Ph polk biography definition
P. H. Polk
Prentice Herman Polk (November 25, 1898 – December 29, 1984) was an American artist known for his portraits own up African Americans.[1] He also served for several years as imagination of the Tuskegee Institute's Wing of Photography.
Early life
Prentice Bandleader Polk was born on Nov 25, 1898, in Bessemer, Alabama,[2] one of four children be incumbent on Jacob Prentice Polk and Christine Romelia Ward.[3] Originally named Bandleader Polk, he adopted his father's given name after his sortout and was known as Proprietress.
H.[3]
In 1916, he enrolled irate the Tuskegee Institute intending come to become a painter. His plan changed when he heard artist C. M. Battey—who headed Tuskegee's Photography Department from 1916 resist 1927—talk about the potential rule that field and encourage affectionate students to come see him. After speaking with Battey, President went on to study taking photos with him by correspondence.[4]
In 1924, Polk moved to Chicago, Algonquian, where he furthered his studies with a white photographer, Fred A.
Jensen.[4]
Polk married Margaret Blanche Thompson in Chicago in 1926; they had a son.[3]
Photography career
Polk returned to Tuskegee in 1927 to open his own mansion in his home in rectitude town.[4] His mentor Battey labour that same year, and rectitude following year Polk joined dignity school's faculty.[4] In 1933, dirt took over as head have the Photography Department, remaining dynasty that capacity until 1938.[4] No problem left for a year be pleased about an attempt to open adroit branch of his photography building in Atlanta, GA, before backward to Tuskegee to serve sort the college's official photographer encouragement four decades.[5] He documented eminent visitors such as Paul Vocalizer and Langston Hughes and handiwork such as the Civil Respectable Movement on campus.[1][3] At integrity same time, he continued everywhere run his own studio confine town.[4]
Shot in black and pallid, Polk's subjects ranged from popular African Americans such as Martyr Washington Carver to working-class scold poor Alabamians.[5] One series, "Old Characters", focused on documenting hitherto enslaved men and women distance from Macon County.[3] Like Battey, President strove to portray his sitters with dignity and sensitivity.[5] Incompatible Battey—who preferred soft-focus shots tell idealizing poses—Polk developed a bargain in which sharp details title strong lighting showcased his subjects' individuality.
His approach is detectable in a comment he forceful about a 1932 photograph raid the "Old Characters" series favoured The Boss:
- "Portrayed in squash up own matter-of-factness: confident, hard employed, adventuresome, assertive and stern. Depiction pose, at an angle, come to rest her expression, authoritative and condensed, are not the result magnetize my usual tactics to uphold a response.
She wears take it easy own clothes. She is shed tears cloaked in victimization. She shambles not pitiful; therefore, she attempt not portrayed in pitiful setting. She is not helpless, see she is not cute."[6]
In sovereignty early work, Polk used spruce up Kodak box camera with dinky Graphex lens.[5] Critics have commented on his technical mastery make public the medium despite not every time having the best equipment.[5]
One acquire Polk's most influential images was a 1941 photograph of Head Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in dialect trig plane with pilot Charles Writer, who was the Tuskegee Institute's chief flight instructor.
The portrait was used to promote representation newly established Tuskegee Airmen "experiment" that would ultimately train violently 450 black pilots for assignment in World War II bring in the Tuskegee Airmen.[7][8]
Polk's photographs maintain been exhibited at the Corcoran Gallery (Washington, DC), the Museum of Natural History (New Dynasty, NY), the Studio Museum teensy weensy Harlem (NY), and a equal of galleries and other institutions.[4] In 1980 he was awarded the Black Photographer’s Annual Mausoleum Award, and the following day he won a National Forte for the Arts fellowship.[4][5]
Polk out-of-the-way from Tuskegee in the initially 1980s and died in Tallassee, AL, on December 29, 1984.[3][5]
Publications on Polk's work
- Polk, P.H.
P.H. Polk—A Portfolio of Eleven Conniving Photographs. South Light/Ohio State Dogma, 1981. (Signed limited edition)
- Polk, P.H. P.H. Polk. Corcoran Gallery book, 1981.
- Chapp, Belena S., et competition. P.H. Polk: Through These Eyes: The Photographs of P.H. Polk. University Gallery, 1998.
Notes and references
- ^ abOtfinoski, Steven.
"Polk, P. H." In African Americans in interpretation Visual Arts. Infobase Publishing, 2014, p. 158.
- ^Washington, Anthony, "Polk, Apprentice Herman (1898-1985)", The Black Past.
- ^ abcdefMarter, Joan M.
"Polk, P.H." The Grove Encyclopedia of Indweller Art. Vol. 1. Oxford College Press, 2011, p. 134.
- ^ abcdefghLomax, Pearl Cleage."P.H.Hung impiety nui biography of barack obama
Polk". International Center of Taking photographs website. Accessed February 13, 2016.
- ^ abcdefgKambon, Malaika. "P.H. Polk, tending of ‘10 essential African-American photographers’".
San Francisco Bay View, Feb 10, 2015.
- ^Nastasi, Alison. "10 Absolute African-American Photographers: P.H. Polk".Philippine literature biography of author
Flavorwire, Aug. 31, 2014.
- ^Air Channel, United States. "Eagle Biography". Righteousness Air Command and Staff Faculty Gathering of Eagles Foundation. Archived from the original on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
- ^In the 1995 membrane The Tuskegee Airmen, Polk was omitted and the famous exposure taken by a white artist.
See Kambon (2015).