Alan Cohen

Alan Cohen portrait by Jordan Schulman, 2006

The Photographs of Alan Cohen

IMPROBABLE BOUNDARIES:  Improbable Boundaries document the natural, imposed, geologic, or treaty lines that divide forces, actions, places one from the other. Sites within this series include the equator, various prime meridians, continental divides or contiguous land areas created by treaty, war or nature.

"Improbable Boundaries, Continental
Divide", 2004

"Improbable Boundaries, Equator", 1999

"Improbable Boundaries, Holy Roman Empire", 2005

LINES OF AUTHORITY:  Lines of Authority are images that straddle the absolute borders dividing two legal entities—the treaty or geographic demarcations between institutions, states, and nations.

"Lines of Authority, Belgium/
Netherlands", 2010

"Lines of Authority, Gila River Reservation/
United States", 2004

NOW:  NOW pictures lift known cataclysmic events into the present. Through the documentation of contemporary ground the viewer is moved to ground zeros, killing and burial sites and the paths of cruel barriers now dissolved.

"NOW, Marathon to Olympia -- First Finish Line,
Greece", 2006

"NOW, Berlin Wall", 2005

"NOW, Guernica, Spain", 2003

"NOW, Nazi Death Camp, KZL --
Auschwitz, Poland", 1994

MILITARY ARCHEOLOGY:  Military Archeology documents the specialized and period architecture of the fortress itself, its gun emplacements, its ramparts, the fortified bunkers and the ordinance storage facilities.

"Military Archeology, Hao Lo Prison, 'Hanoi Hilton',
Vietnam", 2010



"Military Archeology, Dover Cliff Fortifications
from Napoleon Era, Dover, England", 2003



"Military Archeology, Site of Last Publid Guillotining,
Paris, France", 2010

IN SITU:  In Situ records places of legend - The Dead Sea, Death Valley, meteor impact sites, glacial areas and the volcanized earth of the United States and Hawaii the Caribbean, and Mexico. This series also includes ground made special by art - Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty, Richard Serra's Tilted Arc, and Tony Smith's sculpture at the base of the World Trade Center.

"In Situ, Galapagos", 1999

"In Situ, Death Valley, California", 2002

CONSTRUCTIONS:  Constructions are the abstracted endpoints of mirrors, plexiglass and prosaic materials injected into the perspective views of quarries, construction sites and public places.

"Construction 2-05", 1990

"Construction 147-04",1989

"Construction 27-02", 1990

I am most grateful to Mr. Cohen for his generous permission allowing me to
feature his work here on my blog; and to Jordan Schulman, as well, for

his kind permission to reproduce his portrair of Mr. Cohen here.

Biography from Alan Cohen's web site:

Alan Cohen grew up in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. After earning a degree in nuclear engineering at North Carolina State University and beginning a doctoral program in thermodynamics at Northwestern University, he began photographing and eventually left the sciences to study photography. As a graduate student at the Illinois Institute of Technology's Institute of Design, he studied with Aaron Siskind, Arthur Siegel, Garry Winogrand, Charles Swedlund, Ken Josephson, and Joe Jachna. He was awarded a M.Sc. Photography degree in 1972.

Married to Susan Walsh, Cohen lives in Chicago and is an Adjunct Full Professor in the Art History, Theory, Criticism Department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a member ofthe visiting faculty at Columbia College Chicago's Department Of Photography.

Arthur Leipzig

Arthur Leipzig portrait by Roger Gordy

Arthur Leipzig, Photographer

Brooklyn Museum Collection

Hackelbury Gallery Portfolio

Jackson Fine Art Gallery Portfolio

Luminous Lint Collection

Soulcatcher Studio Portfolio

"Brooklyn Bridge," 1946

"Turning Barrel," 1952

"Chalk Games," 1950

"King of the Hill," 1943

"Divers, East River," 1948

"Ideal Laundry," 1946

"Rain," 1945

"Subway Sleepers," 1950

"Tammany Haall," 1947

"Sleeping Child," 1950

"Clinic, Mexico," 1959

"Hebrew Class, Behker, Ethiopia," 1979

I am most grateful to Mr. Leipzig for his kind permission allowing me to
feature his work here on my blog.

