Diane Arbus: humanist or voyeur?

This interesting article by Sean O’Hagan at guardian.co.uk, is, as usual from O’Hagen, an intelligent and well thought out piece, here is an excerpt

“When we look at an Arbus photograph, we cannot help feeling that we are intruders or voyeurs, even though her subjects are tied to a time and place that has all but vanished. A sense of complicity – hers and ours – lies at the very heart of her power. Her images hold us in their sway even when our better instincts tell us to look away. Perhaps her greatest gift is that she understood that conflict instinctively, and did more than anyone to exploit it artistically.”…….more

Camera obscura … Diane Arbus poses for a portrait in New York c 1968 Photograph: Roz Kelly/Getty Images

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