There is a spectacular show of over 100 photographs by Brett Weston which just opened this weekend at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, NH. "Brett Weston: Out of the Shadow" will be on display from October 10, 2009 January 3, 2010 and was organized by The Phillips Collection and the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Weston's superb black and white gelatin silver prints made mostly with a variety of view cameras showcase his genius for abstraction spanning six decades. I t would be a great get together for New England members of APUG.
I'm headed up to NH to photograph in a couple weeks and the Brett Weston show is scheduled for both the beginning and end of the trip. Did they have a catalog/book available to purchase?
That's a great review. In the show there is a card with paragraph or two about him destroying his negatives. My wife asked me why anyone would do something like that and I tried to answer as best as I could regarding the continuity of his vision and how he probably viewed his work all the way from the ground glass to the final version of the print. Mark Feeney put it much more eloquently that I did... I'll show her the article tomorrow. Bill, if you get a chance you won't be disappointed. The show is inspiring and a great opportunity to view a master's work.
Well, the darn place is not open Tuesdays but I stayed until Wednesday and it was worth it. As Feeney said, he's not his father, but he is some wicked printer. I've never seen/noticed such a discrepancy between what was on the wall and what was in the several books with printed versions of his work. His prints were amazing in detail, range of tones. Worth seeing, for sure. Inspiring.
-bill
I've never seen/noticed such a discrepancy between what was on the wall and what was in the several books with printed versions of his work. His prints were amazing in detail, range of tones. Worth seeing, for sure. Inspiring.
-bill
There is no substitute for viewing real prints by master printers. No books or reproductions are adequate substitutes. I always encourage anyone who aspires to serious printing to see as many actual prints as they can. Go to museums that have photography collections, go to shows such as this one. Travel if you have to. It's a worthwhile investment!
I just got back from this show. Well worth seeing if you are in the area. There were so many pictures it was hard to take them all in. I'll probably try and get back once more before it closes.