Clifford
• Smith Gallery is pleased to announce its April exhibition
of new photographs by Henry Horenstein: Humans. This is the debut
exhibition for this newest body of work and is accompanied by a book
of the same title published by Kehrer Verlag Heidelberg. There will
be a reception for the artist on Friday, April 1st, from 5:30 - 7:30
pm.
In his introduction to the book, Robert Flynn Johnson, Curator in
Charge of the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts at the Fine Arts
Museums of San Francisco, writes:
“Mystery
and a curious disorientation is a first reaction upon viewing the
most recent manifestation of Henry Horenstein’s photographic
art. By all accounts, this should not be the case. His subject matter
is the human body of which we all have intimate knowledge, albeit
at least with our own. The strangeness of Horenstein’s imagery
is that he has concentrated on the extreme close-up scrutiny of the
human body, turning it from the outer layers of distinct personalities
and individuals into universal landscapes with flesh substituting
for soil and hair acting as foliage. This visual test of our sensibilities
has a basis for explanation. We are so used to our own bodies that
we see, but don’t really observe ourselves. Except for noting
something out of the ordinary, such as the appearance of a bruise
or blemish, we see through ourselves as we go about the private activities
of dressing, bathing, and seeing our reflection in the mirror. We
gaze on the bodies of others in admiration, envy, or eros, but rarely
with the dispassionate intensity of these photographs.”
Horenstein adds, “Ten years ago, for no discernible reason,
I began photographing land and sea animals and produced books called
CREATURES, CANINE, and AQUATICS. As the work progressed, I moved closer
and closer so I could see my subjects more intimately. This way of
working felt very different than photographing people, places, and
events as a documentary photographer; it was far more peaceful, relaxing,
and introspective. And it required a lot more patience. Photographing
the human body was simply a natural extension of this direction.”
Henry Horenstein is Professor of Photography at the Rhode Island School
of Design. He is the subject of numerous monographs and the author
of the benchmark manuals Black and White Photography and Color Photography.