Why not Cole Weston?

mark · Jan 22, 2008

I was lucky enough to see Cole Weston's final portfolio at the photo printers, when they were printing it. I have always considered him one of my personal favorites, not tat that means much but his color images are beautiful.

You hear about his brother, his father and his son but not him. It is as if his work printing his father's stuff eclipsed his own work.

Is it the fact that he is a Weston and used color that turned people's heads away or was he lost in his father's shadow because he continued to print his father's negatives.

He just seems to be the forgotten Weston.

jovo · Jan 22, 2008

I'm not sure he's been forgotten, but he has certainly been eclipsed. Perhaps his color work has been an obstacle....he uses much less saturation than more "popular" color photographers which makes his work a bit more subtle. In fact, looking just now at his monograph Cole Weston, At Home and Abroad I have the feeling that a lot of the 'graphs therein would have worked equally well in black and white. I also wonder if his consummate passion for acting and sailing mitigated against a more aggressive career as a photographer in his own right as I suppose the bulk of his living came from printing his father's work. In any case, he's certainly not been forgotten by me. I really like what I've seen of his stuff (albeit in books rather than "live".)

Robert Brummitt · Jan 22, 2008

Being a color photographer myself, I would agree with you that Cole has been passed over and its a shame. His work along the California coast line has always been a source of inspiration to me. When I need a jolt from Black and white photography, I pull out my Elliot Porter and Cole Weston books then I get my cameras and go out and photograph. I also cruise over Charles Cramer's website.

Wayne · Jan 22, 2008

Cole is one of my favorite color photographers, and I'm a primarily color photographer. Kim's photography doesnt do much for me. Cole certainly eclipses Kim IMO.

Wayne

Renato Tonelli · Jan 22, 2008

He hasn't been forgotten by me either. Famous Father: Son comparisons are inherently unfair and burdensome. I do think his work is superb.

Merg Ross · Jan 26, 2008

Some good points have been made. I grew up around the Westons (Edward, Brett and Cole) and Cole lacked the dedication to his work that his father and brother had. He became the family spokesman and promoter of his father's work and thereby deprived himself of time he could have spent on his work. He not only printed from the EW negatives but also toured the world giving lectures on his father.

Brett, on the other hand, was totally dedicated to his work. It came first in his life, and nothing stood in the way of his creativity.

This is not to suggest that Cole did not produce some splendid work. In my opinion, he did.

http://mergross.com/

lee · Jan 26, 2008

I have two Edward Weston prints that Cole printed and they are of excellent quality.

lee\c

Joe Lipka · Jan 27, 2008

One of the first photographs I purchased was a Cole Weston, 16 x 20 dye transfer print of Bristlecone Pines. Still a beautiful photograph over thirty years later.

I heard that one of the reasons that Cole was held in disdain was that the "art" photographers thought that he made overblown calendar art photographs.

rcoda · Jan 27, 2008

I have two EW/CW prints, and two Brett prints. But I have to say, my favorite (print I have) is the Cole image of his father on the rock at Pt. Lobos.

mark · Jan 28, 2008

Interesting Joe. By Calendar Art are you saying color? If so I guess I can understand, somewhat, but that seems to be the view of many toward color photography even now. It is too bad.

Robert Brummitt · Jan 28, 2008

Color=calendar/poster art

I would agree that color is sometimes regarded by the "Art" community as calendar art and black and white is the truer art. But, I find the buying public still approves of color with their wallets. In my home I support both.
What I have found is that color prints have to be big and large to make an impact. Poster size. I don't agree with this but this is what I found from other photographers. BW can come in all sizes. I had one gallery person tell me this, "Color needs to be large to sell. The larger the better". I disagree and have always made my color prints small and intimate. My prints come in size from 4x5 to 11x14. I rather have someone hold my print close then have to see it from a hallway away. But I diverse.
Cole was making a place for himself on two fronts. First, being the son and brother of two great photographers and second being the only color photographer amid all the rest of the Monterey/West coast photographers. Most if not all doing black and white photography. Talking about being the only port in a storm. I guess Cole had Eliott Porter to look to. But not many others. Today we have many more but Cole was a quiet leader in the field of color photography.

Jim Noel · Jan 28, 2008

Cole was dedicated to his work, but even more so to the legacy of his father. He idolized Edward. He told me once that he moved to color in an effort to not be constantly compared with his father or brother. He was an extremely competent B&W photographer and I have a couple of his prints to prove that point.

Merg Ross · Jan 28, 2008

Exactly my point above. The only time that I exhibited with him, his prints were black and white. Later, he concentrated on photgraohing in color. He was an excellent printer, of his own work and of his father's.

Why not Cole Weston?

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