The High Museum of Art’s photography exhibition Evelyn Hofer: Eyes on the City, on view through August 13, shows a broad range of photographic collections by Hofer documenting countries and cities in Europe and North America. One eye-catching aspect of the exhibition is the portraiture, displaying people not in rigid, structured poses but in a more natural and relaxed state, demonstrating their comfort and awareness with the artist (fig. 1).
Fig 1: Evelyn Hofer (American, born Germany, 1922; active New York; died Mexico, 2009), Santo Domingo in New York, 1964, gelatin silver print, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, gift of the Hall Family Foundation, 2019.39.7. © Estate of Evelyn Hofer.
Some of the works, and specifically portraits, that Hofer created in the 1950s and 1960s centered on life in the city, capturing a calmer, more contemplative moment than the speed, motion, and bustle of the city that were the primary focus points of photographic practice.[1] Hofer’s use of a larger camera may not have allowed her the rapid pace of many of her contemporaries, but it provided her with a rare chance to connect with her subjects.