Snapshots of Sincerity: Lee Friedlander at SFMOMA

Street signs are imbued with a vibrant quirkiness. Candid, revealing snapshots of drunken partygoers take the viewer back to a New York City bar in the 1960s, during the height of the Warhol days. A watchful black-and-white shot taken from the interior of a moving car gives the observer a hint of the Las Vegas skyline in the background, while infusing the image with the photographer’s subtle curiosity. Simple visual devices such as these manifest the intense connection that exists between photographer and viewer. In his photos, Lee Friedlander knows how to make this relationship apparent. With the click of his camera—guided by his superlatively observant eye—he transforms the seemingly mundane into events that are quite the opposite. Using unique angles and stunning lighting, he effortlessly transports the viewer into his lens—his eyes—and for a moment, into his world.

Currently, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) houses a mammoth retrospective of Friedlander’s work. Nearly 400 photographs are being showcased, covering his expansive career from its launch in the 1950s to the present day. Friedlander once described his subject as the “American social landscape”; he portrays his American landscape with an immense amount of depth and clarity. His unique take on life is visible in his photos of commonplace objects and the scenes of window displays, bedrooms, and crooked tree limbs that he has chosen to capture. His art alchemically transforms everyday objects (ignored by and idly passed by most who encounter them) into thought-provoking imagery.

The SFMOMA exhibit contains some of the most sublime photography I have ever viewed. The works displayed reveal both the huge range, or perhaps simply because of the ingenuity of the work itself. Whatever the case, SFMOMA has showcased Friedlander’s work in a way that truly represented the evolution of his craft and the span of diverse themes that he encompassed throughout the years.

I adore the candid quality of his photos—the way they evoke a sense of voyeurism and vulnerability in its subjects, even if he is the subject. One of my favorite series of his work is his self-portraits. The originality and genius of them are in the gentle reflections and shadows that represent his image.