Biography from Arthur Leipzig, Photographer:

Arthur Leipzig was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1918. After studying photography at the Photo League in 1942, he became a staff photographer for the Newspaper PM, where he worked for the next four years. During this period, he completed his first photo essay, on children's street games. In 1946, he left PM. After a short stint at International News Photos, he became a freelance photojournalist, traveling on assignments around the world, contributing work to such periodicals as The Sunday New York Times, This Week, Fortune, Look, and Parade. Edward Steichen encouraged him to teach, which he did for twenty-eight years at Long Island University, where he is now Professor Emeritus.

Leipzig has been included in many museum group exhibitions, most notably "New Faces" (1946) and Edward Steichen's landmark "Family of Man" at the Museum of Modern Art in 1955, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art's "Photography as a Fine Art" in 1961 and 1962. His one-man exhibitions include "Arthur Leipzig: a World View" at the Howard Greenberg Gallery in 1998, "Growing Up in New York" at the Museum of the City of New York in 1996, "Jewish Life Around the World" at the Nassau County Museum of Fine Art, "Arthur Leipzig's People" at the Frumkin Adams Gallery, "Arthur Leipzig's New York" at Photofind Gallery, and retrospectives at The Hillwood Museum and The Nassau County Museum of Fine Art. His work is also represented in the permanent collections of The Museum of Modern Art, The Brooklyn Museum, The National Portrait Gallery, The Jewish Museum, and The Bibliothèque Nationale, among others.

Arthur Leipzig has received the Lucie Award for Outstanding Achievement in Fine Art Photography, the National Urban League Photography Award, several annual Art Directors Awards, and two Long Island University Trustees Awards for Scholarly Achievement. He lives on Long Island.



Introduction to "Growing Up in New York" by Arthur Leipzig:

I came to photography quite by accident. I had no idea what I wanted to be when I was growing up, in a middle-class family living in a middle-class section of Brooklyn. I used to go to the library to read about occupations. I started with the A's Agriculture, Archaeology, Architecture - but never made it as far as the P's. When I was 17, I left school and worked at an assortment of jobs - truck driver, salesman, office manager, assembly line worker. Finally, I worked in a wholesale glass plant, where I seriously injured my right hand and lost the use of it for fourteen months. I began to search for a way to make a living. A friend suggested that if I studied photography at the Photo League, I might be able to get a job as a darkroom technician. I registered for a beginning class at the League. Two weeks later I knew that photography would be my life's work.

My life as a photographer began in the streets of the city. For me, New York, with its diverse cultures and varied topography, presented a new challenge every day. My days were spent shooting with my 9 x 12cm Zeiss Ikon camera; my nights in the darkroom and in discussion with other students and photographers. I was obsessed. It was in New York that I honed my skills and began to learn about the world and about myself.

In 1943, while working on The Newspaper PM, I shot my first major photo essay, "Children's Games." The streets were an extension of the home. They were the living rooms and the playgrounds, particularly for the poor whose crowded tenements left little room for play. The children occupied the streets, now and then allowing a car or truck to pass.

Over the years, I have worked as staff and freelance photographer for a wide variety of publications. My assignments and my independent projects took me all over and under the city, always searching for the human face of New York. I photographed people on the subways and on the beach in Coney Island, painters working on the Brooklyn Bridge, kids swimming in the East River; I photographed the night life and the violence, the working class and the upper class. In those days I traveled all around the city at any time of night or day, and except for rare instances I seldom felt in danger. The city was my home. As I look back at the work that I did during that period I realize that I was witness to a time that no longer exists, a more innocent time.

While I know that the city has changed, that the streets are dirtier and meaner, the energy that I love is still there. No matter where I go, I keep coming back to photograph New York. Of course the "good old days" were not all sweetness and light. There was poverty, racism, corruption, and violence in those days, too, but somehow we believed in the possible. We believed in hope.

