The Modern Photographer: San Jose Museum of Art
Guest author Blake Shaw is a fine-art photographer and physician in San Diego, California (and I might add, a talented sports and bird shooter as well). He blogs at www.photoabcs.com.
Blake writes of his experiences in the San Jose Museum of Art.
90 Minutes In San Jose, by Blake Shaw
"After all these years, I am still motivated by the radiance that light creates when it transforms an object into something magical." Ruth Bernhard
I don't travel for work much now, but when I do, I make a point of visiting the local art museum.
I was in San Jose, California recently and had a few hours before my flight home. I called a cab and arrived at the San Jose Museum of Art 90 minutes before closing time, not knowing what to expect, but hopeful.
My hopes were exceeded by finding the exhibit The Modern Photographer: Observation and Intention. On display through July 3, 2011, this show is a gem. All of the photos are from the museum's permanent collection, and were chosen to "emphasize... the role of the photographer as an eloquent, purposeful observer and as a masterful editor of everyday experience."
"Modern" means modernist, from the first half of the 20th century. These were some of the golden years of photography.
The curator could not have done a more masterful job. Iconic images from Edward Steichen, Ruth Bernhard and Paul Strand were mixed with those from lesser known masters such as Wright Morris, and unknown (to me) consummate artists such as P.H. Polk, Jack Delano, and Ida Wyman.
Entering the hall, the first image one sees is Steichen's The Flatiron, New York. Having seen this iconic image in books and online countless times, I was unprepared for the richness of the print (a photogravure*), and its gorgeous, mysterious atmosphere. This is pictorialism at its painterly best, equal in its way to the Impressionist works which preceded it.
Edward Steichen
Another iconic image is Ruth Bernhard's In The Box. Having seen this nude image in books and imitated by others countless times, I always thought it was gimmicky and clichéd. In person, though, it is a fascinating photo. Its multiple interpretations resonate.
And just because an idea seems somewhat trite today doesn't mean it wasn't groundbreaking in its day. Just as groundbreaking and still fascinating are Bernhard's abstract pictures of ordinary objects. She transforms simple Life Saver candies into a three-dimensional architectural landscape, and a doorknob into a glittering diamond.
Ruth Bernhard
Other photographers from the pantheon of American photography represented here include Weegee, Ansel Adams (one image, not his best), Paul Strand, Andre Kertesz, and Walker Evans, to name only a few. Most of these images only improve on repeated (or first!) viewing.
Wright Morris (1910-1998) is a novelist and photographer who emerged on my radar earlier this year. His small volume The Home Place (1948) is an example of the photo-text, which depicted his uncle's farm in photos and narrative.
While his photo-texts were not big sellers, they capture the rural American Heartland which was disappearing even then, as it is now. Just as fellow Nebraskan Willa Cather captured life on the Great Plains in her novels, Morris captured it in his photos.
Morris is represented by only one photo in the exhibit, a simple shot of a Model-T Ford. Not much by itself, it only hints at the subtlety and grace of his vision. Combine it with the other photos in The Home Place, and it tells a tale of a vanishing America.
Wright Morris
The true find of this collection are the works of P.H. Polk, previously unknown to me.
Prentice Herman Polk (1898-1985) was the official photographer of the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama from 1939 to 1984. During this time he chronicled life on the campus, photographing notable visitors such as Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Joe Louis, as well as students, faculty, and local residents.
This show highlights his studio portraits. These portraits have a richness of tone and a genuineness of character that simply must be seen in person.
Prentice Herman Polk
After viewing the show, it is worth the time to browse through the library of photography books collected in a nearby alcove.
The most spectacular book is a collection of works by Ruth Bernhard, Gift of the Commonplace @AMAZON. Her gift for transforming ordinary objects into works of art is on full display in this gorgeous book.
If you are interested in the fine art of photography, and live anywhere near San Jose, (or plan to visit), you must not miss this collection of photographs. I have only touched on a few of this show's treasures.
Visit now, you will want to come back again before the show ends on July 3, 2011.
If you already know most of these photographers, they are worth another look, plus there will be images you have never seen. If you don't know most of these photographers, well, a new world awaits you.
*A photogravure is a print created by an etching process. A contact print is made onto a sheet of metal or copper dusted with resin and gelatin. In a number of steps the metal plate becomes etched and is then is used, with ink, to create richly toned prints.
Article above by guest author Blake Shaw.
