Bernd and Hilla Becher: Part II

Can you think of another famous photographer (other than Blossfeldt, the Bechers or Saunders) that creates photographs that could be considered a typology?

I think that photographer Ed Ruscha creates images that could be considered typologies. In images like these, he depicts multiples of a single subject: a gas station, a parking lot, a swimming pool. Like the renowned typologists above, Ruscha maintains a consistent composition in these photographs, lending a sense of cohesion so that we might view them as a unified set more easily. In his work, there are a few discrepancies, dissimilarites in the image that might distract the viewer from the whole. For example, in the last image, the lighting varies. For this reason, it is not the strongest example of a typology. I included it however, because it is my favorite of his. To me, it is evocative of a lost era; the black and white image, the deserted pumps suggest a sense of nostalgia. It seems to represent that idyllic Americana that we are so fond of recalling, one with drive-ins and soda fountains and Route 66; perhaps a not always truthful history, but a pleasant one.