I Spy: Photography as Street Theater

One of Evans' shots capturing subway alienation

Most of us are familiar with the kids' game I Spy. Given the nature of that game, the National Gallery of Art has appropriately appropriated that name for their new exhibit which is officially entitled I Spy: Photography and Theater of the Street 1938-2010.

The exhibit features several series of photographs and films, some in color and some in black and white, by noted photographers taken on the streets of large cities such as New York and Chicago in attempts to capture everyday life in urban environments.

For example, Walker Evans contribution to the show is a series he created in the 1930s by hiding his camera from his subjects who were sitting across from him on New York subway cars. "Even more than in the bedroom, the guard is down and the mask is off," Evans said of the subjects of his project.

Evans captured the wide range of actions subway riders perform when no one is looking: reading, chatting, resting, staring. There is even a shot of a man serenading his fellow passengers with his accordion.

In the spring of 1980, New York's massive subway system was plagued with rampant crime, graffiti-covered trains, and dark, dank stations. Photographer Bruce Davidson set out to capture the scene.

"In this grim, abusive, violent often brutal reality of the subway, we confront our own mortality, contemplate our destiny, and experience both the beauty and the beast," Davidson said.

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
If you would like to spy I Spy for yourself you have until  Aug. 5 when the exhibit closes.