'Close Encounters: Irving Penn Portraits of Artists and Writers' at The Morgan Library and Museum in New York is the museum's first foray into modern photography. It happens to highlight one of my favorite photographers.
Acquired in 2007, thirty-five donated by the artist, they cross every decade of Penn's career. The first is from 1944 while the most recent, of Jasper Johns, is from 2006. The exhibit runs until April 13.
The Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., is having an Ansel Adams exhibit (Sun article) starting today. One of the first "stars" of mainstream art photography — it is impossible to throw a bottle of Dektol without hitting an Ansel Adams calendar or poster — he was also the first influence upon my fledgling career in high school. The vast, flawless vistas and crisp, magnetic prints easily reached out from the pages and brushed in my mind what makes a photograph. His photographs left a Rolodex in velvety black and pure white.
It is from Adams, through his books, that I learned photographs are made; individualistic creations visualized and executed by the photographer. His technical skills always formed jealousy within me, grabbing at my mind and saying "Why can't I do this? Why do I not understand?" But this same technical wizardry nearly blinded the Master from seeing the weakness in many of his own images. Editing was not Ansel Adams strong point, in my view. The commercialization of his work, riding high in the 1980s with books, calendars and posters, also weakened the grip Adams had upon me, and I bowed out of his hallowed darkroom and moved onto other idols to worship.
All conspicuous consumerism and frivolity aside, the Adams shelf of books in my case is still large, and added to only in extreme circumstances. The cramped space for the genius and his work remains in mind, dusty and faintly lit, but not forgotten.
Another exhibit, this one featuring Annie Leibovitz and also at the Corcoran, starts October 13. (Also an influence, but not in the same way.) Both run into January. Hopefully I will have reviews of the exhibits at some point in the future.
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