Strategic Studies of Art

Strategic Studies of Art

Explaining the social functions of Walker Evans' photographs in the face of the Great Depression

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Pejman Dadkhah 1
Somayeh Shareei 2
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Photography, Faculty of Arts, Iqbal Lahori Institute of Higher Education, Mashhad, Iran
2 Master student of photography, Faculty of Arts, Iqbal Lahori Institute of Higher Education, Mashhad, Iran
10.22083/ssa.2024.484182.1049
Abstract
In different historical periods, documentary photography as a social and cultural tool has been able to reflect important issues and developments. During the Great American Depression, Walker Evans portrayed the economic and social challenges of society with his documentary works. The problem of this research is to investigate the social role of documentary photography in reflecting and analyzing the social conditions during the crisis. The importance of this issue is that knowing the social functions of photography can help increase awareness and social solidarity. The main goal of the article is to analyze the works of Evans in the field of documenting social conditions during the Great Depression in America and its impact on social developments. The research method of this study is analytical-descriptive and the sociology of art approach has been used to interpret the works. The findings of the research show that Evans' photos, in addition to reflecting social realities, have acted as a tool to raise awareness and draw public attention to social problems and have been effective in creating positive social changes. The conclusion of the article emphasizes the importance of documentary photography as a social media and it is suggested that more research be done on the impact of visual arts on social issues in order to use this capacity to improve social conditions.
Keywords
Documentary Photography
Sociology of Photography
FSA Photographers
Walker Evans
FSA Farm security administrati
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