Zina Hanna

SWC 100

August 13, 2009

“Sweet Flypaper Of Life”

It is difficult to separate or isolate a single image from an entire photographic

body of work, when the artist’s intention is that the collective works are meant to express

a single work of art. Similarly, it would be like pointing out a cherub from the Sistine

Chapel and expect it to speak of the entire spiritual experience. Although there is an

undeniable relationship between the images on the ceiling, there are sections that

comprise readily identifiable meaning that points to the whole. The same holds true for

images created by Roy DeCarava where he captured everyday life in Harlem. DeCarava’s

work has meaning, continuity, and strength in each photograph individually, yet they are

viewed as an entire work of art. DeCarava wants to capture Harlem in everyday life

environments. The photographs point to a single idea that is expressed collectively on the

familiar surroundings in Harlem. DeCarava’s work possesses strength in its innocence

and they are charged with symbolism and one example of that is the picture called

“Graduation”. DeCarava created this work independently but later it would become a

collaborative work with Langston Hughes for the publication entitled “Sweet Flypaper of

Life”.

In the article “THREE FINE SHOWS – Distinct Points of View Plus

Craftsmanship”, Roy DeCarava’s photography is reviewed where he reveals what his

intention is whenever he creates a photograph. He has a set of specific guidelines he

focuses on in the portraits he takes. The primary emphasis is capturing the intimacy of

which he is photographing and placing less importance on the landscape or environment.

DeCarava, in the 150 photographic exhibitions, chose to rely on familiar surroundings in

Harlem, such as family, basic human values, intimate atmosphere of home rather than the

unusual or spectacular. The collection comprised of photographs including family,

neighbors, and friends that were taken in their natural environment with available light.

“Because Mr. DeCarava was interested mostly in the people themselves, he avoided the

usual pattern of photographing the environmental aspects and concentrated on the

individuals themselves, taking pictures fairly close-up. In this way he achieved just what

he wanted: a record of how they looked and what they did, the little gestures, the little

hores. The general impression is one of warmth, trust and affection, with emphasis on the

positive aspects of life in the Harlem home”. ("Three Fine Shows") It was at this time

that Roy Decavara shared these images with Langston Hughes and the collaborative

effort ensued. Hughes created the narrative character Sister Mary Bradley that fuses the

images together as her extended family and gives a specific personal focus to the entire

work. That was DeCarava’s interest that was to base his work on a respected family from

Harlem.

Sister Mary touches on each and every person that is in her life or has touched her

life and is a symbol of hope for her in what seems to be a changing environment. Even

still, the idea of a changing environment does not appear to be a negative commentary or

perception. She addresses this in one comment to the angel that she is not ready to go, “I

want to stay here and see what this integration the Supreme Court has done decreed is

going to be like” (Hughes 1). Langston Hughes addresses the Supreme Court issue in his

own voice in a review about images having more substance than words. He states in

“Recent Books Reveal The Force Of Modern Photography“ The Supreme Court could

well study this book in helping to make up its mind concerning the separate but unequal
facilities of the South for Negro children. The next best thing to actually seeing a thing is

to see a picture of it. Pictures do not lie or evade with the ease that words do. Of a

picture, one can truly say “there it is in black and white”.” ("Recent Books Reveal The

Force Of Modern Photography" 11) A critical divergence between the two artists views

seems to take on a third personality. Where DeCarava wanted to reflect simply everyday

life in Harlem, Hughes added a personal commentary slant to the work. As innocent as it

still may seem, Hughes altered the initial artwork by speaking of the conditions and

change.

There is a single image on page 69 in Sweet Flypaper of Life that DeCarava

captures which seems to address the innocence that he was intentionally striving for in his

work although symbolically it presents a powerful commentary on the conditions of

Harlem during this time. This image not only contradicts DeCarava’s own guidelines for

the project, this image comes closer to towards Hughes slant and commentary whether or

not it was DeCarava’s intention. It is a strong dichotomy between the young girl and the

surrounding landscape environment in the image that DeCarava entitled Graduation

while Sister Mary (Hughes) galvanizes the image in “sweet innocence” by sarcastically

stating “ But it’s nice to see young folks all dressed up going somewhere---maybe to a

party” (Hughes 69).

