Curtis Revisited

‘Curtis Revisited’ is based on pictures of Indians by Edward S. Curtis shot in the early 1900s and which are in the public domain.

Luc Novovitch transformed the images by adding elements of modernity which were obviously not available at the time the pictures were taken, thus altering or emphasizing their meaning. Quotes and personal reflections were added to the images to create an invitation for the viewer to reflect, ask questions, and maybe try a different perspective to look at what happened, at what is still hapening in our society.

The video above is copyright Luc Novovitch and is used here by permission.

I wanted to include it on this website because it is a powerful example of juxtaposition in several dimensions. First carefully note the digital changes Novovitch has made to each of the historic Curtis photographs of Native Americans. He has introduced modern elements that did not exist when Curtis made his photographs. The new element, juxtaposed against the original photograph makes a statement. Novovitch goes further by introducing quotes that relate to the photograph. This introduces even more dimensions to the meaning of the pictures.

Technically, the photographs are photo illustrations since they could not have been made in the camera.

I think Curtis’s photographs did much to develop the stereotype of the noble savage. Novovitch’s juxtapositions bring us back to reality.

In a conversation with Novovitch, he said that when he showed this video to Native Americans, they laughed. When he showed it to Anglos, they were disturbed that he produced the video. This is yet another example how culture affects meaning.

It is a clever use of juxtaposition to make a statement. And much of the history of photographic juxtaposition has done just that.