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Peter's Picks of the Month
photoPLAY & SCAPES
April 22 - May 17, 2009
Peter Marr picked his favorite
photos of the show
All images copyright by the individual photographers
Garden Apartment
by
As an outstanding academician, with a
lifetime love of art and its creation, David has used his
artistic, engineering and scientific talents to produce
outstanding photographs in a variety of media experiences. Here,
as exemplified by the title to his exhibition, he shows us his
great sense of humor, his playfulness, his tongue in the cheek
photographic display, which is so unusual, yet so refreshing in
an outstanding photographer like his is. Make no mistake, behind
this “poking fun” at the august photographic image is a very
innovative master of many media, especially that of the digital
and computer genre. Although David has tickled us with many of
his prints in this show, he has cleverly added a few pieces that
are outside of the fun category as evidenced by two superb
portraits (“Jamie” and “Scottish Woman”) and some very
large excellent architectural studies of NYC taken from Brooklyn
Hts. Among my favorite images in the fun and thought-provoking
category, are the three-dimensional assemblies of the antique
bicycle additions to “City Bicycle” and “A Ride in
the Country”, the clever addition of the tap to the “Croton
Spillway”, and of course the eye-catching image “In praise
of Wegman’s premium cat food”. There are of course other
“augmentation” images, all cleverly done, all for the viewer to
both marvel at and have fun with, just as David has done. With
such a large variety of superb and imaginative images and
3-dimensional representations, it was just not possible for me
to comment on just one image as I usually do. If I were to
mention just one fascinating image (and I am, of course) that is
both intriguingly beautiful and memorable, it would be “Garden
Apartment”, the fun-folded digital print. The peony bloom
and the slice of the apartment building blend beautifully
together as ones eyes move around the assembly, both in color
and form, but what is equally remarkable, is that these two
separate subjects were prior sliced and constructed in the
computer. This whole exhibition is a great tribute to David’s
consummate skills as a photographer, as an engineer, and as an
innovator, whose artistic talents have given us a truly awesome
show, one to both laugh and marvel at.
Gil’s fascinating
exhibition of SCAPES are original images frozen in time at
the moment of exposure, which are then artistically manipulated
later, to reflect an inner vision of what he saw, personalizing each
scene with his perception of each unique moment. I have chosen “Venetian
Clouds” to comment on, because it presents a timeless image,
varying very little over centuries, except for changes in
architectural facades, yet it is a scene that could change
drastically, even in this century. The author has cleverly used high
contrast and stark colors to add a clear sense of foreboding, as the
storm clouds gather, and the dark ribbon of water menacingly laps at
the ancient structures. This is not the
#502
Break We indeed have come “Full Circle” with Daniel’s
excellent exhibition of photo-realism prints, in which he has very
successfully combined the artistry, definition and realism of the
photographic media, with the creativeness, expressive style and
brushstrokes of the painter, all beautifully presented on canvas. If
you closely examine the prints in the East Gallery, it would be easy
to conclude that they are oil paintings, but step back from them and
you could certainly believe that you were looking at photographs. It
is a great tribute to Daniel that his artistic vision both as a
photographer and a “media technician” has resulted in outstanding
images that can stand alone as either photographs or paintings.
Photo-realism I think works exceptionally in the portraiture genre,
none better than in “#502 Break”. This is truly an outstanding
photographic portrait of a spontaneous decisive moment, that on
viewing close-up you would have no doubt that it was the work of a
great modern artist, who has put on canvas an oil-painting of
considerable merit. Whether one wants to believe that the subject
was painted or photographed is not important, for the portrait
stands by itself as a telling, dramatically-strong image that is
superb in either of these two media. The fascinating pose, the
strength of the hands and arms, the penetrating gaze of the subject,
the casual clothing and dreadlocks, the strong thrust of the corner
table, all combine to show us a revealing image of power and menace,
but also of warmth, strength and deep feeling. This is a truly
outstanding portrait, that photo-realism helps lift the image from
the excellent into the truly exceptional category. Beautiful work,
Daniel.
Round Pond John’s beautiful panel of prints enlighten us by showing
how one can transport a seemingly unnotable landscape or scene, into something
magical, by using nature’s extraordinary palette of atmospheric effects. These
“effects”, whether they be mist, fog, snow or early morning light, just to name
a few, are in almost all cases, transient, precious moments in time, which John
has used most admirably in his lovely images. In “Round Pond”, a small sliver of
undistinguished shoreline becomes an exquisite backdrop to an entrancing moment
of nature, due to the presence of an early morning mist. We experience a
softness and delicacy, of peace and of solitude, in which the ordinarily stark
dead trees are quieted by their soft reflections in the rippleless water. As the
rich warm colors of the shoreline’s small trees and grasses fade into the
ghost-like receding horizon, you are gently brought back into the scene by the
presence of a Canada Goose, motionless, on the surface of the pond. Although we
know that we are looking at a fleeting moment in nature’s ever-changing
wonderland, and we also realize that shortly, the sun and wind will destroy this
enigmatic scene, we at least have this majestical image to look at, and admire
for all time. Thank you John, for giving us this serene and lovely print, which
has captured a magical moment for all of us to enjoy. Break Time In his own words, Ron loves “the
beautiful and whimsical side of nature”, and his enchanting image of a frog as
seen in “Break Time” certainly exemplifies this statement. In its own right
though, this picture is also a superb nature shot, brilliantly seen and
photographed. The powerful thrust of the frog’s head above the water is truly
dramatic. The image is further enhanced by the striking green color of the
amphibian’s head against the pale pastel coloration of the water. The frog’s
black bulging eyes, outlined with a thin yellow line, and the distinctive spots
on the skin surface all contribute to enlighten this dramatic image. What really
makes this picture so outstanding is what we also see under the surface of the
calm water. This water is translucent enough so that we can clearly see most of
the frog’s body, especially the legs, which are spread out so that the strong,
long, webbed hind feet are clearly visible. It is as though the frog is posing
for a portrait, and the photographer has truly caught the decisive moment.
Underwater, the amphibian’s body is seen in a delicate pastel color, with
impressive spots and markings on the skin surface, all of which add to the
photogenic qualities of the picture when coupled with the dark green head above
the water. The artistry of the image is further enhanced by the collection of
dead grasses and reeds on the water’s surface at the right hand side, showing us
part of the natural habitat. One can certainly envisage a ghostly, powerful
shape, spread out for view to all above, coupled with a dynamic brightly colored
head that would put fear into any passing flying insect who would have the
courage to investigate further. This is certainly a great nature shot of a
beautiful creature whose numbers are unfortunately rapidly declining due to
global fungal diseases. | ||||||||||||
Image City Photography Gallery ♦ 722 University Avenue ♦ Rochester, NY 14607 ♦ 585.271.2540 In the heart of ARTWalk in the Neighborhood of the Arts |