Rediscover

Photography,which can be directly read by receivers in the easiest way,is the form of art to be read in most diverse methods.Its contemporary nature has changed the basic idea of traditional photography aesthetics that,aesthetic features of news,record and imitation of painting in traditional photography have been replaced by various new art languages.Two experiences of Vivian Maier's make her distinctive.The first is her non-professional identity as a nanny,and the second is the fact that,she almost never developed any photo taken by herself in her lifetime.How such works became hot topic in the world of contemporary photography?In which aspects the value of her works is embodied?Those questions are to be studied by us.In this article,there is a brief description of Vivian's life story with her growing experience as starting point;and focusing on the introduction of her nanny career,I will analyze the reason why she chose photography art.Highlighted analyses in this article are on classifying themes of Vivian Maier's works,her photography technology and interpretation of her inward world.Meanwhile,how Vivian was discovered and accepted by the current photography world,and how her works were popularized by the art market will also be discussed here.After the World War II,America suffered havoc of war,influence of McCarthyism,economic crisis and souring of unemployment rate,and thus the public began to doubt traditional value.Prime time of Vivian's photography was also the 30-year period witnessing greatest reforms of America in the 20th century.The entire society's way of thinking was changed upside down,and Vivian recorded such social situation in a unique way through her professional technology and subtle observation method.I am trying to use the example of Vivian Maier to discuss social and historical values of images photographed by a non-professional photographer,and thereby position professional photographer's value and status embodied in her photography works.She is a great master photographer in the 20th century and is still to be rediscovered.