A Beautiful World | Part III: Michael Kenna

PETER FETTERMAN

THE POWER OF NATURE

The power of photography lies in its ability to ignite emotions across barriers of language and culture. This selection of 120 unique and heartening photographs from the 20th century, compiled by pioneering collector and gallerist Peter Fetterman, offers an inspiring overview of the medium while paying homage to masters of the art, from the bizarre Boschian fantasies of Melvin Sokolsky to the haunting humanity of Ansel Adams’s family portraits, from Miho Kajioka’s interpretation of traditional Japanese aesthetics to the joyful everyday scenes of Evelyn Hofer; each photograph speaks of tranquillity, peace, and hope for the future. The Power of Photography by Peter Fetterman is available through the Peter Fetterman Gallery as well as through all good bookshops, worldwide. ISBN: 978-178884-122-1

The Power of Nature: A Beautiful World January 14th – April 1st 2023

PART II: MICHAEL KENNA

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Photographers like Michael are an endangered species. They revel in the intricacies of the classic, old fashioned analogue darkroom. No digital tricks. Each print he makes is a slow, meticulous process of deep though and application. Patience and a slow pace are givens.But the results are painstakingly beautiful.

Michael Kenna

Cherry Blossoms, Nara, Honshu, 2002 (2019) Signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil

Gelatin Silver Print Image - 8” x 8”, Matted - 16” x 20” Edition 10 of 45 (MK22-08)

“I find the time in the dark room to be fascinating and inspiring. It forms and enriches the way that I see and therefore photograph”

~ Michael Kenna

Michael started out in life with a desire to study for the priesthood. He changed directions but you can see from these words that he has approached his craft as an equally special calling. He modestly uses the word luck. But one can get lucky perhaps once or twice with an image but it is much more than luck at play to have produced the extensive body of work he has produced over all the continents for so many decades. I would instead call it a rare god given talent and a work ethic that matches his passion to create and share with us such exquisite beauty.

Michael Kenna

Autumn Leaves, Unpenji, Shikoku, 2003 (Printed 2004) Signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil Gelatin Silver Print

Image - 8” x 8”, Matted - 16” x 20” Edition 21 of 45 (MK18-77)

“There are moments when things come together, condition, place subject matter, inner connections, moments that are singular and special. It is a privilege to be present at such times and to have the possibility to integrate into the scene and subjectively interpret. It is an experience that defies description, at least from me. I think it is a wonderful way to go through life and I am a very lucky person to have found this path”

~ Michael Kenna

I have known my friend, Michael Kenna, for over 40 years now. I think we both came over on the same banana boat steerage from the UK. I have watched his career progress from being Master Printer for our mutual friend, Ruth Bernhard, to a major artist in his own right. He has never lost his humility, grace and curiosity and his technical prowess and talent just gets stronger.This brand new image just seems so appropriate for our current times. May the gentle mists roll over us and bring us peace.

Michael Kenna

Morning Mists, Pyin U Lwin, 2019

Signed, dated and numbered in pencil on mount recto. Signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil on mount verso with artist’s copyright stamp

Gelatin silver print

Image 8” x 8”, Matted 20” x 16” Edition 17 of 25

“I try not to make conscious decisions about what I am looking for. I don’t make elaborate preparation before I go to a location.Essentially I walk, explore, discover and photograph.“

~ Michael Kenna

~ Michael Kenna

Yes looking at a great Michael Kenna photograph like this one is definitely therapeutic and calming and hopeful especially in the times we are all living in.

Michael Kenna

Frosty Morning, Onuma Lake, Hokkaido, Japan, 2004 (Printed 2006)

Signed, titled, dated, numbered, stamped by artist Gelatin Silver Print Image Dimensions: 8 x 8 inches

Matted Dimensions: 16 x 20 inches

Edition 15 of 45 (MK18-72)

“Getting photographs is not the most important thing. For me it’s the act of photography... It’s enlightening, therapeutic and satisfying because the very process forces me to connect with the world. When you make four hour exposures in the middle of the night you inevitably slow down and begin to observe and appreciate more what’s going on around you.”

~ Michael Kenna

Japan, for anyone who has the opportunity to visit, has a special spirit. Michael is in deep conversation with the land. His images are comforting and a word I’m not afraid to use about them “romantic”. I feel better when I look at his photographs. I’m calmer, happier. His images are a place to lose oneself in, away from the noise of contemporary life.”

Michael Kenna

Tree Portrait, Study 6, Wakoto, Hokkaido, 2005; Printed 2014 Signed, dated, & numbered in pencil on recto; Titled, dated, numbered, & signed in pencil with artist’s copyright stamp on verso Sepia-toned gelatin silver print 8 1/2 x 7 3/4 inches

Edition 21 of 45 (MK15-28)

“For me Hokkaido is a paradise on earth, a constantly transforming visual haiku. The starkness of its winters accentuates an awareness of the elements and one’s immediate environment... The reduction of sensory distractions - leafless tress, absence of color and eerie silence - all encourage a more concentrated and pure focus on the landscape.”

