Category Archives: Philadelphia Photographers

Man

Man Ray, Mona Lisa as seen by Duchamp (“La Joconde” vue par Duchamp), gelatin silver print, 6 3/5 ” x 4 1/10″, 1921-22, Artsy.net

Man Ray was born as Emmanuel Radnitzky in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. in 1890. Born Henri-Robert-Marcel Duchamp on July 28, 1887 in Upper Normandy region of France, the grandson of a painter, Marcel Duchamp would have an immense impact on twentieth-century and twenty first-century art. The arguments and jabs go on to this day about photography being for artists with no talent, photography isn’t fine art, anyone can do it…someone wrote to me and said I should write about real art for a change. That’s so DADA.

“In 1915 he was introduced to Marcel Duchamp, who would become a lifelong friend and influence; he subsequently moved to Paris, practicing there for over 20 years.” – Artsy

“In 1919, Duchamp made a parody of the Mona Lisa by adorning a cheap reproduction of the painting with a mustache and goatee. To this he added the inscription L.H.O.O.Q., a phonetic game which, when read out loud in French quickly sounds like “Elle a chaud au cul”. This can be translated as “She has a hot ass”, implying that the woman in the painting is in a state of sexual excitement and availability. It may also have been intended as a Freudian joke, referring to Leonardo da Vinci‘s alleged homosexuality. Duchamp gave a “loose” translation of L.H.O.O.Q. as “there is fire down below” in a late interview with Arturo Schwarz. According to Rhonda Roland Shearer, the apparent Mona Lisa reproduction is in fact a copy modeled partly on Duchamp’s own face. Research published by Shearer also speculates that Duchamp himself may have created some of the objects which he claimed to be “found objects”. – Wikipedia

“The source for the fraternal friendship that linked the two men is to be found in their shared freedom and independence of spirit. Aside from a passion for chess, they shared a taste for the subversive and an irresistible desire to invent. Intellectually, their processes were similar. As art terrorists, they both knew how to place mines under artistic conventions, and their works, without being similar, nevertheless responded to the other.” – DADA Companion

Hi – my name is Joel, and I work at Artsy. While researching Man Ray, I found your page: http://brewermultimedia.com/2009/04/. I wanted to briefly tell you about Artsy‘s Man Ray page, and about our mission.

We strive to make all of the world’s art accessible to anyone online. Our Man Ray page, for example, provides visitors with Man Ray’s bio, over 100 of his works, exclusive articles, as well as up-to-date Man Ray exhibition listings. The page even includes related artist & category tags, plus suggested contemporary artists, allowing viewers to continue exploring art beyond our Man Ray page.

I’m contacting certain website & blog owners, and asking them to help us achieve our mission by adding a link to Artsy’s Man Ray page. In addition to spreading the word about our page, I believe your site visitors would enjoy this content.

If you are able to add a link to Artsy’s Man Ray page, please let me know, as I’d love to share it with my team.

Best,
Joel

“Of course, there will always be those who look only at technique, who ask “how,” while others of a more curious nature will ask “why.” Personally, I have always preferred inspiration to information.”
-Man Ray

Thanks Joel!

Like Artsy on facebook

Like DoNArTNeWs Philadelphia Art News Blog on facebook

Follow the new DoNArTNeWs.com

Follow DoN on Twitter @DoNNieBeat58

DoNArTNeWs on Tumblr

DoN Brewer on Pinterest

@donniebeat on Instagram

Affiliate Marketing [disclosure page] Shop on-line and help support DoNArTNeWs

Donate via safe and secure PayPal in the sidebar.

Underland

Underland; Senior Thesis Photography Exhibition, Lucy Helena Van Ellis,

Tyler School of Art

Tyler School of Art at Temple University, 2001 N. 13th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122.

November 30 – December 9, 2015.

Opening Reception: Friday, December 4th, 6:00 – 9:00pm

“A series created by graduating senior photography major, Lucy Helena Van Ellis will be exhibited at the Tyler School of Art in the lower atrium from November 30th, through December 9th. You are invited to join Van Ellis in her opening reception on December 4th from 6 – 9PM.

The series includes nine 45 x 30 inch prints paired with a video element. Van Ellis has been working on her series ‘Underland’ for the past year by experimenting with the use of fabric, projections and movement in her images to create scenes that appear to be manipulated with post-processing, but are not. Her images stray far from a traditional black and white photograph but are sure to entice the viewer with the world in which she created. The series is an enchanting and whimsical take on a place that does not exist, a place that can not be right or wrong.

