Walker Evans: Starting from Scratch by Svetlana Alpers

Walker Evans: Starting from Scratch, by Svetlana Alpers is an engaging and informative account of the life and work of celebrated photographer, Walker Evans. Alpers follows Evans’s career from his twenties to his death in 1975, providing vivid detail on his photographs, artwork, and life experiences. By crafting an accessibly written narrative, Alpers offers a great way to get to know a man known for his commitment to finding true beauty in life’s mundane moments.

Evans grew up in a wealthy Philadelphia family and studied modern literature at Williams College. Though he had initial aspirations to be a writer, his fascination with photography soon developed as well. Evans began capturing everyday images of urban America while working in New York City in the late 1920s. He was particularly interested in how to best represent everyday life, which he achieved in his iconic photographs of posters, shacks, and everyday people he encountered.

Alpers deeply examines Evans’s unique approach to photography, making the book an interdisciplinary journey into his creative process. She shares his worldview, emphasizing his desire to make photographs that did not simply reflect reality. Instead, he sought to capture them as “human experiences”, stepping out of the traditional approach of photojournalism to mesmerizing effect.

Alpers explores the source of development of Evans's creative impulse through an exploration of biographical details. She excerpts letters and interviews to dive into the evolution of Evans’ personal and aesthetic development. The book paints a picture of a man deeply committed to his work and who paid uncompromising attention to detail in the face of a turbulent and poverty-stricken nation.

As Alpers documents, Evans spent decades on the road, traveling to remote areas and capturing poignant images of people and places, while also creating vibrant stories that truthfully reflected any given moment. Evans was also unafraid to take on challenging assignments, such as journeys that could be both brutal and arduous, which took him to places like Pennsylvania to capture powerful images of miners.

Evans’ method for recording his various experiences and images is explored in the book in detail, as Alpers sheds light on his decision to do away with the traditional signifiers of abundance and power found in photography. Instead, Evans sought to bring beauty to the everyday objects and environments by portraying them in a way that captured their disappearing messages. As Alpers shows, Evans was unafraid to look closely at people, especially those without any power or resources, and meticulously captured their emotions, beauty and stories.

Walker Evans: Starting from Scratch offers an impressive analysis of a photographer whose plentifulof works has been an inspiration for generations of photographers who adopted his method of capturing and displaying an image’s true emotions. With insight, interviews and rarely seen photographs from Evans himself, Alpers movingly illustrates this pioneering artist’s commitment and faith in photography, emphasizing his search for an honest representation of the world.