Thomas Struth

At my tutor's suggestion I looked at the work of the German photographer Thomas Struth in preparation for my next assignment (N0. 3).

Thomas Struth's work on city scapes suggests a kind of embedded history in the architecture of the city.  He asks the question, "how does a community represent itself in built environment and what can it tell us about that community"

I had this question in mind when seeking out and photographing subjects for my assignment on "Buildings in Use".

One of Thomas Struth's recent projects has been the photographing of people interacting with art in a museum.  The people in the photographs are shown in awe of the art and their surroundings.  An example is shown below:

Thomas Struth; "Art Institute of Chicago II"

Struth's photographs of buildings and streets promote a sense of being in the place and connecting with it.  He shoots when the light is diffuse, as on an overcast day.  He specialises in the deep focus that renders the content of the picture sharp regardless of the distance from the lens.

Thomas Struth; "West Broadway New York 1978"

He tries to show how the way that people build their urban areas shapes the organisation of their society.