Lucy Helena Van Ellis is primarily known for her presence throughout social media, her features with MTV, Teen Vogue and her collaborations with Lilly Pulitzer, BooHoo.com, Daniel Wellington and more. Along with her being a photographer, she utilizes her networking and marketing skills to establish her brand as an influencer and blogger. Her final thesis show demonstrates her ability to push the limits while practicing her fine art photography.” – Lucy Helena Van Ellis

Like Lucy Helena Photography on facebook

Like DoNArTNeWs Philadelphia Art News Blog on facebook

Follow the new DoNArTNeWs.com

Follow DoN on Twitter @DoNNieBeat58

DoNArTNeWs on Tumblr

DoN Brewer on Pinterest

@donniebeat on Instagram

Affiliate Marketing [disclosure page] Shop on-line and help support DoNArTNeWs

Donate via safe and secure PayPal in the sidebar.

PETS

1 Reply

PETS, 11th Annual Juried Exhibition, Off the Wall Gallery at Dirty Franks

Written by Togo Travalia

“We celebrate our best non-human friends in so many ways: from giving them toys and treats, positive affirmation and unconditional love, to sharing their personalities, devotion, affectionate natures and playfulness with the world.

Our 11th Annual Juried Exhibition finds a new way to celebrate our pets, even as it creatively interweaves all of these ways. You know what we’re talking about…ART!

We cordially invite you to join us to welcome PETS at our OPENING RECEPTION, which takes place THIS THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 7-10 PM. As always, we will serve light hors d’oeuvres, pour your favorite drinks, convene the company of fellow art lovers and offer the chance to meet most of the 42 artists whose AWWW-inspiring pet projects line our Wall and 3D space.

Plus, PETS has something brand-new in store: the chance to give back. Every time we sell artwork from PETS, 20% of the proceeds go to the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and Street Tails Animal Rescue.

Our modest philanthropy is inspired in part by the generosity of spirit that is so easy to find among the 76 works in PETS, across a wide array of media:

* You have to know that PHOTOGRAPHY — what all of us use to document our pets’ lives — has a big role. Our artists elevate the form. Exquisite silver gelatin darkroom prints from AMANDA ABRAMSON on the B&W section of our Wall (a curatorial choice by JODY SWEITZER, which is stunning), take us from Lambertville to Brooklyn to the city we have close to our hearts right now, Paris. ALEXANDRA ORGERA‘s medium-format digital print is a story waiting to be told; use your imagination! Meanwhile, TRI NGUYEN‘s housebound images show us what we should be doing with our smartphones: distilling the everyday into simple, heartfelt, magical moments.

* PAINTING encompasses a range of media: BOB GORCHOV‘s irresistible, fan-favorite acrylics; MINA SMITH‘s enchanting watercolor of dog walkers at work; ALBERT ALDINGER‘s sweet kitty portrait contrasted with BILL GROVE‘s tough alley cat; JOCELYNN TICE‘s breathtakingly photorealistic pastel of owner and pet; and CYNTHIA HARVEY‘s rendering of a cat-ism: the hours of joy that can be found in crumbled paper from a delivery box.

* We could not have custom-ordered a more skillful range of PRINTMAKING. Three different techniques are rendered with precision and heart. ELIZABETH STRICKER‘s impeccable woodblock print fills a physical yin-yang space with one curled up cat conveying Zen-like tranquility. ALYSE C. BERNSTEIN shows how printing a lithograph from marble stone can inject subtle beauty into her dog Frank taking a nap. And MARLISE M. TKACZUK, well into her second decade as one of the most popular OFF THE WALL artists, brings down the house with her adoptive feline kids and their demanding ways.

These are the major categories but it’s hardly all here. PETS has amazing range. Outliers include ELIZABETH H. MACDONALD‘s bobbin lace goldfish, joined by NOA TRAVALIA‘s abstract assembled-paper koi; CARLA LIGUORI‘s new terracotta sculpture, suggesting pet-like relationships can be forged with wild creatures; SARAH BRETT‘s stunning debut, which puts front and center a ceramic from her “hiney” body of work (we kid you not!); and the always kidding work of BOB JACKSON, whose 23 mixed media assemblages establish a record that will NEVER be broken. (Yes, all 23 were juried into this show!) Read the titles before you take in the work and you appreciate Bob’s ribald sense of humor.

That’s only 17 artists, leaving 25 I haven’t mentioned. 25! And four of these artists — Sarah, Alyse, Liz and Albert — are new to OFF THE WALL; they are joined by 10 more colleagues showing in our space for the very first time. And NINE ARTISTS will win CASH PRIZES TOTALING $550. Who? We’ll find out at the Opening Reception.

If all this doesn’t tickle your fancy, go and scratch behind the ears of your kitty or dog and think again. We can’t wait to see you. Oh, and remember to change the water bowl, maybe get in that walk and put out some fresh dry food before you come over. OR bring your dog to the opening. DIRTY FRANK’S is Philly’s ORIGINAL dog-friendly bar!

Don’t have any of these tasks on your agenda? We also offer a 20% discount on any PETS artwork if you adopt a cat or dog in November or December (a discount that can be applied retroactively, too!).

