Juxtaposition 2: Tina Modotti

Illustration for a Mexican Song, 1927

If we were to capture the moments of stillness, or windows that reframe what we see, would we, could we preserve time? Isn't that a memory? Is there an art to this juxtaposition of a juxtaposition? And if there is, can it then, actually become art?

The Italian photographer Tina Modotti (born in Udine, 1896-1942) had an incredible knack, at least for my eye and soul, for capturing the ephemeral of the everyday using early photographic tools. 

Mother and Child, 1929

A noted political activist, artist, model and muse of fellow photographer Edward Weston, Modotti saw weight in the angles, the moments, the humanity, the simplicity, and left a gift that resonates endlessly.

Convent of Tepotzotlán, Mexico, 1924 

 

Modotti focused on still life, architecture, the hands of mothers and laborers, and compositions that could speak, invoke emotions to support a political or humanitarian movement, particularly in Mexico.

Photos courtesy of the MOMA