Tributes and Profiles: Gordon Parks | Gordon Parks Tribute


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intro \| the famous back to design section alexey brodovitch neville brody alexander calder david carson warren chappell ivan chermayeff seymour chwast milton glaser tibor kalman clement mok gordon parks paul rand jan tschichold record cover designers saul bass movie posters back to the sitemap book directory top 100 books f.a.q. featured resources season promos starting out in design tributes to designers	writer, poet, musician, composer, filmmaker, photographer

	Gordon Parks was one of the 20th century's greatest multitalented cultural treasures: a writer, poet, musician, composer, filmmaker, and photographer. [In his book, "Half Past Autumn, "the companion volume to a U.S. exhibition], the full flower of Parks' genius is both awe-inspiring in its depth and thorough in its demolition of the era's social-science fictions about African American potential. Born in Fort Scott, Kansas in 1912, Parks wandered as a homeless teen. During World War II he worked as a correspondent for various organizations. Through wit, smarts, and improvisation -- and no experience -- landed a job as a photographer for the Farm Security Administration. Then with his new skill, joined Life magazine as a photojournalist (1949–70). "Tyrants, dictators, dethroned kings," he writes, "all stared into my camera with eyes that were unveiled. The camera revealed them as they were -- human beings imprisoned inside themselves." Highlights among his photographic work include the haunting shot of domestic Ella Watson, the starkness of a 1940s teenaged gang leader named Red Jackson lying eternally young in his coffin, and the elegant, life-and-death ballet of the Spanish bullfight. Parks' depiction of Duke Ellington's towering music in motion reflects the importance of jazz and blues in Parks' artistry. He also composed numerous popular songs and sonatas, including Symphonic Set: A Piece for Piano and Wind Instruments and The Learning Tree Symphony. He wrote several books, including The Learning Tree (1966) and Born Black (1971). In 1976 he went to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), where he directed Shaft (1971) and The Super Cops (1973), moving to Paramount Pictures as a staff director (1976). Gordon Parks died in March 2006. From his films Shaft and The Learning Tree (the latter adapted from his own novel) to his impressionistic ballet honoring Martin Luther King Jr., his work swings with an American rhythm that continues to inspire.

	resources for more information about gordon parks...
	books:	films:	famous photographs:
	Gordon Parks: Half Past Autumn autobiography A Hungry Heart: A Memoir Eyes with Winged Thoughts: Poems and Photographs poems & photographs Gordon Parks: No Excuses A Star for Noon: An Homage to Women in Images, Poetry and Music Other books by or about Gordon Parks	The Learning Tree Gordon Parks' classic film (VHS), and the book that the film was based on Half Past Autumn: The Life and Works of Gordon Parks DVD Other films by or about Gordon Parks on DVD Other films by or about Gordon Parks on VHS	Children on Harlem Street, 1943 Government Charwoman, Washington, D.C. Other photographs by Gordon Parks
	you might also be interested in: artists' biographies on video		Photography book: Bare Witness: Photographs by Gordon Parks