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If you are unable to visit our gallery and would like to purchase photographs from this preview or others in the gallery, please contact the gallery and call 585-271-2540.

 

Peter's Picks of the Month

Nameless

February 25 - March 22, 2009

Peter Marr picked his favorite photos of the show
by the featured and guest photographers and also describes the strength the image he has chosen.


 
                                                                                                                                                                            

All images copyright by the individual photographers

Water #34 by Mark Whitney

Water # 34
by Mark Whitney

The timeless cascades so beautifully captured by Mark Whitney in this outstanding exhibition, shows the sheer majesty of nature, from its awesome power, to its most delicate tracery, from its multi-colored splendor, to its dramatic black and white presence. Using a wide-range of shutter speeds, he has impressively conveyed his understanding and appreciation of his subject with a selection of photographs that allow us to marvel at intimate portraits of the interplay between water and rocks. The magic of moving water and the vitality of an inert rock, ranges from serene softness and ventureless beauty, as for example in “Water # 20”, all the way to the “firework’s” displays in “Water # 23” and “Water #2 9”.  I really love “Leaf # 2” -- aptly and imaginatively chosen to illustrate and advertise this excellent show, but I decided to pick “Water # 34” as my choice for some further comments.

Here, the interplay of light with the water and the rocks gives us this magnificent kaleidoscope of rich, striking colors, which cover virtually the whole available spectrum of our visual field. We can only marvel at how nature can outdo even the most renowned painters and artists, in giving us both shapes and forms and motion and stillness, all within a rich palette of unbelievable chroma. One feels that even the water, as it cascades so effortlessly over the rocks, wants to pause and even stop altogether, to behold and absorb the rich vista that it has created so gloriously, under nature’s soft, but vibrant directional lighting.  It is a truly gorgeous image.

 

Blue Peace Amidst Shadows by Mark Bangs

 


Blue Peace Amidst Shadows

By Mark Bangs

This is a very dramatic, almost surrealistic image, superbly seen, photographed and presented. What makes this photograph so outstanding is the symbolism of the hand reaching out from the grave to the stained glass window, reaching through into the sacred realm beyond. The artist has so poignantly captured the shadow of the tree and its branches, and he then waited for just the right moment for the light to pick out the blue glass of the window, visible through the ornate bars protecting the stained glass.  In keeping with the overall image, these sinister bars present a formidable barrier to penetrate, yet the eternal hope of entering into a more divine edifice, through a visionary shaft of light, is both intriguing and fascinating. The “hand” itself is too large to encompass this task, yet the thought of what might be beyond the stained glass, is a dramatic and compelling reason to reach out, a reason to both embrace and to cherish. The stone gray masonry of the wall and tombstone starkly and vividly contrasts with the vibrant grass and colored leaves, enhancing the deep shadows created by the tree, and reminding us that nature reflects for us real life, rather than our thoughts of life beyond the grave. A truly imaginative and thought provoking image, and reminding us that what we see is often only what our past experiences tell us should be seen, or what our desires want to see.

Black and White and Color #5 by Michael Rivera


Black and White and Color   (Number 5 in the Series of 12)
by Michael Rivera

Michael’s striking fashion portraits exhibited in the East Gallery are captivatingly enhanced by his use of minimal backgrounds, isolating his trendy and voguish subjects. In doing so, he has intensified the emotional effect of our perception experience, deliberately and fascinatingly provoking visual concern in our traditional society mindsets. The end result is that one has a heightened awareness, which gives drama and atmosphere to Michael’s powerful, imaginative, and impressive images.

All of the prints in the East Gallery have an emotional, intuitive quality, and especially masterful is Black and White and Color, number 5  which clearly succeeds by a modernity within a classical framework. The antithesis of the model, from the expressive pose, the dress, the stockings, the prominent lighted cigarette, etc, against a pseudo-modern, mid eighteenth century Greek Revival mansion, is just priceless. The irony here, is that we have a stellar portrait of a model clearly representing today’s modern culture, against an almost modern mansion that is reflective of architecture in vogue many centuries in the past- the ultra modern world versus the staid, grandiose past. The world is moving, photography is forever moving, and we must capture every facet that we can, before such details get swallowed up and lost in the past. This image is a powerful statement of new versus old, and represents a great tribute to Michael’s vision and artistic talent.

  As a footnote, although I usually only comment on three images in each new exhibition.  I would like to draw people’s attention to the 3 dramatic and beautifully photographed gulls in Shone Rowley’s exhibition. These pictures are truly superb flight shots, definitely enhanced by the impressive skies in the background.

   
 
Image City Photography Gallery  ♦   722 University Avenue  ♦    Rochester, NY 14607 ♦ 585.271.2540
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