This month, Helen Wolstencroft will introduce the work of Paul Strand. Details to follow.
Paul Strand (1890–1976) - Master of Modern Photography
In 2014 the Philadelphia Museum of Modern Art created a major retrospective touring exhibition of Paul Strand’s work. The V&A collected Strand’s work throughout his life so combined some of their own collection, notably images his images from the Outer Hebrides, with the Philadelphia material, holding an exhibition at the V&A in London in 2016.
Helen Wolstencroft, who will introduce his work, was lucky enough to see this exhibition and her memory of Strand’s photographs has stayed with her, particularly the early street portraits, architectural and abstract images. The exhibition catalogue produced by the Philadelphia Museum of Modern Art: Paul Strand – Master of Modern Photography, is a hefty tome but well worth studying if we want to learn more about this photographer. The much smaller Aperture book - Masters of photography – Paul Strand is also a good introduction to his work.
In a career that spanned almost the entire 20th century, Paul Strand is famous for delving into the heart of small communities, capturing a sense of authenticity, telling the stories of the people and places that he visited through his photography. His prints were meticulously produced as he paid particular attention to detail and tonality. It is said his approach greatly influenced American photography. He advocated ‘straight photography’, and photographed street portraits to city scenes, machine forms, and plants.
‘The Artist’s world is limitless. It can be found anywhere, far from where he lives or a few feet away. It is always on his doorstep.’ (Paul Strand)
Meetings of the Bookworm Club take place monthly, on the 3rd Wednesday of the month when a member of the Group introduces the work of a photographer of their choice. Groups are deliberately kept small to enable good conversation and exchange of ideas.
Being offered by Video Conference.
All Welcome but pre-registration is necessary
Joining instructions/links to the Video-Conference will be sent out before the meeting to those registered on this website. Any problems please e-mail the organiser.: LondonBookworms@rps.org
Free of Charge
