Tina Modotti was born in Italy in 1896 and immigrated to the United States when she was 16.  As a young adult, she took part in many different films and was also a model.  In 1920, she met Edward Weston, a photographer who became her mentor and later her lover.  Edward Weston had a monumental influence on Modotti as a photographer.  By 1923, Modotti and Weston moved to Mexico City together.  Modotti got the idea to take photos of the social landscape here because Mexico City became a cosmopolitan center during the interwar years.  This also drove Modotti and Weston to open their own portrait studio.

Tina Modotti made it her mission to capture interesting sights in Mexico as well as its people.  Tina Modotti’s work is very interesting to look at because she made ordinary objects look abstract.  An example of Modotti using the landscape to create an abstract image is Telephone Wires.  This photo is extremely entertaining to look at because the telephone wires look as thin as floss against the cloudy sky.  The wires do not resemble telephone wires today.  Nowadays, telephone wires look thick and bulky if you view them directly above your head.  The texture of the clouds are highlighted in this photo against the pale sky.

Another example of an abstract image by Tina Modotti is Staircase.  The title of this photo is exactly what the image is, a picture of a staircase, however, the image captures more than that.  The shadows on the staircase show depth.  This image reminds me of the saying, “there is light at the end of the tunnel” because the front of the staircase is dark and it looks like when you walk down the staircase, it gets lighter.  The saying, “light at the end of tunnel” means that although things may seem difficult right now, things will get better and you will be able to find the light.

Modotti was very interested and concerned with the social climate in Mexico.  A photo that highlights her anxiety about the treatment of workers is her photo Worker’s Hands.  The photo shows a person’s hand resting on the handle of a shovel.  The workers hands look dry and cracked and the shovel looks worn and rusted.  This photo shows that maybe the worker was overworked.  I believe Modotti left the worker’s face out of the photo to let the worker still have their dignity without being embarrassed. Another example of an image of the social injustices in Mexico is Mella’s Typewriter.  This photo was special to Modotti because she knew Julio Antonio Mella.  He was a Cuban revolutionary and a hero among the people of Latin America.  Mella was assassinated while walking home with Modotti.  He used his typewriter to document his beliefs.  He was a supporter of communism and he attended may demonstrations to support the cause.  Modotti was also a supporter of communism.  After her adventures in Mexico, she eventually settled in Moscow where she joined the Soviet Communist Party.  In 1931, Modotti ended her photography career to focus on her political work.  She died in 1942 from congestive heart failure.  Her work was very well rounded.  Her abstract images showed us how to appreciate the small things in life and her social injustice images showed her appreciation for the Mexican working class.