Open your arms for PETS. Open your heart to your pet.

See you Thursday evening!”

Togo

Togo Travalia
Manager OFF THE WALL GALLERY at Dirty Frank’s, NE Corner, 13th & Pine Streets, Philadelphia,, PA 19107

offthewallgallery@gmail.com

facebook.com/OTWDirtyFranks

@OTWDirtyFranks

(215) 732-5010 (bar)

(484) 357-6440 (cell)

Philly’s pioneering alternative art space, since 1978.

Read DoN‘s review of Alyese C. Bernstein‘s, Frank, lithograph on DoNArTNeWs.com

Like DoNArTNeWs Philadelphia Art News Blog on facebook

Follow the new DoNArTNeWs.com

Follow DoN on Twitter @DoNNieBeat58

DoNArTNeWs on Tumblr

DoN Brewer on Pinterest

@donniebeat on Instagram

Affiliate Marketing [disclosure page] Shop on-line and help support DoNArTNeWs

Donate via safe and secure PayPal in the sidebar.

Duet

Counterpoint: A Visual Duet, Susan Richards and Melvin Chappell, Center on the Hill, The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill

Melvin A. Chappell, Photographer and Susan Richards, Mixed Media at Center on the Hill, The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, PA, 19118 215-843-5018 or 215-247-885

November 6th through November 29th. Artist Reception: Friday, November 6th, 5:00 – 7:00pm

Photographer, Melvin A. Chappell has had a long-time passion for photographing the Wissahickon Valley in its natural beauty throughout the seasons. The reception will include a booking signing of his newly released book on the Valley.

Susan Richards, a mixed-media artist, will be exhibiting a new body of work that incorporates collage, monoprints, found objects, and water color in unexpected juxtapositions. Richards is a member of the Philadelphia Dumper Divers.

Both are members of Da Vinci Art Alliance.

Like The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill on facebook

Like DoNArTNeWs Philadelphia Art News Blog on facebook

Follow the new DoNArTNeWs.com

Follow DoN on Twitter @DoNNieBeat58

DoNArTNeWs on Tumblr

DoN Brewer on Pinterest

@donniebeat on Instagram

Affiliate Marketing [disclosure page] Shop on-line and help support DoNArTNeWs

Donate via safe and secure PayPal in the sidebar.

Spinning

Spinning Yarns : Photographic Storytellers

Written and photographed by Laura Storck

To spin a yarn: (idiomatic) To tell or create a story, especially one which is lengthy or far-fetched (Source: wikitionary.org). The twenty-three photographers featured in this show reach outside of the scope of this simple definition. They are masters of their craft as portrayed through the feelings provoked by the stunning narratives that each artist individually conveys to the viewer.

Rachel Girard Reisert, Still series, archival inkjet prints

Spinning Yarns was curated by Anne Leighton Massoni, UArts Photography Program Director, and Libby Rowe, a professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. After nearly five years as a traveling exhibition, this show is wrapping up and the photographs will be auctioned off to support student scholarships for the UArts Photography program. Eighty-one framed images are available for purchase.

Rachel Girard Reisert, Bee (from Still series), 2007, archival ink jet print

Several of the artists’ stories are personally moving, such as Joy Christiansen Erb’s series Portrait of a Mother, which explores motherhood, family, and illness. Rachel Girard Reisert’s Still series shines a light on a smaller universe that routinely takes shape in the backyard. Anne Massoni’s project, Holding Leighton, explores concepts of memory and evidence of experience and existence. And each amusing image that Andy Bloxham’s Beta series provides a limited glimpse into a larger anecdotal account.

Morgan Konn, Rebecca, Undergraduate Student, Art (from Her House, Her Clothes series), 2006, Lightjet Print

Using photography as their chosen art form, each artist’s narrative simply pulls the spectator in…further…beyond the image, and subsequently plugs both into an engaging dialogue. A new awareness can emerge, as well as a distinctive ending, all depending on the unique experiences and mindset of the viewer — thus the yarn has spun.

Morgan Konn_First Year Law Student (from Her House, Her Clothes series), 2006, Lightjet Print

All images can be seen and starting bids made here: www.paddle8.com/auction/uarts. However, I encourage everyone to see these photographs in person, if possible, on display at UArts’ Hamilton Hall. For me, the experience of tangibly engaging with each of these images in person is ethereal, intense, and penetrating.

Joy Christiansen Erb, Portrait of a Mother Series, 2010, archival pigment prints

The online auction is already taking place through noon on Friday, October 9th, with a live auction and closing reception from 6-8 pm. Auction catalogs can be purchased from Anne Massoni at amassoni@uarts.edu for $15. For more information, please visit: http://www.uarts.edu/spinningyarns.

Grace Weston, Fuji Crystal, Archive C-prints