Paul Caponigro: The Polaroid Years
©Paul Caponigro
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“All that I have achieved are these dreams locked in silver. Through this work it was possible, if only for brief moments, to sense the thread which holds all things together. The world, the unity of force and movement, could be seen in nature – in a face, a stone, or a patch of sunlight. The subtle suggestions generated by configurations of cloud and stone, of shape and tone, made of the photograph a meeting place, from which to continue on an even more adventurous journey through a landscape of reflection, of introspection.”
-- Paul Caponigro Paul Caponigro (b. 1932) is America’s leading elder statesman of landscape and still life photography. His work completes an arc of black and white photography begun by Alfred Stieglitz and Paul Strand and continuing through Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, and Minor White, who was Caponigro’s principal mentor and teacher. |
Caponigro first worked as a photographer during his army service from 1952-55, during which he was stationed at San Francisco’s Presidio. His post-army years were a flurry of productive cross-country travel with fellow photographers, culminating in 1958 in his first one-man show, “In the Presence Of,” at the George Eastman House in Rochester.
In 1960, Caponigro relocated to Boston where he taught for a time at Boston University’s school of journalism. Ansel Adams introduced Caponigro to the Boston-based Polaroid Corporation where Adams himself was a consultant, and thus began a fruitful multi-year collaboration between Caponigro and Polaroid. For several days each month, Caponigro tested each new Polaroid black-and-white film product and camera and provided technical feedback on behalf of the community of fine-art photographers. This consultancy allowed Caponigro to give up commercial work and to devote himself full time to art photography.
The prints in this path-breaking exhibition are all from the extensive collection of the now-defunct Polaroid Corporation, which constituted the largest private holding of Caponigro’s work. They cover the years 1959-1968, which was arguably the most prolific decade in Caponigro’s storied career. In addition to fine-art prints, there are rarely-seen test-prints and unique positive-negative pairs that give a sense of Caponigro’s day-to-day work at Polaroid. Throughout, Caponigro’s blend of technical mastery and deep spirituality shines through.
Number of photographs: 65
Rental fee: $5800 for 8 weeks
In 1960, Caponigro relocated to Boston where he taught for a time at Boston University’s school of journalism. Ansel Adams introduced Caponigro to the Boston-based Polaroid Corporation where Adams himself was a consultant, and thus began a fruitful multi-year collaboration between Caponigro and Polaroid. For several days each month, Caponigro tested each new Polaroid black-and-white film product and camera and provided technical feedback on behalf of the community of fine-art photographers. This consultancy allowed Caponigro to give up commercial work and to devote himself full time to art photography.
The prints in this path-breaking exhibition are all from the extensive collection of the now-defunct Polaroid Corporation, which constituted the largest private holding of Caponigro’s work. They cover the years 1959-1968, which was arguably the most prolific decade in Caponigro’s storied career. In addition to fine-art prints, there are rarely-seen test-prints and unique positive-negative pairs that give a sense of Caponigro’s day-to-day work at Polaroid. Throughout, Caponigro’s blend of technical mastery and deep spirituality shines through.
Number of photographs: 65
Rental fee: $5800 for 8 weeks