TRIBUTE
Margaret Bourke-White standing in front of the Flying Fortress bomber from which she took war photos during the U.S. attack on Tunis. Algeria, 1943
'Ecstasy’, understood as isolation and deep escape from the surrounding reality, finds perfect resonance in the philosophy of Margaret Bourke-White.
Through her lens, Bourke-White does not merely capture images but immerses herself fully in the subject, achieving a level of observation that transcends simple documentation. Her photography thus becomes an act of deep contemplation, where the intensity of vision reveals the hidden complexities of modernity, transforming each image into a visual experience that invites the viewer to look beyond appearances.
Margaret Bourke-White is not just a photographer; she is an artist able to transform the camera into an instrument of social and poetic inquiry. Her work develops within a dialectic between the aesthetics of industrial modernity and the humanity immersed within it, creating a dialogue between the imposing and the fragile, between titanic architecture and the lives that inhabit it. Her photography is an act of both denunciation and celebration, a journey that combines formal rigor with a strong ethical commitment.
Bourke-White’s artistic vision emerges from her observation of industrial reality, which she elevates to an artistic subject with an almost mystical vision. For her, factories, machines, bridges, and dams are not just objects or places but powerful representations of the human spirit, expressions of its ability to build and dominate the world. The beauty that Bourke-White finds in these structures is not only aesthetic but also conceptual: they become symbols of progress, embodying both the hopes and contradictions of the time in which she lived. In a famous statement, she said that “Industry is the true place of art”, emphasizing how her aesthetic search was directed towards what is often considered devoid of artistic value, transforming it into something sublime.
Oscar Graubner - Margaret Bourke-White in top of the Chrysler Building. New York City, ca. 1932
"She is an artist able to transform the camera into an instrument of social and poetic inquiry."
Margaret Bourke-White - In the kitchen. Greenville, South Carolina, 1956
However, her art is not limited to exalting the modern world; Margaret Bourke-White is deeply aware of the inequalities and injustices that permeate it. This is reflected in her stylistic and thematic evolution: from her early works focused on the sheer power of industrial architecture, she gradually shifted towards photography that centers on the human being, portrayed not only as an element of the environment but as a victim or protagonist of historical and social events. The focus thus shifts from the machine to the human, from the structure to the individual.
In this context, reportage becomes her preferred means of expression. She does not merely document events; each shot is a statement, a fragment of truth capable of telling entire stories. A striking example is the image “Louisville Flood” of 1937, where a line of black people waiting for relief stands under a gigantic billboard proclaiming, “World’s highest standard of living. There’s no way like the American way”. In this photograph, Bourke-White highlights the hypocrisy of a society that proclaims the American Dream while a significant portion of its population lives in extreme poverty. This shot is not just an image but a powerful social critique, a visual narrative that exposes the contradictions of an entire nation.
Her work during World War II and in subsequent conflicts follows the same principle: Bourke-White does not seek the spectacle of war but the humanity hidden within it, the faces that tell stories of pain, resistance, and hope. Her images of Nazi concentration camps, taken shortly after liberation, are among the most harrowing testimonies of human horror. Yet, even amidst such desolation, Bourke-White manages to find that spark of dignity that survives in the people she portrays, giving them an almost heroic dimension.
Her style is characterized by a masterful use of composition and light. Margaret exploits the geometries of industrial spaces to create images of strong visual impact, where lines and shadows intertwine to form compositions that transcend the photographed subject, transforming it into a sort of icon of modernity. But it is in portraiture that her photography reaches the pinnacle of human expression. Her subjects, whether political leaders like Stalin or Gandhi, or common people marked by poverty, are always represented with a psychological depth that makes them universal symbols of strength and vulnerability.
Ultimately, Margaret Bourke-White’s work is a journey through the contradictions of the 20th century. Her photography is both an ode to progress and a denunciation of its shadows. The part for the whole, as she herself demonstrated, is the principle that guides her art: every detail, every face, every industrial structure becomes a fragment that tells the entire story of her time. And in this narrative, Bourke-White manages to unite aesthetics and morality, transforming each image into a manifesto of beauty and truth.
Margaret Bourke-White - Aerial view of a DC-4 passenger plane flying over Midtown Manhattan. New York City, 1939
"Her style is characterized by a masterful use of composition and light. Margaret exploits the geometries of industrial spaces to create images of strong visual impact."
Margaret Bourke-White - Fort Peck Dam. Fort Peck, Montana, 1936
Margaret Bourke-White - Italians walking among stalls at the black market of Lungotevere Tor di Nona. Rome, 1944
Margaret Bourke-White- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in his home in Pune. Maharashtra, India, 1946
"Yet, even amidst such desolation, Bourke-White manages to find that spark of dignity that survives in the people she portrays, giving them an almost heroic dimension."
Margaret Bourke-White - South African banner "Stop police terror" during a speech at the second Communist gathering, 1950
Margaret Bourke-White - Emaciated slave laborers lying in wooden bunks, including future Nazi hunter Elie Wiesel, Weimar, Germany, 1945
Courtesy of CAMERA Centro Italiano per la Fotografia
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