Gordon Parks was a self tight photography, he took great photos that had such a a powerful meaning behind them. His photography focus was on race relations, poverty, civil rights and urban life from early 1940s into to the 2000s. Gordon Parks saw at point he had to have a camera because it could not be weapon against racism, poverty and sorts of social wrongs. He was not just a photographer but a fiction/non fiction writer, music composer, painter and filmmaker, he became the first African-American to write/direct a major Hollywood film in 1969. The work that stood out the most from his is the “American Gothic” photo he took in 1942. In the photo an African American woman named Ella Watson who worked as a cleaning lady for the FSA where Parks worked at. He explored her community which wasn’t in a good shape and continued to take photos. In the photo we see Ella Watson standing behind an American that is hung down from the wall, she stands holding a broomstick in her right hand and a mop leaning against the wall. Her gaze is somewhere else. The photo symbolizes the accusation of the treatment of African Americans focusing the attention on racism and discrimination in this free land. Parks photo was a reference to Grant Wood’s iconic painting (American Gothic 1930) which is a middle aged couple standing in front of their gothic style hole while the man is holding a pitchfork in his right hand.
