New Orleans Film Festival 2009

Clarence John Laughlin: An Artist with a Camera chronicles the life of one of America's most significant and enigmatic visual artists. A philosopher, architectural preservationist and an early surrealist, his photography and writings documented the cultural and spiritual landscape of twentieth century America. Born into a religious family in Louisiana, his childhood was cut short forcing him to leave school. He turned away from the teachings of the church, and toward books, beginning a lifelong quest to find spiritual answers to the stark realities that surrounded him. But it was the gift of a camera that gave him the medium to express his vision. Laughlin’s photographs and accompanying writings revealed what he believed to be the effects of war and urbanization on the human condition. His approach was twofold: create works that question “reality” by exposing what lays beyond the “ordinary,” and encourage people to protect what is valuable from the past and use that as the foundation to build a better future. Laughlin was an irascible character, an under-recognized artist, and an artistic genius. He struggled against the prejudice that was directed towards Southern artists of his day, and was ostracized for using techniques that were not readily accepted by the dominating photographic hierarchy. His legacy is a remarkable body of work that is a testament to an artist who relentlessly drove himself to achieve his dreams. Today, his 17,000 master prints are considered to be one of the most important archives in American photography.