At San Francisco’s de Young art museum in Golden Gate Park, is an excellent exhibition called Toward Abstraction: Photographs and Photograms. This exhibit is filled with purely abstract black and white photos from artists such as Arthur Siegel and Robert Mapplethorpe. Since color is a void, the use of light, shadow, and shape play important roles in each of the pictures in the exhibit.
Arthur Siegel’s contribution to the exhibit consisted mostly of photograms. One work that specifically stands out is “RCS Building,” a photogram of a building in New York City. The white streaks of what appear to be light, highly contrast with the dark buildings of the city. The photogram effect almost makes the building appear as if it is moving due to a powerful source that cannot be seen.
Robert Mapplethorpe’s photographs in Towards Abstraction can be generalized as confrontational and slightly erotic. His focus on the human anatomy puts the audience at a slightly uncomfortable level, for his pictures are not shy of nudity. Although one may consider Mapplethorpe’s pictures as provocative, his use of shadow and shape on the human body are extraordinarily stunning. His picture “Back” utilizes shadow to emphasize the beauty of the muscular physique of a man.
Arthur Siegel’s contribution to the exhibit consisted mostly of photograms. One work that specifically stands out is “RCS Building,” a photogram of a building in New York City. The white streaks of what appear to be light, highly contrast with the dark buildings of the city. The photogram effect almost makes the building appear as if it is moving due to a powerful source that cannot be seen.
Robert Mapplethorpe’s photographs in Towards Abstraction can be generalized as confrontational and slightly erotic. His focus on the human anatomy puts the audience at a slightly uncomfortable level, for his pictures are not shy of nudity. Although one may consider Mapplethorpe’s pictures as provocative, his use of shadow and shape on the human body are extraordinarily stunning. His picture “Back” utilizes shadow to emphasize the beauty of the muscular physique of a man.
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