Giselle Ortega

2nd period
Aaron Siskind
Birth Information
Aaron Siskind was born on December 4, 1903 in New York, New York. His
parents were Russian Immigrants and he had 5 siblings.
Why is this person important?
The abstract work for which Siskind became best known developed from
his attempt to express his own states of mind in photography rather simply to
record subject matter.
Important Event #1
In 1929 he was given his first camera as a honeymoon gift after he got
married and he soon after became dedicated to the medium.
Important Event #2
In the early 1940’s Siskind left the photo league and became familiar with
the New York school of abstract expressionism and was close to many of its
members including Motherwel. Guided by the philosophy of abstract expression
Siskind began photographing discarded objects as abstract compositions.
His accomplishments
In 1945 Siskind published the drama of objects. In 1947 he exhibited
regularly with the prominent gallerist Charles Egan. He taught photography at the
institute of design for 20 years. In 1951 Siskind joined the faculty of institute of
design in Chicago. In 1961 he took over as head of the photography program. In
1971 he joined the Rhode Island school of design.
Personal Information
He loved poetry and music apart from photography. He thought he was
going to be a writer. He was Russian Jewish. He was referred to as Father of
modern photography. It was believed that he died of a stroke. He had 1 daughter,
2 sisters, and 2 grandchildren. He died in Providence, Rhode Island on February
11, 1991.