Ansel Adams

  

M  O  O  N  R  I  S  E

H E R N A N D E Z ,   N E W   M E X I C O               1 9 4 1

 

A late afternoon sun illuminates white crosses as

the moon rises over a small town, its church

and graveyard.

 A  N  S  E  L       A  D  A  M  S 

1 9 0 2  -  1 9 8 4 

 Preeminent American landscape photographer and

lifelong environmental activist Ansel Adams worked 

to define the identity of the American west.

He shaped the imagery of mountain and desert

in black and white using his own personal lore.

 C  H  U  R  C  H 

T A O S     P U E B L O               1 9 4 2

 The Taos tribe gave Adams permission to photograph

the San Geronimo Chapel in Taos Pueblo, a church

providing continuous Sunday sermons to the villagers

since 1850.

 G E O R G I A     O ' K E E F F E     A N D     O R V I L L E     C O X

1 9 3 7 

 Adams captures a moment of mischievous banter

between the painter Georgia O'Keeffe and Orville Cox,

the head wrangler at Ghost Ranch, her favorite 

New Mexico hangout.

 B  O  U  L  D  E  R       D  A  M

C O L O R A D O     R I V E R               1 9 4 1

 The Interior Department funded Adams to photograph

this new Colorado River dam as well as scenes from

National Parks out west.  The images provided

were to become giant murals for Federal buildings.

World War Two ended the project's funding. 

The photos Adams provided sat, forgotten in the

National Archives over the next seventy years.

 T H E     T E T O N S     A N D     T H E     S N A K E     R I V E R

W Y O M I N G               1 9 4 2

 This image was included in the payload

of the Voyager satellite, launched into

space in 1977.   This gave extraterrestrials

of uncertain time and place, the opportunity

to enjoy the beauty of Earth along with us.

*  *  *  *  *

©  Tom Taylor

 

OVER   EASY

 

 

coldValentine

 

good morning jessicca

  

 

C   O   Q   U   E   T   T   E

love

   dad

   

coldValentine

p h o t o s

  

 P I E R R O T     C L I M B I N G     T H R O U G H     A     W I N D O W

F E L I X     N A D A R               1 8 5 4

 The long exposure time required in the early days

of photography made staged action shots such

as this near impossible.

The deep shadows created from loose-fitting clothing

adds to the picture a sculptural quality.

 A L F R E D     L O R D     T E N N Y S O N

J U L I A     M A R G A R E T     C A M E R O N               1 8 6 9

 Tennyson titled this picture of himself as

The Dirty Monk - tired, unkempt and brooding.

Tennyson went about his business of being

the nation's poet laureate while attired

in a romantic's cloak.

 O  S  I  P       B  R  I  K

A L E X A N D E R     R O D C H E N K O               1 9 2 4

 Rodchenko wanted people to see objects anew.

His photography involved making the familiar strange.

Here a friend's head barely fits into the portrait space.

A Russian logo is double-exposed over one eye.

The result is an image suited to be posted 

as promotion for some Orwellian venture.

 T H E     G R A D U A T I N G     C L A S S 

F R A N K     E U G E N E               1 9 1 3 

We're not documenting students graduating.

Look at the mood.  Artistic manipulation.

Ladies posed to perfection under soft lights.

Eugene displays a painter's dreamworld

through his photographer's lens.

 C R I S S - C R O S S E D     C O N V EY O R S

C H A R L E S     S H E E L E R               1 9 2 7 

 

Sheeler was enthralled by the precision of machinery

and the logic of industrial order.  The opportunity

to photograph Ford's giant River Rouge factory was,

for Sheeler, like being given a tour of the future.

Here was technological utopia laid out before him.

Here was our substitute for religious experience.

Intoxicating.

 O L D     T I M E R     S T R U C T U R A L     W O R K E R

L E W I S     H I N E               1 9 3 0 

 

Hines referred to them as sky boys - 

the workers he photographed laboring 

to build the 102 story Empire State Building.

It was his testament to the heroic nature of 

modern industrial man.

 

*  *  *  *  *

 

©  Tom Taylor

 

OVER   EASY

coldValentine

 

good morning jeremy

  

 L  A  B  O  R       O  F       L  O  V  E

love 

   dad

coldValentine

s c u l p t u r e

  

 D  I  O  N  Y  S  U  S

G R E E K     T E R R A C O T T A     V A S E               4 1 0   B C

 

The ancient Greeks had a somewhat religious holiday

celebrating the maturation of wine.  It was called

Anthesteria, which pretty much meant get stupid

with drink.  Prometheus brought the humans fire,

and it was good.  Dionysus, God of Wine, gave people

a pleasure only the Gods on Mount Olympus knew.

Afterwards, Zeus felt he ruled over a land of 

worthless drunks.

 

T  I  M  E       A  R  R  E  S  T  E  D       B  Y       D  E  A  T  H

L O R E N Z O     B E R N I N I               1670

 This terracotta work is known as a sketch model -

something expendable for working out ideas before

taking on carving a monument from marble.

In this depiction Bernini has Time carrying a casket

beyond the reach of Death.  Time cheats Death of

his prize because Time always reveals the truth.

Does that make sense?

Maybe you had to be there.

H  E  A  D

A M E D E O     M O D I G L I A N I               1 9 1 2

 Modigliani carved 27 stone sculptures from 

broken limestone blocks he scavenged at

construction sites.  This elongated head with

almond eyes reflects Modigliani's fascination

with the art of ancient civilizations such as

Egypt, Greece and Africa.  These works come 

with a hefty price tag.  Tete, a work similar to

the Head above, brought seventy million dollars 

at an auction in 2014.

 C  O  N  T  I  N  U  I  T  Y       I  N       S  P  A  C  E

U M B E R T O     B O C C O O N I               1 9 1 3

   Art should reflect the Machine Age.  

It was the twentieth century.  It was time

to celebrate cars, planes and industrial power.

The running figure above displays flourishes

of wind that resemble wings that propelled

the god Mercury to incredible speeds.

 W  A  L  K  I  N  G       M  A  N

A L B E R T O     G I A C O M E T T I                1 9 6 0

  What to make of this wiry, emaciated man, walking.

He is iconic.  A fragile nature with enduring spirit.

Isolated.  Experienced in madness.

 T  O  U  R  I  S  T  S

D U A N E     H A N S O N               1 9 8 8

 When did you start feeling you were on vacation?

Was it when you first walked into Palm Springs heat

in your new summer clothes?  Your picture of Larry

spilling secret sauce on his shirt at Circus Burger

was hilarious.  Maybe you could get me a copy.

*  *  *  *  *

©  Tom Taylor 

 

OVER   EASY

 

 

coldValentine

good morning justin

  

W  I  N  D  S  T  R  E  A  M

love

   dad

coldValentine

c o u p l e s

  

T  H  E       K  I  S  S

G U S T A V      K L I M T               1 9 0 8

 T  H  E       B  I  R  T  H  D  A  Y

M A R C       C H A G A L L               1 9 1 5

 I  N       B  E  D

T O U L O U S E - L A U T R E C               1 8 9 2

 L  O  V  E  R  S

R E N E       M A G R I T T E               1 9 2 8

 B  A  L  L  A  D

N A N       G O L D I N

 R  O  O  M       I  N       N  E  W       Y  O  R  K

E D W A R D       H O P P E R               1 9 3 2

*  *  *  *  *

©  Tom Taylor 

 

OVER   EASY

 

 

coldValentine