Philip Henry Delamontte

Philip Henry Delamontte

History of Photography Archive on Flickr

I Photo Central Portfolio

Luminous Lint Collection

The Metroplitan Museum of Art Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History

Photography News Portfolio

"Colossal Vase from the Public Garden
at Berlin, by Professor Drake," 1855

"The Colossi of Aboo Sembel, Tropical
Transept, London Crystal Palace at Sydenham,"
ca. 1859

"Entrance to the Court of the Lions, in the
Alhambra," 1853

"Progress of the Crystal Palace at Sydenham," 1854

"Crystal Palace South Transept and South
from the Water Temple," 1854

"Models of Extinct Animals," 1855

"The Torso Famese and Other Sculpture
in the Greek Court," 1855

"Restoration of the Great Sphinx
from the Louve," 1855

"Breakfast Time at the Crystal Palace," 1855

"Innocence," 1855

"Evening," 1854

Biographical Notes from The Darkest Room:

Philip Henry Delamotte was a calotype photographer, and one of the first to use photography for documentary purposes.

In 1851 the Great Exhibition took place in Hyde Park, London. So successful was it that when it closed, some entrepreneurs bought a large site in Sydenham, near London, and arranged for the entire Crystal Palace, the main attraction, to be dismantled and re-erected at this new site.

They also decided to hire a photographer to document the event, and commissioned Delamotte, who produced a painstaking and meticulous record of this interesting building. The Crystal Palace was opened on 10 June 1854. The following year Delamotte published his two volume work entitled “Photographic Views of the Progress of the Crystal Palace, Sydenham”, containing 160 architectural photographs.

The publisher Delamotte used was Joseph Cundall, and it was at his house that one of the first commercial photographic exhibitions took place, with some 350 photographs available for sale.

Together with Roger Fenton he founded the Calotype Club in London. He taught drawing to members of the Royal Family, and later he was appointed Professor of Drawing at King’s College, London.
Delamotte also wrote a book entitled “The Practice of Photography: a Manual for Students” -- a work which went into its third edition.


Biography from Wikipedia:

Philip Henry Delamotte (April 21, 1821 - February 24, 1889) was a British photographer and illustrator.

Delamotte was born at Sandhurst Military Academy, the son of Mary and William Alfred Delamotte. Philip Delamotte became an artist and was famous for his photographic images of The Crystal Palace of 1851. He eventually became Professor of Drawing and Fine Art at King's College London. He died on 24 February 1889 at the home of his son-in-law Henry Charles Bond in Bromley.

He was commissioned to record the disassembly of the Crystal Palace in 1852, and its reconstruction and expansion at Sydenham, a project finished in 1854.  His photographic record of the events is one of the best archives of the way the building was constructed and he published the prints in several books. They were some of the first books in which photographic prints were published. He and Roger Fenton were among the first artists to use photography as a way of recording important structures and events following the invention of calotype photography.

They were both founding members of the Calotype Club. The National Monuments Record, the public archive of English Heritage holds a rare album of 47 photographs recording the building and exhibits in about 1859.

Richard A. Johnson

Richard A. Johnson (photo credit: Donna M. Hess)

To see more of Richard A. Johnson's work and learn about his techniques, please visit his "Moments With The Land" website.

 

Moments With The Land:

"Digman Falls, PA"

"Wissahickon Falls 2, PA"

"Storm, Johnson Canyon 5, UT"

"Coming Storm, Johnson Canyon 6, UT"

"Rock Formations
and Small Trees, Ridley Creek State Park, PA"

"Cape May Storm 2, NJ"

"Carved in Stone 16, UT"

"Textures in Wood 30"

"Mono Lake 9, CA"

"Upper Brandywine Creek 5, PA"

Photographing the landscape has been a way of life for me and has taught me a great deal about myself and our natural environment and has enriched my imagination and soul. The land, with its mystery, power and beauty, continues to be my classroom and has presented me with the challenge of bringing special moments in time to light.

I believe that our earth is a very spiritual place. Some geographic areas, for me, are more inspiring than others. One such place which I feel exemplifies this is the Southwestern United States. Photographing this area has been and continues to be, an awesome privilege and priceless learning opportunity.

I feel that I am never in control, only the vehicle by which these moments of light have been transferred to film. I believe that we do not own the land; we are its guardians-- keepers of a very special and sacred gift, one that was here long before us. It is with hope, that what remains of our natural environment will remain accessible for future generations.

For over three and a half decades I have maintain a steadfast commitment to the fine art of black & white photography. As an instructor in Photography I have had the invaluable experience of sharing my creative energy, passion and experience with others about this exciting art form.

