Member Event - Why do we photograph? Gallery talk by Len Bernstein
Where
BAM
When
September 10 - September 10
Who
BAM Members Only
Why do we photograph?
Gallery Talk by Len Bernstein
After more than 50 years of taking pictures, and avidly studying the history of photography, I am excited to be giving a talk on a new and thrilling subject for me: Why do we photograph? My critical basis for looking at this question is the landmark principle stated by the great American poet, critic, and founder of the philosophy Aesthetic Realism:
“All beauty is a making one of opposites, and the making one of opposites is what we are going after in ourselves.”
There are, for example, dark and light, spontaneity and plan, motion and rest, which are not only in every aspect of photography; they are the permanent opposites in reality itself, and we are trying to make sense of them in our lives.
We will be asking, for instance, why did Ansel Adams dedicate himself to photographing the subtle gradations of light and shadow to be found in nature, often climbing mountains with a large, heavy view camera to get the best point-of- view? And what impelled Henri Cartier-Bresson to photograph with a small, lightweight camera on the streets of the world’s cities, moving with dance like grace to compose fleeting moments of spontaneous gesture and expression? In this talk I’ll be discussing some of the most important photographers in the world, and as we learn about their lives and work, we can come to greater clarity about why we photograph and be more deeply expressed through this wonderful art form.
This talk will be an inquiry into what photography means to us, with ample time for your questions. I am grateful to the Bellefonte Art Museum for the opportunity to present what I have seen.
When: September 10th
Where: BAM
Time: 6:00 p.m.
