Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Stephen Shore's Photos at MoMA Shows the Cool Sixties and Shots of Mundane Solitude

Stephen Shore (b Amer 1947) was on the cutting edge snapping photos of Warhol and 60's celebs in raw black/white small shots.  This series has a hip feel making you feel more like an interloper than in with the in crowd.  Shore's photos in the other galleries include clear gelatin prints, off kilter angles, bright Kodachrome shots, portraits and locals.  Shore shares duo portraits of his parents both in full dress & undergarments, revealing nothing is sacrosanct along including intimate sexual acts.  Regardless, there is a sense of isolation or solitude in most of his photos.  I liked the assemblage of black/white series photos of the Pontiac shown in different proportions.  This quiet medley had a melodic sensibility.  Otherwise, there was also an overall melancholy sense of passing time in posed group photos.   William Eggleston's influence is reflected in Shore's interest with the mundane and ordinary made to appear extraordinary.  What's most impressive are the various trajectories & styles in which Shore's branches.  I was particularly drawn to the photos where a large tree subdivided the surroundings.  I'd preferred the landscape photos taken by Shore.  It's worth stopping in to see these photos through Shore's changing lens.  

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