Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Sarah Hood Salomon at Photoworks

I am going to start the review of this very attractive photography exhibition by Sarah Hood Salomon by scolding the gallery where it is being staged: Glen Echo Photoworks.

This is 2013, and for a gallery to have such an outdated website as this one is... is unprofessional and bothersome. Today it was featuring a show that closed last March... tsk, tsk.

That's a shame, because Glen Echo Photoworks is one of the jewels of our area's art scene; with their exhibitions, classes, talks, etc. they are a giant part of not only our photography scene, but also of our arts tapestry in general.

To make matters worse, the photographer's website was also failing to load (using either IE or Firefox).. when it rains it pours...

On exhibition are 24 color photos that use camera motion and slow shutter speeds in order to "compress transitional qualities of light into one image." What they do accomplish is the delivery of sensually beautiful images that once again impress upon me what a gifted photographer can deliver.

The first photo that we see is "Sunset at the Chesapeake." It is an explosion of color and cool, fuzzy vertical lines that transform the landscape into a surreal beauty and a new version of the Chesapeake.

Sarah Hood Salomon
"Winter Winds" is so well done that it almost explodes in front of your face with the whooosh of a storm, while "Man in Brown Suit" and "Odd Man Out" are both a little ghostly in the way that the figures have been shaken.

"Outside Dr. Ong's Office" is perhaps the best example of what this photographer can accomplish with her technique. I found this image to be a riot of color and almost an eulogy to string theory within a cyclone of warm colors - staying on the brainy theme, "Rt. 27" perhaps gives us an unintended insight into either the way that the Big Bang may have looked like or what the end of the Universe may look like.

It's all about color.

All of the pieces were also professionally presented and framed in museum mats to full conservation standards and priced really, really well; they were a steal at $325 framed and $225 matted.


Kordas

Here are the vintage Korda photographs which have been sent to the University of Oregon as part of an extended loan.

Alberto Díaz Gutiérrez, better known as Alberto Korda or simply Korda (September 14, 1928 in Havana, Cuba – May 25, 2001 in Paris, France) was the Cuban photographer who took the most reproduced photograph in history and documented some of the early days of the Cuban Revolution as it quickly evolved into the genocidal, racist, mass-murdering dictatorship that still oppresses the Cuban people and caused the Cuban Diaspora.

All images of the Korda photographs are by Pete Duvall, who is a wizard at photographing artwork.
Fidel y Niño (1960) by Korda
Fidel y Niño (1960)
Che Guevara en Prueba de una Cortadora de Caña (1962) by Korda
Prueba de una Cortadora de Caña (1962)
Ché Guevara Encima del Tractor (1962) by Korda
Ché Encima del Tractor (1962)
Ché Guevara con Hombre y Maquinaria (1962) by Korda
Ché con Hombre y Maquinaria (1962)
Miliciana (1962) by Korda
Miliciana (1962)
Fidel Jugando Golf (1959) by Korda
Fidel Jugando Golf (1959)
Guerrillero Heroico (Vintage 1960) Che Guevara by Korda
Guerrillero Heroico (1960)
David y Goliath (1959) by Korda
David y Goliath (1959)
Ché y Raul (1961) by Korda
Ché y Raul (1961)
Ché Apoyando al Baston de Golf (1959) by Korda
Ché Apoyando al Baston de Golf (1959)
Ché Arreglando el Tractor (1962) by Korda
Ché Arreglando el Tractor (1962)
Fidel Aprendiendo a Esquiar en Rusia (1962) by Korda
Fidel Aprendiendo a Esquiar en Rusia (1962)
Fidel Sobre la Nieve en Rusia (1962) by Korda
Fidel Sobre la Nieve en Rusia (1962)
Juego de Golf con Fidel (1959) by Korda
Juego de Golf con Fidel (1959)
Fidel y Ché Pescando (1959) by Korda
Fidel y Ché Pescando (1959)
Prueba de una Cortadora de Caña 2 (1962) by Korda
Prueba de una Cortadora de Caña 2 (1962)
Ché Mirando con Anteojos (1960) by Korda
Ché Mirando con Anteojos (1960)
The two Kordas below remain with the collectors here in the DC area:
Jean Paul Sartre (1960) by Korda
Jean Paul Sartre (1960)
Jean Paul Sartre (1960) by Korda
Jean Paul Sartre (1960)