Gordon Roger Alexander Buchannan Parks (1912 --2006) was a groundbreaking American photographer, musician, poet, novelist, journalist, activist and film director. Parks is remembered for his activism, filmmaking, photography, and writings.
He was the first African American to work at Life magazine, and the first to write, direct, and score a Hollywood film.
The youngest of 15 children, Parks was born into a poor, black family in segregated Fort Scott, Kansas. His mother, was the main influence on his life. Parks commented: "I had a mother who would not allow me to complain about not accomplishing something because I was black. Her attitude was, 'If a white boy can do it, then you can do it, too—and do it better, or don't come home.'"
When Parks was 15 years old, his mother died and he was sent to live with a married sister. He and his brother-in-law did not get along and he was evicted within a few weeks. He slept in trolley cars, loitered in pool halls, played piano in a brothel, worked as a factotum in a whites-only club, and worked as a waiter on a luxury train.
The youngest of 15 children, Parks was born into a poor, black family in segregated Fort Scott, Kansas. His mother, was the main influence on his life. Parks commented: "I had a mother who would not allow me to complain about not accomplishing something because I was black. Her attitude was, 'If a white boy can do it, then you can do it, too—and do it better, or don't come home.'"
When Parks was 15 years old, his mother died and he was sent to live with a married sister. He and his brother-in-law did not get along and he was evicted within a few weeks. He slept in trolley cars, loitered in pool halls, played piano in a brothel, worked as a factotum in a whites-only club, and worked as a waiter on a luxury train.
In 1938, Parks was struck by photographs of migrant workers in a magazine and bought his first camera, a Voigtländer Brilliant, for $12.50.The photo clerks who developed Parks' first roll of film, applauded his work and prompted him to get a fashion assignment at women's clothing store. Parks double exposed every frame except one, but that shot caught the eye of heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis' elegant wife. She encouraged Parks to move to Chicago, where he began a portrait business for society women.
Over the next few years, Parks moved from job to job, developing a freelance portrait and fashion photographer sideline.
Working as a trainee under Roy Stryker, Parks created one of his best known photographs, American Gothic, Washington, D.C. Parks had been inspired to create the picture after encountering repeated racism in restaurants and shops.
Working as a trainee under Roy Stryker, Parks created one of his best known photographs, American Gothic, Washington, D.C. Parks had been inspired to create the picture after encountering repeated racism in restaurants and shops.
Parks became a freelance fashion photographer for Vogue. He later followed Stryker to the Standard Oil (New Jersey) Photography Project, which assigned photographers to take pictures of small towns and industrial centers.
For 20 years, Parks produced photos on subjects including fashion, sports, Broadway, poverty, racial segregation, and portraits of Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, Muhammad Ali..
His photo essay on a poor Brazilian boy named Flavio da Silva, who was dying from bronchial pneumonia and malnutrition, brought donations that saved the boy's life and paid for a new home for his family.
In 1969, he became Hollywood's first major black director with his film, The Learning Tree. Shaft, Parks' 1971 detective film starring Richard Roundtree, became a major hit that spawned a series of blaxploitation films. In the 1980s, he composed the music and libretto for Martin, a ballet tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr..
For 20 years, Parks produced photos on subjects including fashion, sports, Broadway, poverty, racial segregation, and portraits of Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, Muhammad Ali..
His photo essay on a poor Brazilian boy named Flavio da Silva, who was dying from bronchial pneumonia and malnutrition, brought donations that saved the boy's life and paid for a new home for his family.
In 1969, he became Hollywood's first major black director with his film, The Learning Tree. Shaft, Parks' 1971 detective film starring Richard Roundtree, became a major hit that spawned a series of blaxploitation films. In the 1980s, he composed the music and libretto for Martin, a ballet tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr..
No comments:
Post a Comment