Rineke Dijkstra

Reneke Dijkstra's portraiture often takes places over a long period of time and shows the transformations in people's appearances. This idea of transformations is often seen in her choice of subjects, from teenagers and bullfighters to new mothers. Her images are stripped of confusing props and backgrounds and the viewer has to focus on tiny details and facial expressions for clues into the portrait and the person's identity.

Rineke Dijkstra, Shany, Herzliya, Izrael, August 1, 2003

In her images people are not showing any fake emotions, they are dead-pan portraits and the subject is looking straight down the lens. Therefore, we can see real them, a small change in face expression or body movement tells, who they really are and how they feel.

"Like the swimmers emerging from chilly waters, the first time mothers she photographed right after childbirth, or novice matadors exiting the bullring with bloodied faces and ripped suits of light (both in series from 1994), were portrayed in extremis after an experience just preceding the photograph."(Westerbeck, 2012) In these series we can see how these events affected people, how they feel in certain time of their life. 

I like the simplicity of these portraits. There is not many going on, just a person and its story written in the face. There are no distractions so viewer can concentrate on small details like face expression, body position. 

Bibliography:

Bright, S. (2011). Art Photography Now. 2nd edn. United Kingdom: Thames & Hudson.

Westerbeck, C. (2012). 'RINEKE DIJKSTRA', Art In America, 100, 5, p. 183, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost.