I am drawn
to a photographic series called "Forty Portraits in Forty
Years." Check out Nicholas Nixon's
photos at http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/10/03/magazine/01-brown-sisters-forty-years.html
The
pictorial depicts four female siblings annually as they pass through time. The first picture in the series was taken in
1975, when the youngest of the four sisters was 15 and the oldest 25. Each year thereafter, Mr. Nixon, the eldest
sister's husband, photographed his wife and her siblings standing in the same
order. The consistency in positioning
makes it easy to follow the variations that occur in each sister.
It is
amazing to me how the contrast from the 1st photo shoot to the 40th is
startling; yet, from year to year, negligible.
One of the
aspects of this treasure that I appreciate most is the simplicity of the
shots. There were no open-mouthed smiles,
no dress-for-the-picture attire or clothing coordination among the siblings,
and the women were free of make-up for the most part if not entirely, with no apparent
Photoshop editing steps taken to hide truth of any kind.
From the
moment I first viewed the project a few months ago, my thoughts have remained
constant: 1 - Each woman's beauty and
spirit shines through, despite her aging exterior; 2 - It will be very sad when
one year captures just three women, not four;
and, most importantly, 3 - we can't escape aging.
Try as we
may to wish them away, those wrinkles, fine lines, sagging eyelids and other
body parts have a mind of their own, and unless we go the route of intervention
- divine hasn't worked so I'm talking surgical - they are here to stay.
I am not
going so far as to say I will ever embrace the breakdown of collagen, for one
of many examples, but the reality is that since we can't prevent these inevitable
changes, I am grateful for this work of art which has enabled me to adjust my
perspective on aging.
Instead of critiquing
myself in the mirror and yearning to look back at teenage Judy, or the Judy
following my gestational diabetes pregnancy - when I was the thinnest I had
been since teenage Judy - I have begun to realize that the aging process should
be recognized as a badge of honor. It truly represents all we've become vs. all
we've lost.
Thank you, Heather, Mimi, Bebe and Laurie.
Thanks for sharing this! Such a cool project and very fascinating to watch the transformation of these ladies over the years.
ReplyDeleteJudy, I saw this awhile back and was captured, too, by the natural beauty of each of these women. I found myself getting caught up in each of the photos as the years passed, especially as time went on, trying to figure out which years were the most joyful and which were the most difficult (as we all have some of each as time goes by and families grow). I remember when I saw the story online that I wanted to get the book that was going to be published to see if there was more of a story to go with it. I always need so much MORE:) Otherwise, I make it up myself haha!!
ReplyDeleteI loved watching these women go through the years, wondering if there were years when any of them were angry with each other when the picture was taken, looking for it in their faces (LOL). I guess because I have 4 sisters, I so loved this idea and was jealous that we had not started something like this way back when I was 15. What a wonderful gift they have in this collection of pictures.
I went back and read the article and it did say that our human impulse was to look for clues, but soon we let go of the anthropological scrutiny. Well, not me! I scrutinized until my heart was content LOL! I can't help myself! I need more, and if I can't get it, I will just make it up myself. We will have to discuss my thoughts on each of their lives at our next dinner:) Celestine.