Burtynsky, Polidori, Gursky and Portraiture

I just went to a showing of Manufactured Landscapes today. It was a decent film, a little loose, but a good look into China, and the work of Edward Burtynsky. Although in terms of raw factual information and insight, PBS's documentary series, China From the Inside, was far more comprehensive and complete. That being said, the movie did provide some illumination into Burtynsky's work and practice. I was surprised right off the bat to see that he shot with a 4 x 5, when I thought for sure he worked 8 x 10. He also seems to use a medium format and panoramic camera without much break in the fluidity of his images. I was also impressed by his portraiture.


"Shipbreaking No. 23, Chittagong, Bangladesh" . 2000 . From the series Ships > Ship Breaking
© Edward Burtynsky

I had never really seen much of Burtynsky's portrait work, and was surprised by how many images were featured in the film that incorporated a person. I usually associate his photographs that include a figure, with the figure as part of the landscape, not the subject. When browsing around his website I could only come up with this one specific example (above), which is on the boarder in terms of being considered a 'portrait.'

One other element that always lingers in the background for a photographer that works in a method like Burtynsky is the issue of access. It was interesting to see him negotiating with people in order to take an image of what would otherwise be a closed world. Which brings me to Polidori and Gursky. It seems to me that a lot of the imagery that I associate with these photographers is deeply rooted in the idea of access. Images of factories by Gursky and Burtynsky seem to separate themselves very thinly in terms of individuality and complexity.


"Siemens, Karlsruhe" . 1991
© Andreas Gursky


"Manufacturing #6A, Hongqingting Shoe Factory, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province" . 2004
From the series China > Manufacturing
© Edward Burtynsky

To me ideas of photographic artistry are stripped away to reveal a more documentary aspect to this work. This is not to say that they are both mediocre photographers, because to the contrary I think they are two of my favorites, and are fantastic image makers. I raise this issue because I wonder if my fascination with their work lies more on the idea(s) of spectacle and revelation then on pure artistic voice.

Another example would be Polidori and Burtynsky's photographs of energy infrastructure.


"High Voltage Power Lines and Transformers" . 2001 . From the series Chernobyl
© Robert Polidori


"Oil Refineries No. 10, Oakville, Ontario" . 1999 . From the series Oil > Oil Refineries
© Edward Burtysky

Although the context of each photograph is completely different (oil refinery in Canada vs. electrical grid in Chernobyl after a nuclear meltdown) I find my interest in each subject coming from the same place, access. They are both well composed expertly shot images, but do they speak for, and of, the photographer? Or do they speak more towards their interest in a specific part of the contemporary landscape? Again, not to say that one is necessarily more valid then the other, but I do think that there are some inherent differences in working method that separate this group of photographers from many other contemporary image makers.

Finally, the images by Burtysky of China, which are the main focus of the movie, also draw some parallels to Polidori, and even Sze Tsung Leong (although I think Leong's work comes from a unique perspective, not only because he is a part of the nation and landscape that he is photographing, but also to me his work is less about access and more about a cultural attitude).


"Shibati, Yuzhong District, Chongqing" . 2003
© Sze Tsung Leong


"Urban Renewal #4, Old City Overview, Shanghai" . 2004 .
From the series China > Urban Renewal
© Edward Burtynsky


"Oriental Pearl T.V. Tower and Jin Mao Tower, Pudong, Shanghai, China" . 2004
© Robert Polidori


"Urban Renewal #8, Hold Out, Shanghai" . 2004
From the series China > Urban Renewal
© Edward Burtynsky