Eleanor, Chicago, 1949, Harry Callahan
Multiple Exposure Tree, 1956, Harry Callahan
New York, 1969, Harry Callahan
Harry Callahan was an American photographer known for his open mind and experimental approach to photography. He began experimenting with photography when he was 26, and at the time was working for Crystler in Detroit as an engineer. After attending a workshop by Ansel Adams in 1941 at the Detroit photo guild and meeting with Alfred Steiglitz in 1942, however, this would push him to pursue photography further. In 1946, his talent was noticed by László Moholy-Nagy and he was invited to join the faculty at the Institute of Design in Chicago. Later in 1961, Callahan would move to Providence, Rhode Island to serve as the chair of the photography department at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).
Callahan was considered by many to be an innovator of modern American photography. He strayed from descriptive realism, the dominant aesthetic at the time, instead playing with different techniques of abstraction. For example, he would often utilize extreme contrast, reduction of form, multiple exposures, and present his subject from multiple points of view. His main subjects were his wife Eleanor, daughter Barbara, urban environments, and nature. Although his subject matter could be considered limited, he was a versatile photographer, shooting in both black & white and color as well as producing work that were formalist and documentary in nature.
My full presentation can be viewed here.
Resources:
- https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/constituents/harry-callahan?all/all/all/all/0
- https://www.moma.org/artists/924
- https://www.jacksonfineart.com/artists/harry-callahan/
- https://www.artsy.net/artist/harry-callahanhttps://www.pacegallery.com/artists/harry-callahan/
- https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/callahan-eleanor-chicago-p14514
- https://www.phillips.com/detail/harry-callahan/NY040214/87