Exercise - Tribal Portraits

Tribal Portraits - Vintage and Contemporary Photographs from the African Continent 


http://www.oca-student.com/resource-type/tribalportraits


I have looked through these numerous Tribal Portraits, a couple of landscape but not many.  They seem of a good quality which is alway surprising due to the age and the life some of these picture must see.
I do quite like Tribal Pictures, I am always fascinated by the lives of these people and some of the dress is so elaborate .. well their head dress, clothes seem a little sparse on many occasion.

There is also along side each one a price varying from a couple of hundred pounds to one, I think the top value was £7000.  I have always struggled with art and its valuations, how someone decided on how much to sell one of these Photographs for and who would buy at these prices.  Why is it worth 'that' much .. a subject for another time.  Also I presume they are to be sold individually but it seems a shame, maybe collections should stay together..

The photographs in the exhibition are very rare, taken by western and African photographers, and documents over 150 years.  This is the first time there has been a selling show devoted to the history of Africa.  Some of these pictures may even be unique.

Its ambitious to exhibit vintage and historical alongside each other with work from both African and western photographers.  Taken in Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya, taken between 1850's and 2002.

Felix Moulin, 1856, photographs were taken as documentary images, they have survived decades and now found in a different context as portraiture, fine art.

The pictures make interesting viewing, the wonder of their lives.  My favourites from here are The Dinka Girls - George Rodger.  Early Morning Wait ( bit cheeky ), bit I love the shapes, bodies and reflections, its a very still picture.  Masai Bride - beautiful in its own way.  Two Rendille, adjusting jewellery.. it seems quite tender.
Lastly a bit different but I like the sparse Giraffe picture, Tanzania, I am a Giraffe fan and I like the void space, showing the vast emptiness.  Its a good contrast to the others.

Another favourite, The Egyptian Woman by Sebah, Veiled women look mysteriously beautiful.
The group photo made me smile.. it looks like a school photo, they are tightly packed, their shiney bloated bodies stand upright and proud and it has a fun element with the children on shoulders, although not many smiles !