Tulsa By Larry Clark

Larry Clark - Tulsa   


Tulsa is a collection of black-and-white photographs by Larry Clark of the life of young people in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Its publication in 1971 "caused a sensation within the photographic community", leading to a new interest in autobiographical work. Later better known for directing the movie Kids, Clark was a Tulsa native and a drug addict during the period (1963–1971) when he took the photographs.

Tulsa, Clark's first book, was published in 1971 by Lustrum Press, owned by Ralph Gibson. It has been claimed that thanks to Gene Pitney's 1960 song "Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa", Tulsa then represented "young love and family values"; Clark's book challenged this with scenes of young people having sex, shooting up drugs, and playing with guns.

Clark has said that he "didn't take these photographs as a voyeur, but as a participant in the phenomenon", and commentary on the book has emphasized how Clark did not just live with the teenagers portrayed but "did drugs with them, slept with them, and included himself in the photographs"; this conferred an authenticity on the work, which brought it great praise.

Criticism of Tulsa has not been limited to a visceral rejection of images of drug taking, casual sex, and gunplay; Martin Parr and Gerry Badger say that the "incessant focus [of Tulsa and Clark's 1983 book Teenage Lust] on the sleazy aspect of the lives portrayed, to the exclusion of almost anything else — whether photographed from the 'inside' or not — raises concerns about exploitation and drawing the viewer into a prurient, voyeuristic relationship with the work."

This picture shows a female who is heavily pregnant sitting on a chair in an empty looking room injecting herself with drugs. The light from the window shines directly onto her arm which draws attention to her arm. The focal point of the picture is the women injecting herself. I think the photograph was taken in the 1970's.



 This picture shows a male who is lying on a bed smoking while he has a child maybe his lying by the side of him. The child only looks a couple of months old. One half of the picture is lighter than the other side so there could be a window on left side. I think the focal point is the baby lying down on the man while he smokes. I think the photograph was taken in the 1970's like the other photo.










 This picture shows two girls who look like they are about 9 in a tiny pool. One of the girls is sitting down and chilling while the other one is stood up smoking. The picture was taken outside as you can see the grass and trees behind them. I think the focal point of the picture would be the girl in the pool smoking. I think the photograph was taken in the 1970's.