Summer’s Bounty

By Suzanne Révy

The allure of the darkroom and the alchemy of traditional black and white film and gelatin silver prints have seduced thousands of beginning photography students. The means to produce rich monochromatic prints may have shifted and expanded over the decades, but the ritual of learning to see and photograph through a tonal scale of light to dark continues to hold photographers in thrall. The 25th Annual Juried Member’s show at the Griffin Museum of Photography, currently on view through September 1, 2019 proves the point with a strong showing of black and white pictures alongside several examples of subdued color palettes, punctuated with bursts of bright tropical hues. It’s a beautiful show that revels in tonality while juxtaposing an array of genres and styles.

“Black Memorabilia 4” by Sunjoo Lee, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.

From the “Mother Series” by Jennifer Georgescu, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.

“Fifty Two” by Sarah Belclaire, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.

“Carrot Leaves” by Robert Dash, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.

The exhibit opens with Sunjoo Lee’s “Black Memorabilia,” a color still-life with pears wrapped in deep blanket of dark tonality that recalls classical still life painting. (Unfortunately, it must be seen in person, the jpg here does not do it justice!) And it speaks to several others in the gallery such Jennifer Georgescu’s image from her “Mother Series” which employs a similar tonal palette for a distinctly modern take on the “Madonna and Child” or Sarah Belclaire’s classically lit black and white portrait of a veiled woman; in addition, Robert Dash’s digital collage “Carrot Leaves,” uses both color and black and white to render texture and form in a nuanced and painterly construction.

“Desert City” by Marilyn Canning, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.

“Time Frame” by Bill Clark, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.

“Bantham II” by Roger Palframan, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.

From the classical to jazz, viewers are treated to several abstract compositions that hum and vibrate to their own beat. Marilyn Canning’s “Desert City” is printed not as a positive, but as a negative – it recalls Berenice Abbot’s studies of urban buildings and windows, as does Bill Clark’s “Time Frame” which recalls the vibration studies she made while at MIT. Roger Palframan’s high contrast image of beach goers somehow looks like the keys on a piano ready to be riffed into a boogie-woogie composition.

Photography by Danielle Goldstein, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.

“Posts” by Brian Kosoff, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.

Photography by Jen Bilodeau, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.

The beat slows a bit in several examples, allowing atmosphere and mystery to enter the picture. Daniel Jackson’s study of a figure walking through columns or Danielle Goldstein’s similar figure entering from a hazy light into an undefined space raise questions about loneliness and isolation in vacant spaces. Time is an important aspect in any musical or photographic composition, and it creeps through the skies in Brian Kosoff’s “Posts” and in the daily life of a mother, clearly exhausted, and her ever active, though ghosted children in Jen Bilodeau’s long look into a kitchen.

“Cattlemen” by Bruce Morton, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.

Photography by Anna Grevenitis, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.

(Featured Image) “Watermelons” by Sandra Bacchi, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.

The juror, Julie Grahame, from aCurator website also chose a generous number of documentary pictures that bring a sense of poignancy and humor to the everyday. Bruce Morton’s “Cattlemen” is a straightforward yet arresting portrait of a man with two boys revealing the vulnerabilities and masks of masculinity, while Anna Grevantis mines the more feminine ritual of camouflaging with a playful look at a girl and a woman painting their toenails. In addition, Sandra Bacchi’s young girl offering an almost three dimensional ripe strawberry is inviting and is the perfect antidote to these hot summer nights!

“Rainy Day, Belfast” by Janet Smith, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.

“India Abstract” by Lawrence Manning, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.

“Hydrangea” by JP Terlizzi, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.

Photography by Cheryl Clegg, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.

Admittedly, the black and white work grabbed my attention, but there are some color pieces that stood out. Janet Smith’s “Rainy Day, Belfast” is an abstract study of cement that takes on the texture of rain. Lawrence Manning’s graphic and colorful image of an Indian parade acts like an exclamation point among more subdued palettes, such as JP Terlizzi’s inquisitive and airy self-portrait through an open door with a green hydrangea or the cool pastel colors of Cheryl Clegg’s figure in red. Juried shows are often incoherent, but the Griffin has, once again, brought a visual order to a variety of pictures. It reflects the sensibility of the juror, who, like a conductor has brought many musical notes together into a cohesive and refreshing performance. Stay tuned for our interview with her tomorrow!

For more information:
https://griffinmuseum.org/show/25th-annual-juried-members-exhibition/