Something to Live For

“There is nothing more mysterious than a fact clearly described.” ~Garry Winogrand (probably quoting Francis Bacon)

By Suzanne Révy

Photography’s penchant for isolating a scene within a frame at 1/60th of a second often yields a surprising description of facts that can take on deeper meanings through new visual relationships of light, form and space. By wandering the streets, beaches and parks in urban centers with a small film camera photographer Michael Hintlian has employed one of the more classic methods of making photographs known, for lack of a better term, as “street photography.” His recent series, “Something to Live For” presented as gelatin silver prints is currently on view at the Garner Center Gallery in the New England School of Photography through March 6th, 2020. 

Michael Hintlian from the series “Something to Live For” courtesy of the artist and the Garner Center Gallery at the New England School of Photography.

Hintlian traveled to a wide variety of cities on both coasts that should be teeming with people, yet there is a palpable emptiness in many of the spaces he photographs with figures isolated from one another. A man rides up an escalator, catching Hintlian in the act with one eye or three female figures walk onto a foggy, barren beach creating a sense of quiet solitude. In others, Hintlian aims his camera from the privacy of his car or through a window to emphasize the passing glances at groups as they mingle and move through manmade environments raising questions around their relationships. Is this a family? A group of friends? Or total strangers? The mystery of each image is unmistakable. 

Michael Hintlian from the series “Something to Live For” courtesy of the artist and the Garner Center Gallery at the New England School of Photography.

Street photography is best practiced with a keen eye and a curiosity for the way the world looks without judgement. Just to see, to really see is an act of grace. By juxtaposing spatial relationships, patterns of light or texture, and human gesture, Hintlian creates a kind of jazzy improvisational rhythm of contemporary culture. Four male figures appear to be a hieroglyph of language as they rinse off with surfboards in an outdoor shower while a cabal of young girls share a sense for fashion, yet do not interact with each other save for the expressive dance of their hands that lead the viewer through the frame. In another, a business man traverses an empty plaza while a figure watches from a distance. What is more troubling in this age of surveillance? The careful gaze of a street photographer?  Or governments and corporations spying our every move from hidden cameras? 

Michael Hintlian from the series “Something to Live For” courtesy of the artist and the Garner Center Gallery at the New England School of Photography.

In addition, Hintlian is mindful of the social hierarchies and power dynamics present in the streets. Men and women in suits and slacks, teenagers, families and the homeless are presented equally, but their clothes, body language and expressions might offer clues to the struggles they might face. The public sphere is a stage for the theatre of gestures, faces and interactions, and Hintlian directs viewers through a drama of empathy: the business man is no more or less human than the homeless person. The real strength of this work will be in the long run: if Arbus, Winogrand or Frank are any guide, Hintlian will have created a profound historic document of the early 21st century.  

Michael Hintlian from the series “Something to Live For” courtesy of the artist and the Garner Center Gallery at the New England School of Photography.

It is fitting that the Garner Center’s Gallery Director, Erin Carey opted to exhibit Hintlian’s work in what will, sadly, be the final show at the New England School of Photography. Hintlian has served as an instructor there for many years, and after the school closes at the end of March, it will be sadly missed by many of us in the Boston photography community. 

For more information:

https://www.nesop.edu/events/the-garner-center/something-to-live-for/

(Featured Image) Michael Hintlian from the series “Something to Live For” courtesy of the artist and the Garner Center Gallery at the New England School of Photography.