thought tonight i’d showcase one of my favorite photographers of the old guard- minor white. great name isn’t it? hard not to amount to something with a name like that. he had quite a career having studied under alfred stieglitz, edward weston, and ansel adams, then later in life becoming an influential teacher at r.i.t. and m.i.t. as well as co-founding aperture magazine. he was hailed at the time of his death as an american master though he is largely forgotten today. “yeah, yeah, words, what about his photos? were they any good?” well i’m glad you asked see below for a small sampling.
The article doesn’t appear online, but you may be very interested in:
Form into Light: Minor White in Oregon 1937-1942
(http://www.eou.edu/cm/paststories/calapooyapresentswhite.html).
“Two hundred misplaced negatives that White made while living in Oregon and working for the WPA surfaced recently in the photographic archives of the Portland Art Museum. Working with PAM and Calapooya’s art editor, Ben Mitchell, the editors were able to bring these images to the public for the first time.”
Very interesting and very recent scholarship on what has to be one of our most accomplished and overlooked photographers. Props to Tiffany Stith Cooper for locating these negatives, shame on the Portland Art Museum for such carelessness.
hey thanks eponymagain! that’s wild. love to see the shots. according to the article it’s work from his early period, pre-war, so likely not the kind of work he became known for, namely the abstract work. i can’t say i’m really surprised though. seems this kind of thing happens fairly often, even with extremely revered artists.
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