I am interested in how the artist manages to capture her subjects in their purest form, and the delicacy that comes with these portraits. She approaches her subjects in a way that allows viewers to understand what may have been occurring during the time the photo was taken. She also handles her subjects in a way that shows she cares about them as people. Goldin was not out to exploit any of her subjects, or to acquire any sort of fame or notoriety, at least not in my opinion. It seems that she genuinely cared about these subjects because she spent enough time around them to call them her family, and she felt that the exciting (and sometimes overwhelming) life experiences she had lived in the early 20th century between New York city and many countries in Europe was worth documenting and sharing with others.
2) What do you believe are the artist’s conceptual and/or thematic intentions?
I believe that Goldin is tying to capture life itself, and the individual ways that she herself - as well as the people around her - choose to live their lives as well. She documents routines, choices, occurrences, and everything in between. However, she goes about documenting these events in a way that is objective, simply observing the state that her subjects are in, approaching it by choosing neither a positive or negative lens.
Much of her subject matter surrounded the LGBT community in New York in the late 20th century, topics of intimacy and relationships, and the epidemic of HIV and AIDS that was spreading rapidly during that time. Goldin would often photograph her close friends - drag queens, members of the queer community, and cross dressers - but in a way that was not invasive or invalidating their identities, she simply saw them for who they were.
Goldin's work is honest - she does not attempt to make what she captures appear anything different from what it actually is. Her method of "snapshot photography" is something that comes naturally to her, as she makes pictures that she sees fit, not for anyone else. After observing many of Goldin's available works online and portions of her works that were on view, I am under the impression that she used these memories as a way to recall memories, make memories between herself and loved ones, as well as reinforcing and reminding herself of the new life that she has chosen for herself after moving to New York city, as well as finding comfort and solace in the community that she had chosen to surrounded herself with during that time.
3) How do you personally respond to these choices and intents?
I deeply admire Goldin's photographic style, and wish to emulate a sort of raw honesty in the photos that I make as well. I believe that her decision to document these events in a way that still embodies a mild aesthetically pleasing effect is another aspect of her photography that amazes me. I want to be able to take intimate portraits of my friends (who are also members of the queer community, like myself) and show them simply as people. There is a simultaneously captivating and hypnotizing affect that her photos have. As an aspiring portrait photographer, I admire this about her work. It is also reassuring to me that in order to be a photographer, one does not have to take photos that simply "look nice". It has more to do about if I feel inclined to capture the moment, and the meaning that is behind my motivation to take the picture. Sometimes, I may not even need those reasons as an excuse. I can still capture a picture I want, and the subject matter can be anything, as long as I feel that it is important enough to be documented, and that in and of itself is also more than good enough.
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