ABSTRACT
The unposed and unvarnished nature of the Candid Portrait means that it was often - and continues to be - lauded for its perceived 'authenticity'. Historically, its creators have also been accused of being voyeuristic or judgmental. The Candid Portrait was at the heart of the new documentary photography that flourished from the 1950s, one of the key proponents of which was Diane Arbus. Inspired by Weegee and her tutor Model, Arbus's candour lay in her exceptionally forthright style, but unlike them she always gained her subjects' permission. The Candid Portrait remains one of the most fertile categories of photography today, an ever-evolving form of anthropological study that reflects society's changing attitudes towards documenting itself. Bruce Gilden has been known since the 1960s for his disarmingly close-up street photography, and in 2013 began making unrelentingly harsh colour street portraits whose grotesqueness is a response to social media posturing.
