DeCordova Collects Photographs: Recent Acquisitions
Neal Slavin
The formal, posed portraits which constitute Neal Slavin’s Groups in America portfolio are pictorial anthologies of American social and professional organizations in the 1970’s. With controlled lighting, deliberate staging and a format reminiscent of class portraits, Slavin explores such issues as identity and group dynamics. The range of groups photographed by Slavin, from twins to wrestlers to softball players, adds a degree of humor to his work. Color photography allows Slavin to accurately record group methods of self-presentation. Clothing, banners and decor are all utilized to signify shared identity. The use of large scale photographic equipment produces images with great detail. In photographs such as The Wheelmen, Swarthmore, PA and Holland Tunnel, NY we learn something of the individuals who comprise the group. Body language, facial expressions and hierarchical positioning all contribute to our understanding of each person’s role within the group as well as the overall dynamics that govern it.
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