Michael Kenna

Kussharo Lake Tree, Study 5, Kotan, Hokkaido, Japan, 2007 Signed, dated and numbered on recto. Stamped, titled, dated on verso. Gelatin Silver Print Image - 8”x8”, Mount/Mat - 16”x20” Edition 32/45

(MK20-6)

Michael Kenna

Kurosawa’s Trees, Study 1, Memanbetsu, Hokkaido, Japan, 2004

Signed, numbered and dated in pencil on recto; Signed, titled, and dated with artist’s copyright stamp on verso Gelatin Silver Print

7 3/4 x 8 1/8 inches Edition #27/45 (MK21-01)

Michael approaches the world with a zen simplicity armed only with a poet’s sensibility and heart.

Michael Kenna

Alley of Trees, Damyang, Jeollanamdo, 2012

Signed, dated and numbered in pencil on mount recto.

Signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil on mount verso with artist’s copyright stamp

Gelatin silver print

Image 8” x 8”, Matted 20” x 16” Edition 17 of 45 (MK22-43)

“Nothing is ever the same twice because everything is always gone forever and yet each moment has infinite photographic possibilities.“

~ Michael Kenna

All of Michael’s most preferred elements are to be found in this sublime image.It is also a great example of his technical, analogue prowess. A master print maker of which he is an endangered species.

Michael Kenna

Ailanthus Tree and Yangze River, Study 1, Nantong, Jiangsu, 2015 (Printed 2016) Signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil

Gelatin Silver Print Image - 8” x 8”, Matted - 16” x 20” Edition 5 of 25 (MK18-111)

“I generally prefer suggestion over description, black and white over color and Winter over Summer.”

~ Michael Kenna

Michael Kenna

Mountain Tree, Study 1, Danyang, Chungcheonbukdo, 2011

Signed, dated and numbered in pencil on mount recto.

Signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil on mount verso with artist’s copyright stamp

Gelatin silver print

Image 8” x 8”, Matted 20” x 16” Edition 18 of 45

“The first thing I do in landscape photography is go out there and talk to the land - form a relationship, ask permission.”

~ Michael Kenna

Michael Kenna

Stone Pine Tunnel, Pineto, Abruzzo, 2007 (Printed 2017) Signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil Gelatin Silver Print

Image - 16” x 16”, Matted - 22” x 24”

Edition 1 of 4

Michael Kenna’s photographs from Japan are among some of his strongest. Kenna knows no limits with his subject matter, yet his approach to photographing has always been a Zen-like, holistic process of connecting to the world around him. Using minimalism and long camera exposures, he captures the passing of time within a single image, creating very surreal, haunting and “dream-like” scenes of nature. I’ve always felt that a photographer’s lasting importance is directly tied to the influence on other photographers created by their work. Michael Kenna’s vision has been surprisingly consistent for nearly five decades. Not only has his work influenced thousands of photographers, but also the indistinguishable “look” to his photographs can even be found mimicked with Instagram filters and digital camera pre-set styles. His work has often been imitated, yet that does not diminish the lasting importance of his photographs. Kenna remains one step ahead with his unique vision and continues to be one of the most prolific photographers working today.Bravo Michael.

Michael Kenna

Kussharo Lake Tree, Study 8, Kotan, Hokkaido, 2008 (Printed 2018) Signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil Gelatin Silver Print Image - 8” x 8”, Matted - 16” x 20” Edition 18 of 25 (MK18-108)

“During long exposures, the world changes. Rivers flow, planes fly by, clouds pass and the Earth’s position relative to the stars is different. This accumulation of light, time and movement, impossible for the human eye to take in, can be recorded on film. Real becomes surreal, which is wonderful.”

~ Michael Kenna

Michael Kenna

Huangshan Mountains, Study 18, Anhui, China, 2009 (Printed 2010) Signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil Gelatin Silver Print Image - 8” x 8”, Matted - 16” x 20” Edition #10/45 (131199)

Born in London, Peter Fetterman has been deeply involved in the medium of photography for over 40 years. Initially a filmmaker and collector, he set up his first gallery over 30 years ago in 1988. He was one of the pioneer tenants of Bergamot Station, the Santa Monica Center of the Arts when it first opened in 1994.

The gallery has one of the largest inventories of classic 20th Century photography in the country particularly in humanist photography.

Diverse holdings include work by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Sebastião Salgado, Steve McCurry, Ansel Adams, Paul Caponigro, Willy Ronis, André Kertesz, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Lillian Bassman, Pentti Sammallahti, Sarah Moon and Jeffrey Conley.

Peter and his colleagues are committed to promoting the awareness and appreciation of the most powerful of the mediums in an intimate, user-friendly salon environment.

All images are © The Artist or their Estate, courtesy of Peter Fetterman Gallery, and may not be reproduced without express permission. All rights reserved.