City: task

The Flatiron Building

Our task it to analyse and compare the six images bellow which are all of the flatiron building. This sky scraper is located in Manhattan, New York city and was completed in 1902. There were mixed reactions to the building at the time.

Edward Steichen:

This image of the Flatiron building was taken by Edward Stiechen in 1905. The main focus point of this image however is not of the building but the scene below. This makes the image similar to Coburn and Stieglitz's photos as the building is also not the main focus. The foreground is high contrast so the attention is brought to the foreground which suggests that the is putting forward a message about society at the time and a sense of class in the area in which the building stands.

Alfred Steiglitz:

This image was taken in 1903, just one year after the completion of the building. There were mixed reactions to the building but by the way this is photographed you can assume that Steiglitz was in favour of the Flatiron. The building is in the background of the image and the detail is lost in the mist. This give the illusion that the building it quite subtle and therefore has not imposed on the city.

Alvin Langdon Coburn:

This image taken in 1912 is similar to Steichen's in the way that there is a street view which bring focus to society surrounding the building at the time. Coburn has photographed business men dressed professionally and the fact that this is out of focus is presumably to represent the pace of the city. 

Walter Gropius:

Walter Gropius took this photo in 1928. This image is the first so far to look at the buildings structure as apposed to it surroundings. Berenice Abbot also has a similar approach when photographing the Flatiron building. The angle is what is most intruiging about this image compared to the others as it draws attention to the height and shaping of the building.

Walker Evans:

Walker Evans's image of the Flatiron building taken in 1926 is very different to the other in the way that the building is the main focus, however only a small section has been photographed. This image is more of a composition of the building and architecture and objects surrounding it. It is also the only image that is taken in colour which could be said to be a more modern approach to photographing the building.

Berenice Abbott:

This images was taken by Berenice Abbot in 1938. The building is the main focus of this image as it is in Gropius's and is also in focus.both images look at the building as an architectural piece and present the structure. The main difference between the images is the angle. Although both are shot looking up as if the building is looming over you slightly, here the building is photographed upright. This is more accurate to how the building would actually seen when approaching it whereas it seems Gropius is making a slightly more artistic statement.