Sunday, February 27, 2011

Photo Sunday: Stephen Shore



I can't believe that it wasn't until last week that I'd ever heard of or seen the work of Stephen Shore.



Working in much the same vein (and the same time) as William Eggleston, Stephen Shore's style is nevertheless distinct. While Eggleston, as far as I know, always or at least usually shot with medium format or even 35 mm cameras, Stephen Shore works in 8x10.



Shooting with such a large camera and negative size, Shore's work has a much more painterly feel to it. It feels less spontaneous, but retains that impartiality that characterizes so much of Eggleston's work, too.


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Shore's interiors seem like a point of inspiration for Todd Hido, another of my favorite photographers.


This image is such a precursor to the work of Nan Goldin. She was more interested in people than fabric patterns, sure, but the aesthetic is quite similar.



Shore was born in 1947 (still alive, for the record) in New York City. His passion for photography began in childhood, and by the time he was 24, he had mounted a solo show in the MoMA. Shooting on cross-country road trips, Shore captured that proverbial American Landscape in its 1970s glory.


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As a young man, Stephen Shore hung out in Warhol's factory, and managed to snap some beautiful shots of the classic Factory denizens.


Nico


Lou Reed <3 and Andy Warhol

Unless otherwise specified, all images come from the website of Shore's representing gallery, 303 Gallery. All rights reserved to Stephen Shore and 303 Gallery. Biographical information comes from Shore's Wikipedia article

5 comments:

Annebeth said...

the crazy patterns+lady picture totally looks like a fashion ad. Very cool!

Kallie, Happy Honey and Lark said...

Ahh I love interior photos. THese are gorgeous, I love your descriptions too you do an excellent job on analyzing the photographs.

Alisa said...

wow, he's amazing! I love the first four photographs the most and i have to admit I have never heard of him prior to reading this... :)
very informative, thanks!
p.s. i have spent my entire 18th year of life idolizing nan goldin and studying her work, and I have to tell you the pattern/lady although in the same direction... is a really different concept etc :(

Jenny said...

I love all of these photos. They definitely represent Americana in its most mundane settings. I particularly like the furniture shots. It is reminiscent of the 1960's. Hope school is going well! xoxo

callie said...

These are incredible. I am so glad you do this Photo Friday (or Sunday ^_^) feature- I learn so much! I've had a mild obsession with the 70s lately so of course I love these shots. I'm going to go look at more of his work.