Meg Holt ART 333 Prof. Caldwell 5 May 2013 Artist Mentor When I first approached the cognitive process for my own personal photobook, I was initially intimidated by how much space I had been provided for exploring. As an artist, I sometimes struggle with condensing my ideas into a clear, concrete concept because I find myself feeling compelled to incorporate as much meaning as possible. While exploring various photobooks for inspiration, I stumbled upon the 1973 November issue of Camera, a catalog dedicated to showcasing the works of various photographers, as well as, their biographies. As I flipped through the catalog, I noticed that particular images were bookmarked. The images were composed of beautiful full bleeds of rocks and trees amongst foliage. Being a curious individual, I searched through the catalog to find that Dick Arentz and Warren Krupsaw were the true owners of these works. While reading through their brief backgrounds in photography, I noticed that Arentz was influenced by the work and writings of Edward Weston. I felt as though researching the true influential source of these images was the most beneficial way of exploring various concepts and designs. Edward Weston (1886-1958) was an itinerant photographer from Highland Park, Illinois who spent most of his life in California (“Edward,” 1). Prior to receiving formal training at the Illinois College of Photography in Effingham, Illinois, Weston’s work consisted of children, pets, and funerals (1). After graduating from Illinois in half
the necessary amount of time, Weston returned to California, where he established an international reputation for his high key portraits (1). Later in 1922, Weston visited the ARMCO Steele Plant in Middletown, Ohio, which marked the turning point in his career; he renounced his Pictorialism style with new emphasis on abstract form and sharper resolution of detail (1). Weston’s switch from Pictorialism to greater abstraction, especially in regards to natural forms and landscapes, is what enticed my interests in his work. Weston once said, “Self expression is an illusion in which the artist imagines that he can conceive of and create nonexistent forms. On the contrary, the most ‘abstract’ art is derived from forms in nature…The most abstract line or form is based of necessity on actuality— derived from nature, even as God is pictured a glorified man,” (Weston, 120). My particular interests in his capturing of natural forms is especially apparent in both his Pre-Guggenheim period (1927-1937) where he traveled to Point Lobos, California to photograph rocks, trees, and water, in addition to his Guggenheim period (1937-1939) where he traveled to both Oceano and Aspen Valley, California to photograph dunes and trees/landscapes. His abstraction manifests through his focus on moments of extreme detail. His assistant and second wife, Charis Wilson, once stated, “When I first knew Edward, I used to experience a shock of nonrecognition whenever I saw ‘the original’ of a Weston photograph. At Oceano I looked for those mountains of pure white sand laced with sharp patterns of intense black shadow, and found only drab tan sandhills. The dramatic stone monuments at Point Lobos often turned out to be such insignificant bits of rock that even Edward had difficulty finding them again…It seemed to me that I was being hoodwinked by a master illusionist. Then, as I continued to follow the process from the sighting of the photographic quarry to its being served up in a print, my beholding eye became conditioned, and I began to see things Edward’s way: the dunes became dramatic for me, the small rocks heroic, and the people as handsome as their
portraits,� (166).
I fell in love with the lines and shapes that he saw and felt compelled enough to capture and show to the rest of the world. Whether they are extreme close-ups of rocks and tree bark, or the way lines are formed in dunes or by trees in a skyline, Weston creates a dialogue between his environment and his self. I found that we share an affinity for documenting the natural beauty of our surroundings, as well as, for abstracting what we know. The more I narrowed down the essential factors necessary to convey my vision for my photobook, the more I realized that I have an equal appreciation for specific spaces and the details found within these spaces. The overall concept of my photobook is just this: I want to incorporate landscape images that evoke the feelings that I have for particular spaces, in addition to, more detailed, shallower depth shots of the beautiful moments found within these spaces. Moreover, I wanted to play with the idea of abstracting the more detailed shots in order to reveal a greater beauty behind each image. That is why I decided to create symmetrical spreads from the detailed images. If a brief moment does not catch the viewer’s eye, he or she will miss it. By creating a more stimulating overall image from the duplicating, and flipping images, the viewer is more likely to explore the interesting lines and shapes that I initially spotted. Ultimately, Edward Weston’s work was a beautiful reference to have while exploring the possibilities for my photobook. His attention to detail, to natural lines and forms, and to abstraction bode well with my constantly shifting and growing ideas. I am excited to present my photobook, and I hope that everyone enjoys.
Works Cited Camera. 52.11 (1973): 24-32. Print “Edward Weston Biography.” Edward-Weston.com. Cole Weston, 2013. 5 May 2013. Weston, Edward and Ben Maddow. Edward Weston: Fifty Years. New York: Aperature, Inc., 1973. Print.