The images presented before you in this portfolio represents my lifelong passion learning and creative experiences documenting nature and our environment.

From The Shadows Into The Light
“The White Place”

"The White Place 1"

"The White Place 2"

"The White Place 3"

"The White Place 4"

"The White Place 5"

"The White Place 6"

"The White Place 8"

"The White Place 9"

"The White Place 10"

"The White Place 11"

It has been almost four years since I have been able to make a pilgrimage to one of my most favorite places to photograph, New Mexico.

New Mexico is often referred to as the “Land of Enchantment”. Over the years I have come to understand why this phrase has such a strong meaning to me. The light in this part of the country is beyond belief. The formations, canyons, and the views of the landscape are breathtaking. It always feels as though I am traveling back to a time when the earth was very young in its formation.

I had the misfortune of only being at this magnificent place for one day. As a matter of fact it was my last day before returning home. I did something I normally don't like to do when traveling, which was to make one and only one exposure per scene. I chose to do this to increase my yield of images because I only had ten 5 x 7 film holders with me. I must say I was a bit nervous about this idea.

When using sheet film, there is always the possibility that anything could happen; a holder not seated right in the camera, a scratch on the negative, the possibilities of light leaks, or a misjudgment in my exposure compensation for reciprocity failure. Added to this, I was using a different type of camera and technique, a new 5 x 7 pinhole camera. At this point I was feeling a bit overwhelmed.

With these thoughts going on in my head, I tried to put my concerns about technique aside and experience all the beauty around me. I was in awe of the endless structures, striations and sculptures. There were caverns of all types and sizes with amazing amphitheaters that stretched out over the landscape. These fantastically white cliffs seem to rise from the ground resembling skyscrapers, rivaling any found in our large metropolitan cities. In places, they seemed to be over 500 feet tall. The lighting was magnificent, everything appeared to glow and radiate from within the formations themselves.

I tried to get a feel for what I was experiencing around me, to become one with my environment. I knew in my heart and soul that I would have to return to this magnificent place known as “The White Place” -- Plaza Blanca.  “What an experience”.

I am most grateful to Mr. Johnson for his kind permission allowing me to

feature his work here on my blog; as well as supplying the text for his Artist's Statements and Biography.

Richard A. Johnson Biography:

Richard A. Johnson is a landscape photographer and a native of Philadelphia who utilizes panoramic and large format cameras to create his dynamic images. Over the past two decades he has created twenty black & white portfolios, including images from East coast as well as the South and Northwestern United States. Johnson’s works have been featured in the #70 issue of the international publication “Black & White (U.K.)”, “LensWork (U.S.)” and “LensWork (U.S.) Extended CD” in 2007. Richard’s work has been featured in over 60 solo and group exhibitions and in several television programs on photography.

Johnson has studied with acclaimed master landscape photographers such as Dan Burkholder, Howard Bond, Steve Crouch, Huntington Witherill, David Michael Kennedy and Bob Talley. Johnson has also been awarded both an Instructor’s Scholarship (Santa Fe Workshops) and a Portfolio Project grant from Kodak.

Also, he has worked extensively with the Philadelphia Museum of Art on a variety of different projects and initiatives; including teaching educators as part of Museum’s “Learning To Look Workshop”, participating as visiting artist for “Art Speaks” (an art and literacy program for Philadelphia’s 4th graders) and as a member of the Museum’s Teachers Advisory Group to develop K-12 curricula in Art. Johnson was also selected by Museum to be an Artist in Residence for the Art & Summer Teen Program in Photography in 2006.

Richard currently teaches various courses on traditional black & white photography (beginning, intermediate and advance levels), digital black & white and color photography/printing at Delaware County Community College in Media, Pennsylvania. In 2006, he received “The Excellence In Teaching Award” from the College for Adjunct teaching. Johnson also serves as Director of the DCCC Art Gallery, which represents a divers range of work from regional artists and student work.

Richard A. Johnson’s work is part of numerous private and public collections including the Pennsylvania Department of Education, The Free Library of Philadelphia Archives of Pictures & Prints, University of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson University, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Corporation, the Philadelphia Convention Center, and Haverford College’s Comfort Gallery.