The image on page 69 (Graduation) is a landscape/portrait. While the image is

specific to the young girl dressed up in formal attire it is inseparable from the landscape.

Compositionally, there are three main points of interest: The young girl, The Chevrolet

advertisement billboard, and the street sweepers equipment. The secondary composition

is of the pile of trash, the graffiti on the wall (Princ(e?)), and a pile of building material
rubble. Additionally, the photograph is captured in natural light and the image is divided

diagonally by light and dark.

This distinct imagery surrounding the girl is unmistakable for what they are,

however; there is a lot of room for interpretation as to symbolically what they represent

and which may potentially contradict DeCarava’s benign meaning by not placing

emphasis or commenting on the surroundings. For example, the young girl is clearly

bathed in sunlight as she is descending to the right of the frame; the girl is three steps

away from entering the dark side of the photograph. On the light side, the young girl is

looking in the direction of the Chevrolet Bel Aire Advertisement and between her and the

ad is graffiti on the wall that reads Prince. The light side of the image illustrates potential

and dreams, attainable or not while the dark portion of the image is less positive and

contains trash and street sweepers pushcart. Is there a prince and is the pushcart her

chariot? These are symbols and metaphors that certainly can be read in many ways. Will

she be swept away by the Bel Aire? Yes if she see’s her local Chevy Dealership. Earlier

in the book Sister Mary refers to the fact that there are so many cars and the kids are just

crazy about them but her grandchild can’t afford one at this time. The obvious issue is

that a car is representative of status, especially if you can afford one.

Roy DeCavara titled this work Graduation which does have a positive

connotation towards the young girls accomplishments and that there is potential for a

bright future. DeCavara is in total control over the direction of the photography lighting,

composition and titling the work. His intention is to show everyday life in Harlem, more

specifically everyday life in Harlem in a warm and positive light. So the question is, if

there is substance to the symbolism and meaning of image content and DeCavara is in

control over his medium than is he trying to point out these symbols or is he desensitized
to the negative aspects that surrounded him. DeCarava was well aware of the conditions

he and other Blacks faced during this transitional period in Harlem. Hughes collaboration

with DeCarava altered this work by adding the commentary substance making it a unique

piece. Hughes brought to light an aspect that DeCarava chose not to specifically address

or make any commentary.

The strength of the photograph Graduation is in the honesty in which is was

depicted. Honest in that here is a fresh young lady dressed in full formal wear including

white gloves, and summarizes the entire conditions Blacks faced at that time. Where is

she going? Will she find her prince? Will she ever be able to afford that Chevrolet Bel

Aire? Inescapable questions of someone’s plight in life are asked in this single image. An

entire body of work that was innocent in its intention, yet powerful in their imagery. Roy

DeCavara created a work that received positive reviews and grew out of a fellowship

awarded to him for his force as an artist, specifically the first Black artist to receive the

award. The times were changing for civil rights and it was working in his favor for his

efforts. However, if it was not for his strength in allowing the body of work to be altered

by collaborating with Langston Hughes, DeCarava’s legacy might not have had the

longevity it provides in the piece Sweet Flypaper of Life has proven to be.

Works Cited

DeCarava, Roy and Langston Hughes. The Sweet Flypaper of Life. New York: Hill and
Wang, 1955.
Hughes, Langston. “Recent Books Reveal The Force Of Modern Photography”. Chicago
Defender 05 Sep, 1953.
J. D.. "THREE FINE SHOWS :Distinct Points of View Plus Craftsmanship. " New York
Times (1857-Current file) 16 May 1954,ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New
York Times (1851 - 2006), ProQuest. Web. 9 Aug. 2009.