Oregon's Cultural Landscape: Selected Portraits * Oregon ArtsWatch

"John Szarkowski, the legendary director, curator, and poohbah-emeritus at New York's Museum of Modern Art, noted in Looking at Photographs (his survey of the museum's extensive collection) that "of the countless thousands of daguerreotypes that survive, not one in a hundred shows a building or a waterfall or a street scene." What they do show is "an endless parade of ancestors.""

"Most of the portraits collected here are from series that originally appeared in Oregon ArtsWatch - a parade not of ancestors, but of the talented, dedicated, and creative people who have made significant contributions to the art, character, and culture of this state; people whose work and various legacies are destined to be part of Oregon's cultural history. They were shot over a period of eight years - from 2015 to 2023."

"The visual approach to these portraits is varied. Many were done with available light in situ - that is, in the subject's natural habitat. The majority, however, were done using a single strobe and a small backdrop. Environmental details were kept to a minimum. The subjects had the frame to themselves and did not compete with context for attention. This provided for a simpler, blunter, more intense encounter with character. It is character that animates the image."

Photography began as portraiture, and the daguerreotype made portraits affordable and widely available. Countless daguerreotypes preserve people rather than buildings or landscapes, forming an "endless parade of ancestors." The portraits portray Oregon's talented, dedicated, and creative people who shaped the state's art, character, and culture; they were shot from 2015 to 2023. Visual approaches range from available-light in situ images to single-strobe studio-like shots with small backdrops. Environmental details were minimized so subjects occupy the frame alone. The work seeks to document the contemporary cultural landscape and to produce honest, character-driven photographs.

Read at Oregon ArtsWatch * Arts & Culture News