This retrospective is up through March at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art. Penn was a master and a perfectionist, and this show does his work justice. A lot of his work was done with a Rollei, I'm sure that the still-life was done in 8x10. Silver prints, platinums, dye-transfers, C-prints, Cibas... he mastered all the media as well. A must-see for any LFPF member within reach.
This exhibit is now at the Dallas Museum of Art. I went to see it over the weekend especially to see the Pt/Pd prints. They were exquisite. Most are from enlarged negs but a few were 8x10 and 12x20 contacts.
I doubt he printed his own work, esp in such a wide range of media. There were specialty shops around for that kind of thing.
I think he (and probably an assistant or two) worked on the Pt/Pd prints. There was a copy of a page out a notebook that had his notes on testing emulsions and paper for a particular print. Not sure about the vintage silver gelatin prints but they were beautiful as well. Even if he didn't print his own work he certainly oversaw the production and, from all indications, he was quite meticulous in everything he did.
He did extensive printing and testing, he is one of my Hero's.
Dye transfers? - when there were labs in town specializing in it on an assembly line basis? Cibas? - weren't those after his own era anyway? Pt/Pd I can understand. A lot of his subject matter was high key b&w.
Lest I get my foot in my mouth I've been trying to see if Penn personally printed any of his color work. I still would surmise he did not. The examples looks too professionally done for a schedule of a noted photographer who was already in high demand for his camera skills. I regret having poked my nose into this. It kinda tanks my opinion of him. Way too "gotcha" for my taste. But if that is what paid the bills in the newer era of predominately color magazine covers and advertisements, understandable. Next time I'll close my eyes to all that and try just to remember his more nuanced poetic side in black and white.
If he signed it, he printed it.
Wilhelm (Sarasota)
What on earth makes you think that? Like I already suggested, did he personally have the kind of facilities necessary for his own color work, or even the time to
do complex comps. Then there appear to be some anachronisms. He did live to 92; and it is probable he supervised assistants for certain technical aspects, and in that sense indirectly printed his own work, much as Hurrell and many other production studios have, who have also signed these kinds of things. I really don't know. I don't follow advertising photography much, because it doesn't appeal to me.
The final process of rolling Dye Transfers is carried out in daylight and actually quite simple. Making the seps and the correction negs, and the final matts is where the work is time-consuming, and can be done by assistants. Once the first one is perfect, the rest are routinely mass produced by the artist.
Wilhelm (Sarasota)
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