Ansel Adams work in Cleveland

[ic-racer]

Just saw the "Ansel Adams, A Legacy" show in Cleveland, OH (USA). I have been more interested in Adams lately, as I have been re-reading his books to see if I can pick up additional info, now that I am using a veiw camera after 30 years of roll-film photography.

Just some random comments about the technical presentation:

All prints were dry mounted with no white printing paper border. After seeing this, his chapers on 'mounting and presentation' make more sense. He talks about 'trimming' prints and he doesn't dwell on framing the prints on the enlarger easel with a 4-blade easel for 'cropping.'

The overlay mat on all prints was 8 ply cut to a bevel, and showing about one-quarter of an inch of mat board around the print. The mat and border were what I would call 'cream' color.

The prints were non-ferrotyped glossy paper, thought, it looked less glossy than current Ilford FB Glossy.

All frames were natural light finish wood (looked unfinished).

Some prints were darker than expected. For shure, lighting plays a big role in how light, or dark a print looks. Adams even discusses critique of prints with students using a light source on a Variac. So some of the prints may have been printed for display under more light. Also, these prints were not hand selected by Adams, they are from a collection. So an individual or institution has acquired them and they may not have the 'best' example of a particular print.

I was also able to get up close and see grain and loss of defintion in areas which made me realize he was only human and that his techncal expertise is 'within grasp' with the equipment I have available to use.

Having read "Making of 20 Photographs" I knew that one of his dune photographs was done on 6x6 medium format and cropped. On close scrutiny, the 16x20 enlargement had grain and definition simiar to a medium format enlargement that I (or anyone on this board) could produce. (of course his image content was extrordinary!)

Funny that when I see his photographs I tend to think of his comments in "The Making of 20 Photographs." For example, when I was looking at "Moonrise" I was thinking of how many foot-candle the moon would read. And when looking at the portrait of Weston under the big tree, I thougth of the zone of his bald forehead.

 

[Zach Abubeker]

Didnt he say he knew the moon was something like 250 cubic something or another degrees?

 

[George Collier]

I think what he said about the moon is that it is illuminated by the sun (he expressed it in technical illumination terms), so the proper exposure for the moon is always what you would use to expose under bright sun on earth. The remaining issue is how to accommodate the surrounding "earth foreground", usually by making the exposure at just the right time, which was his good fortune by coincidence with Moonrise Over Hernandez. At least this is what I remember from his story.

 

[jp80874]

Also, these prints were not hand selected by Adams, they are from a collection. So an individual or institution has acquired them and they may not have the 'best' example of a particular print..

I don't think Tom Hinson, curator of the exhibit, agrees with this statement. See Museum Press Release and the following:

Quote Recently at a Cleveland Friends of Photography meeting I asked Tom Hinson, Curator of Photography at The Cleveland Museum of Art and co-curator of this exhibit, how this exhibit would differ from the Ansel Adams exhibit just ending in Detroit. He said that the pictures shown in Detroit were photographs the Lane family had chosen for their personal collection. The photos on exhibit in Cleveland would be the ones Ansel Adams chose to give to the San Francisco FOP, as a representation of his life's work. Quote

See earlier thread
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

John Powers

 

[ic-racer]

I don't think Tom Hinson, curator of the exhibit, agrees with this statement. See Museum Press Release and the following:

Quote Recently at a Cleveland Friends of Photography meeting I asked Tom Hinson, Curator of Photography at The Cleveland Museum of Art and co-curator of this exhibit, how this exhibit would differ from the Ansel Adams exhibit just ending in Detroit. He said that the pictures shown in Detroit were photographs the Lane family had chosen for their personal collection. The photos on exhibit in Cleveland would be the ones Ansel Adams chose to give to the San Francisco FOP, as a representation of his life's work. Quote

See earlier thread
(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

John Powers

Over there in " Book, Magazine, Gallery Reviews & Shows", should have checked there first.

I guess the one that stands out as being a little dark is the 'golden gate before the bridge' but I'm just 'looking and learning.'

I need to check out the Cleveland Friends of Photogrpahy, when's the next meeting?

 

[jp80874]

I need to check out the Cleveland Friends of Photogrpahy, when's the next meeting?

Cleveland Friends of Photography is associated with the Cleveland Museum of Art. Membership, schedules and specifics are run by Tom Hinson's secretary
Martha Lattie. She can be reached at CMA during office hours.

As I understand it this summer's programs are open to the public and related to the Ansel Adams exhibit at Cleveland Institute of Art and the Icons of American Photography exhibit across the street at Cleveland Museum of Art. The most recent event was Alan Ross speaking on his experience as AA assistant for five years and AA as a person.

The next event, I am aware of, is a lecture August 8th, 6 PM, CMA Recital room, “Kindred Sprits American Painters and Photographers” by Mark Cole. This is followed August 22, with Tom Hinson, Curator of Photography, CMA Recital room, “Building a Collection”. The exact time will be posted in August, see Dead Link Removed
The museum’s events calendar a month at a time for details.

John Powers

 

[ic-racer]

Cleveland Friends of Photography is associated with the Cleveland Museum of Art. Membership, schedules and specifics are run by Tom Hinson's secretary
Martha Lattie. She can be reached at CMA during office hours.

As I understand it this summer's programs are open to the public and related to the Ansel Adams exhibit at Cleveland Institute of Art and the Icons of American Photography exhibit across the street at Cleveland Museum of Art. The most recent event was Alan Ross speaking on his experience as AA assistant for five years and AA as a person.

The next event, I am aware of, is a lecture August 8th, 6 PM, CMA Recital room, “Kindred Sprits American Painters and Photographers” by Mark Cole. This is followed August 22, with Tom Hinson, Curator of Photography, CMA Recital room, “Building a Collection”. The exact time will be posted in August, see Dead Link Removed
The museum’s events calendar a month at a time for details.

John Powers

Thanks, John. I was getting the Cleveland Friends of Photography confused with the Cleveland Photographic Society, I was on that site trying to find out about the Adams Exhibit. I should probably join both.