Artist Larry Clark, born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, gained early insight into the art of photography by assisting his mother with her portrait business. Clark continued to learn about photography while attending the Layton School of Art in Milwaukee from 1961-1963. Often in his photography, writing, and filmmaking, Larry Clark captures an American youth subculture engaged in illegal drug use, violence, and sex. Although Clark has mentioned documentary photographers including Dorothea Lange as early influencers, Clark's approach to individual and group portraits is not strictly objective nor “documentary.” As a friend to some of his subjects, Clark's photographs present adolescent vulnerabilities with a markedly sympathetic approach.
Image courtesy of Ralph Gibson.