figure and even the sadness that Diane Arbus carried around within herself. Diane even brought up pictures of individuals that were controversial at the time; Klu Klux Klan, Transgenders, and more. Not only was she an amazing photographer, she had a brilliant and open mind that was a shame to see go. Diane Arbus's art inspires me immensely because of the fact that my art is often looked at us unruly or terrifying to others when really I am just trying to portray a message in a deep sense (much like Diane Arbus.) She is somewhat of an example for many people, even in this modern time. Diane accepted many others because she too felt strange and obscure, as we often all do. “Most people go through life dreading they’ll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma.” (Arbus.)
