Max Dupain: Australia's Greatest Documentary Photographer

Mother & Son, Cronulla 1935

Max Dupain
Max Dupain wanted a career in architecture but poor results in mathematics and physics prevented this. Photography provided an alternative way to become involved in this field. He went on to become one of Australia’s greatest documentary photographers. He spent his lifetime creating a unique photographic history of this country that has resulted in some memorable iconic photographs including The Story Bridge in Brisbane 1946.

Much of Max Dupain’s work can be considered formal. His technique was clear and modern, using light and shadow to create a formal effect. Dupain’s photography centred around formal beauty, subject matter and presence. Max Dupain carefully composed his images to emphasis this formality. Dupain refined his photography with discipline composition and sharp adherence to modern guidelines. He used little extreme contrast in his images, instead producing prints that exerted a soft warmth and positivity. His production was formal and straightforward. Every print was beautifully controlled and refined during the entire process.

Throughout his long career and in his chosen subject matter, Max Dupain celebrated Australian culture and identity. As a distinguished exponent of Modernist photography his work is noted for its formal use of space, shape and tone. During the 1930s he was influenced by a photographic style developed in Europe in the late 1920s called New Photography. In content and form, New Photography was a substantial move away from the soft tones. The new style was characterized by its emphasis on unusual angles, perspectives and sharp contrasting tones. Mother and child at Cronulla is one of a series of nudes Dupain took after ceasing to work in the Pictorial style. Dramatic light is used to highlight form and shape, in this case the bodies of the child and woman. Their features are obscured indicating that this is, in many respects, a study in formal relationships. These elements, including the unusual angle of the image and its objectivity are indicative of the qualities associated with New Photography.