{"id":206,"date":"2023-12-07T11:41:43","date_gmt":"2023-12-07T16:41:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arth.hamiltonlits.org\/fa-23-110\/?p=206"},"modified":"2023-12-07T11:41:43","modified_gmt":"2023-12-07T16:41:43","slug":"weegees-three-dancers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arth.hamiltonlits.org\/fa-23-110\/uncategorized\/weegees-three-dancers\/","title":{"rendered":"Weegee’s Three Dancers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Photojournalism is most recognized for its ability to visually capture significant historical events, but it also serves to ignite memories that would otherwise be lost. Even without the exact details of the time and place, the image Untitled (Three Dancers) <\/em>embodies such a concept of memory. A stark black-and-white photograph depicting three female dancers, the subjects are caught mid-dance on a stage in an enclosed performance space. The photo was taken by Arthur H. Fellig, known by his pseudonym Weegee (1899-1968), a Ukrainian-born photojournalist famed for his New York City street photography. While the image was not originally displayed to the public, it now rests in the Wellin Museum at Hamilton College. Although not in public view, it is held alongside a series of corresponding photographs from the same event, immortalizing the instance and bringing the audience into the spaces. Ultimately, through its candid portrayal of an intimate setting, Untitled (Three Dancers)<\/em> expresses the fleeting freedom of nightlife during the early twentieth-century, and is framed in a way that is celebratory rather than exploitatory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Honing in on formal elements of the photograph by first examining perspective, the image appears to be taken from a lower angle, revealing that the photographer was likely in the audience alongside other viewers. The dynamic this creates is deliberate, and parallels the experience of watching a performance itself; the viewers of the photo become included into the audience. In the foreground are three female dancers, and the woman who appears as the main subject is nude. To her left viewers see the back of a woman clothed in a kimono-like garb. She holds a brush and applies paint to the body of the third, partially-clothed dancer. With arms outstretched and limbs extended, the movement within the still image is palpable. The figure about to enter the frame from the left furthers this feeling of continuous motion. This is significant, because the captured moment is fleeting, and would not be seen otherwise during the live performance if not for this image. Behind the dancers here are two men with guitars and microphones, suggesting a musical aspect of the performance. Their placement in the background is crucial, indicating that they are not part of the main show but are rather supporting subjects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The medium of the work is a black-and-white photograph on silver gelatin print. Despite the lack of color, the photo is still able to emulate the energy of the event through textures and lighting. In particular, the detail of dust and scratches on the floor, the gleam of the metal, and the draping of the curtains add to the imperfect realism: the space not appearing a particularly upscale one and consequently making it feel more accessible to the viewer. The lack of direct lighting contributes to a mysterious underground atmosphere, yet another nod towards ephemerality. Ultimately, the physical components of the image affirm that performance and energy can be brought to any type of space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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While the specific party and dancers of this image is unknown to the viewer, by looking into a majority of Weegee\u2019s work, one can infer that this image was taken in New York City on the Lower East Side during the 1930s-1940s, as he was known for depicting nightlife in said area. Examining the history of nightclub culture of the 1930s-1940s, New York City was the center of such festivities, and included the surrounding areas. These decades were during and after the Great Depression and the repeal of prohibition, so much of this activity and promiscuity were no longer shrouded in secrecy. Thus, it paralleled the historical turmoil; gatherings were an example of escapism. Such a community also spoke to youth culture of the time, as these spaces embraced \u201cconsumption, sexual expression, and social informality\u201d (Erenberg 761). Further, noting the somewhat stereotypical clothing of the Asian woman, this speaks to attitudes of the time towards immigrants, which parallels the times\u2019 influx. However, their culture is evidently being generalized and taking a performative, exotic perspective. Ultimately, this entertainment spoke towards something explicitly American, as it tied directly into values of freedom. Nightlife served as a reaffirmation of freedom and the consumption-dominated culture of America at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Untitled (Three Dancers<\/em>) embodies the concept of concerned photography, but rather than a thought of a historical and political lens, it focuses on social and cultural aspects. Within Nadya Bair\u2019s article, she notes that the concept of concerned photography emphasizes the individual visions and experiments of certain photographers. In Weegee\u2019s case, he certainly has an identity of candid celebration associated with his work. The embodiment of telling moving stories to the press is where photojournalism comes in. Concerned photography focused on institutional histories, and according to Robert Capa, a Hungarian photojournalist, \u201cphotographs were straightforward representations of the past, mediated only by the photographers\u2019 empathetic gaze.\u201d The key words \u201cempathetic gaze\u201d are applicable to this specific image, as the way the dancers are framed appear far more appreciative as opposed to objectifying. Concerned photography constituted an escapism at a time period when tensions were heightened with wartime, being \u201can easy way to express dissatisfaction with the world without doing much to fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The notion of aura is especially prominent within this piece, which is a concept attributed to Walter Benjamin\u2019s writings. As aforementioned, this photograph captures a sense of speed of the moment, and turns the mundane into something that provokes further contemplation. The unknowingness of the specific setting in this photo itself speaks to the transience of these gatherings. To the audience member, this experience did not warrant such detail but, rather focused on a feeling. There is a distinct focus on the \u201cpresence of time and space\u201d, something inherently unspoken within and beyond the context of a photo. In the case of Untitled (Three Dancers)<\/em> this manifests in the spirit of the dancers, the interaction with the audience, and the aura of the space. The ideas of permanence and possession of wanting to bring memories close is crucial in this fleeting moment. He aims \u201cto find that imperceptible point at which, in the immediacy of that long-past moment, the future so persuasively inserts itself that, looking back, we may rediscover it\u201d. This speaks directly to the impermanent moment that itself is shrouded in mystery. Essentially, this image with an air of mystery reckons with ephemeral experiences of party culture at a time where it helped young individuals explore and escape the world. In fostering \u201cstrong emotional connection between viewer and characters\u201d (Hostetler), such a photo immortalizes this distinct energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Works Cited<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bair, Nadya. \u201cThe International Origins of \u2018Concerned Photography:\u2019 Cornell Capa in the United States, Japan, and Israel.\u201d American Art<\/em>, vol. 36, no. 2, 2022. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benjamin, W. \u201cA short history of photography.\u201d Screen<\/em>, vol. 13, no. 1, 1972, pp. 5\u201326, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/screen\/13.1.5. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erenberg, Lewis A. \u201cFrom New York to Middletown: Repeal and the legitimization of nightlife in the Great Depression.\u201d American Quarterly<\/em>, vol. 38, no. 5, 1986, p. 761, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2307\/2712822. \u201cWeegee.\u201d International Center of Photography<\/em>, 24 Dec. 2022, www.icp.org\/browse\/archive\/constituents\/weegee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photojournalism is most recognized for its ability to visually capture significant historical events, but it also serves to ignite memories that would otherwise be lost. Even without the exact details of the time and place, the image Untitled (Three Dancers) embodies such a concept of memory. A stark black-and-white photograph depicting three female dancers, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arth.hamiltonlits.org\/fa-23-110\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arth.hamiltonlits.org\/fa-23-110\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arth.hamiltonlits.org\/fa-23-110\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arth.hamiltonlits.org\/fa-23-110\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arth.hamiltonlits.org\/fa-23-110\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=206"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/arth.hamiltonlits.org\/fa-23-110\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":209,"href":"https:\/\/arth.hamiltonlits.org\/fa-23-110\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/206\/revisions\/209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arth.hamiltonlits.org\/fa-23-110\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arth.hamiltonlits.org\/fa-23-110\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arth.hamiltonlits.org\/fa-23-110\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}