Skip to main content

The Western Gaze – Some Thoughts About Leni Riefenstahl's Photography

 

Looking at the pictures, it is apparent what the photographer is trying to show us. Leni Riefenstahl's photographs aim to illustrate the physical perfection of the 'godlike' people of Nuba. But based on whose perfection? Based on whose parameters of beauty? Riefenstahl's fascist aesthetics, as Susan Sontag addresses it (1975), does not really give us any insight into the lives of Nuba people. It seems to me that there is a lack of interaction between the photographer and the Nuba, despite the fact that Reifenstahl's stay with them was not a short one. Yet, the photos do not take us anywhere beyond their appearance. There is nothing ethnographic or anthropological in these visual documents; if there is, it must be immensely superficial. 

Riefenstahl's way of documenting was evidently selective, not to mention the way she was capturing the moments. But most importantly, who was she filming for? The audience was clearly limited to the West alone, the part of the world that would definitely appreciate Reifenstahl's aesthetics. After all, her aesthetics was the product of Western culture and politics, which also can be called the 'Western gaze'. This very gaze can be understood as an act of othering – attributing constructed features to individuals on the basis of a self-centered (and ethnocentric) perspective. By displaying the Nuba people as if they were filmed for a magazine cover, a 'godlike creatures', having the features the Westerners desire to have, Reifenstahl creates a representation of Nuba in a way that would be interesting to the Western audience. 


What is the Western gaze really about? I would say that it predominantly (but not only) consists of the male gaze, which creates a visualization of both – female and male bodies based on the politics of patriarchy. Interestingly, Reifenstahl not only objectifies the women's bodies but also the men's. Nevertheless, I think there is a certain framework of femininity and masculinity which she tries to impose in the photos. 

Riefenstahl's work showcases that capturing "aesthetic" photos of people's everyday life is not necessarily an ethnography. What is missing from her work, first of all, is the self-reflection and examining her way of seeing. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Building as a Bearer of History: The Story of Hotel Iveria

    The ‘Iveria’ building was a popular luxury hotel in Georgia during the Soviet regime. It was built in 1967 and hosted all international guests, including officials from neighboring countries. Standing in the center of the capital, it was the highest building in Tbilisi and could be seen from different angles of the city. The building soon became a focus of interest for those curious about soviet architecture and aesthetics. As the hotel Iveria was located in the geographical center of Tbilisi, the building and its inhabitants witnessed many historical events occurring in the capital during the 80s and 90s. One of the turning points was the anti-USSR demonstrations and protests in Georgia, many of which were held on the Republic Square in front of the hotel Iveria. After the fall of the Soviet Union, Georgia slowly transmitted into a post-socialist era. The hotel Iveria now became a reflection of soviet memories. In the meantime, the 1992-1993 war between Georgians and Abkh...
Post a Comment
Read more

Nanook of The North (1922) - Edit Analysis

      The sequence portrays one of the occasional events of the Eskimos life – bartering for different weapons and goods they can’t usually get in their daily lives in exchange for the products they acquire through hunting. The documentary Nanook of The North (1922) enables us to have a closer look at the life of Eskimos living in northern Canada. While the main character of the film happens to be Nanook, the viewers also get to see the lifestyle of Eskimo women, children and other Eskimo hunters. The film gives us insights into the Eskimos’ labor division, hunting rituals, homemaking practices, gender roles, social hierarchy, belief system and childrearing practices. Furthermore, it tells the story of the interaction between humans and nature, particularly, the process of Eskimos’ adaptation to the strict climate of the north. How can these people live in such a cold temperature and still be joyful and smiley? – was my first question after watching the documentary. As...
Post a Comment
Read more