Harry Callahan
http://www.timeout.com/london/art/harry-callahan
http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/display/harry-callahan
I was advised to refer to the work of Callahan (1912-1999) during a tutorial, despite him being regarded as one of the most influential artists in post-war photography, i have found it difficult to find his work/information as he not well known to the UK, but what i have found i like, his mixture of imagery from rural and urban gives an interesting insight to life at the time. His style of imagery is unique and gives an insight into his familiar sights of America, from the towering building of Chicago and its urban inhabitants to grass and weeds in the snow. Callahan disregarded the limits of normal conventional landscape photography and gave equal focus to different perspectives and details. His work grouped together into three different individual themes 'Nature, Building and People' linking all three together through his imagery. Although Callahan lacked formal photographic training, his work demonstrates a prominent interest in line and composition which is strongly visible within his nature studies as well as cityscapes.
http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/display/harry-callahan
I was advised to refer to the work of Callahan (1912-1999) during a tutorial, despite him being regarded as one of the most influential artists in post-war photography, i have found it difficult to find his work/information as he not well known to the UK, but what i have found i like, his mixture of imagery from rural and urban gives an interesting insight to life at the time. His style of imagery is unique and gives an insight into his familiar sights of America, from the towering building of Chicago and its urban inhabitants to grass and weeds in the snow. Callahan disregarded the limits of normal conventional landscape photography and gave equal focus to different perspectives and details. His work grouped together into three different individual themes 'Nature, Building and People' linking all three together through his imagery. Although Callahan lacked formal photographic training, his work demonstrates a prominent interest in line and composition which is strongly visible within his nature studies as well as cityscapes.
The images above call out to me the most with their naturalistic approach representing wind patterns, growth and texture which is something i have to think about during my shoots. Callahan when he died left almost no written records, no diaries, letters, scrapbooks or teaching notes. His photographic method was to go out almost every morning/day and walk the city he lived in and take numerous pictures. He then spent almost every afternoon making proof prints of that day's negatives. Despite his constant photographic activity, Callahan would only produced no more than half a dozen final images a year (majorly anal or what).
He photographed his wife and daughter and the streets, scenes and buildings of cities where he lived, showing a strong sense of line and form, and light and darkness as well as within their own home. From 1948 to 1953 Eleanor, and sometimes his daughter Barbara too, were shown out in the landscape as a tiny counterpoint to large expanses of park, skyline or water through multiple exposures.
He tried several technical experiments - double and triple exposure, blurs, large and small format film. Callahan was one of the few innovators of modern American photography noted for his black and white imagery.