A Contemporary Female Vision of the Landscape
All,
I was placing a couple of new monographs I received for Christmas up on the shelf tonight and as I started to go through the books I noticed something odd - to me at least.
Of the 100 or so volumes I have, only TWO are by or about female photographers. The two represented are Laura Gilpin ( An Enduring Grace) and my freind Marion Patterson (Grains of Sand). Of these, only Marion has worked primarily in the landscape.
So I sat down and tried to write down all the contemporary female landscape photographers I could think of and only came up with a few names. These are Marion Patterson, Paula Chamlee, Joan Myers and Sally Mann ( her last book was landscape so I counted her). That is all!
I can come up with MANY female photographers working in other areas such as still life, portrature, documentary, social exploration and the nude. Photographers such as Flor Garduno, Mona Kuhn, Annie Liebovitz, Carola Clift, Anne Larson, Carol Henry, Lynne Gesseman, Ruth Bernhard and Barbara Kasten.
But few seem to concentrate their efforts on the landscape, why is that?
There has to be others that I am just not coming up with at the moment. I would like to see more landscape work by women but can find little in the way of books, articles, etc.
I understand that there were several in the past, artists like Imogen Cunningham, but who are the top female landscape photographers working today?
If some of you have ideas on whose work I should take a look at or why there don't seem to be more female visions of the landscape represented in the current market I would appreciate your insight.
Thanks to all and have a very happy new year.
Eric
A Contemporary Female Vision of the Landscape
Barbara Bosworth's "Trees: National Champions".
A wonderful book!
A Contemporary Female Vision of the Landscape
Fay Godwin. Lois Connor. Linda Connor. Laura McPhee. Eileen Keator. Susan Lipper. Lina Bertucci. Many more, I'm sure.
A Contemporary Female Vision of the Landscape
In addition to those already mentioned, I like these two:
Lynn Davis: www.houkgallery.com/davis-iceberg/davis-iceberg.html
Sally Gall: www.sallygall.com/
I do see a lot of women contentedly hopping up onto the pedastals society has erected to keep them in their place. An awful lot seem to plump for Francesca Woodman style introversion, or sweet fairy knoll stuff like this: www.elin_hedstrom.fotosidan.se/. No worse than men baa-ing their way to the sports bar, but it gives the lie to all those personal statements that talk about an individual vision.
Is it too late to say "Baa Humbug!"?
A Contemporary Female Vision of the Landscape
It's never too late to say "Bah! Humbug!" :-)
I would second the inclusion of Fay Godwin's name in any landscape Hall of Fame. Her death this year was a great loss to photography.
A Contemporary Female Vision of the Landscape
Com'on, we all know that womyn belong nude in the landscape, as the great masters like Wynn Bullock and Jock Sturges have shown us the true path....
A Contemporary Female Vision of the Landscape
or sweet fairy knoll stuff like this: www.elin_hedstrom.fotosidan.se/.
I'll say it's sweet. I looked at that site and a filling fell out right away. Otta be a warning on that stuff.
A Contemporary Female Vision of the Landscape
If you are talking contemporary you should probably add Tomiko Jones. She works in the landscape and meets the requirement the Frank Petrino expressed.
Her work upsets many people and brings many responses of "junk" and "she could make better use of her talent". I read her artist statement somewhere and she is interested in things other than what appears on the surface of the image...
http://www.tomikojonesphoto.com/landscape_gallery/
steve
A Contemporary Female Vision of the Landscape
Laura McPhee/Virginia Beahan - both together and solo.
I guess you could include them in the fairly short list of photographers who work as a team
A Contemporary Female Vision of the Landscape
While not quite landscape photography, I think an enterprising publisher could do quite well next Christmas season by coming out with a special gift boxed set of Ann Geddes baby photography and an accompanying vomit bucket...