AGAIN! Richard Avedon’s Overwhelming Murals

[Merg Ross]

The 'In the American West' prints were made by Avedon's staff using Modernage's facilities - see here for a very detailed breakdown of the production. Done on Agfa Portriga (and a lot of it).

Correct, printed at Modernage by Gideon Lewin and Ruedi Hofmann. Hofmann was a graduate of Brooks Institute of Photography and hired in 1981 by Avedon. Apparently Avedon often paid his help with gifted prints. Hofmann ended up with approximately 150 unsigned prints and was involved in a lawsuit with the Avedon estate regarding rights. Lewin also sued the estate over use rights of photographs he made of Avedon at work. He also claims to have printed all Avedon work from 1964 t0 1980.

Just a bit of trivia, does it make any difference in the like or dislike of Avedon's work? Probably not.

[Vaughn]

Our intermediate photo classes did a mural print project every quarter -- rolls of 40 to 42 inch wide RC paper. It was tied to a (loosely) self-portrait assignment with the 4x5. The critique was held in public on the front of the Art Building -- twenty-four 3'x5' (give or take) prints tacked to the building. Quite impressive and would draw a crowd.

The paper was a major budget item for me to work in! Students only got one chance (always exceptions if there was still paper), so between using the 4x5 for the first time and printing large, it was hit-and-miss sometimes. Students were required to make an 11x14 work print with a map for burning, dodging, masking, etc. to make it all work. The professor had the process down pretty good. Some big creative work! Definitely not on the scale of Modernage!!

[John Layton]

When I taught photography workshops at Dartmouth College, I had enough budget to get some of those large rolls...and we had developing troughs in the darkroom where two students, each standing on opposite sides of these troughs, would either be pulling upwards or allowing the paper to settle downwards. We had a Beseler 4x5 enlarger tilted to do wall projections for this - and it was great fun!

These days I use my own single-tray system to do 30x40's and 40x60's. Works great but can be a bit tedious and/or harrowing at times!

[Vaughn]

Our students see-sawed the prints in troughs, too. One got a lung-full of chemicals that way!

I turned around and aligned a couple of the D5-XLs (135mm lens) to project the 4x5s onto the floor, so we had two prints being worked on at the same time. Not enough clear wall space.

But for those decades on each side of the new millinium, printing big like that was not the average college photography experience and it was fun to be able to do it.

[MCohn]

John, I'm a Dartmouth alum! When did you teach there?

[John Layton]

Hmmm...from appx. Spring of 1986 through the Spring of 2004 - my teaching darkroom was in the basement of Robinson Hall, the old digs of college photographer Adrion Bouchard, with lots of great old (but a bit crusty) equipment, including those troughs! I was able to organize an upgrade sometime around 1993 or '94 - completely gutted the place and installed new plumbing, lab benches, enlargers, plus a large sink which was located away from the wall allowing students to work from both sides and for me to give demos while facing the class.

When were you there?

[MCohn]

Hmmm...from appx. Spring of 1986 through the Spring of 2004 - my teaching darkroom was in the basement of Robinson Hall, the old digs of college photographer Adrion Bouchard, with lots of great old (but a bit crusty) equipment, including those troughs! I was able to organize an upgrade sometime around 1993 or '94 - completely gutted the place and installed new plumbing, lab benches, enlargers, plus a large sink which was located away from the wall allowing students to work from both sides and for me to give demos while facing the class.

When were you there?

We just missed each other. I started fall of 2004. It’s a beautiful place—I still get up there at least once a year.