Brigham Young University Museum of Art to Display Photographic Dreamscapes of Rodney Smith
New York City-based photographer Rodney Smith explores the serene and the surreal through photographs created for his commercial clients including American Express, Saks Fifth Avenue, and the New York Times Magazine. Smiths photographs of striking beauty, sly wit, and poetic irony illustrate the insight that dreams provide into the experience of reality. Smiths images are replete with fantastic feats, visual puns and surprising juxtapositions.
Provo, UT (PRWEB) June 23, 2005 -- The images created by photographer Rodney Smith blur the boundary between imagination and reality. And within the surreal, dream-like world that Smith creates in his photographs, viewers can discover singular beauty, sly wit and even poetic truth.
An exhibition of Smiths work, Adams Dream: The Photographs of Rodney Smith," will be on view at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art from July 28, 2005 to January 16, 2006. The exhibition consists of 69 black and white gelatin silver prints drawn from all phases of Smiths career with a particular emphasis on his commercial work during the 1990s.
The title of the exhibition is drawn from a passage in an 1817 letter written by the poet John Keats, The imagination may be compared to Adams dream. He awoke and found it truth." In poetically interpreting Adam" as everyman," both Keats and Smith ponder the human experience of the imagination, dreams, and their connection to the immediacy of the physical world. Dreams can reveal essential truths that have been overlooked or denied by the conscious mind. Smiths photographs seek after the insight that dreams provide into the experience of reality.
A cameras eye," Smith says, can see the world with more acuity or resolve than your own eye. It can penetrate deeper, it can see sharper, it can give you an insight, a depth that your own eye cant have."
The timeless beauty of Smiths photography is a conscious counterbalance to the brash ugliness of the contemporary media environment. In contrast to the frenzied realism" of a lot of fashion and advertising photography, Smith creates images that foster a sense of serenity and well-being. My interest is not in what is new or fashionable, but rather what endures, and is graceful, stylish and beautiful," Smith says.
Smiths unique visual language has had great success in the commercial world. He searches for locations outside the studio that have the distinctive architecture and landscape features that will properly frame his vision. His photographs frequently reference other artists, most notably the surrealist painter Rene Magritte. Smith's images carefully balance the elements of design and spontaneity to make his contrived compositions appear natural. Smiths unwavering commitment to the science and craft of traditional black and white photography assures that the final photographic print will be an object of refinement and beauty.
Smith grew up in a family that was attuned to the details of appearance - his father was president of fashion industry giant Anne Klein. Smith recalls, A sense of style, a sense of proportion and a sense of beauty and a sense of grace - all of those things were very important in my upbringing." However, Smith rejected the superficial world of fashion to study English literature and theology at the University of Virginia.
Later, while in the Masters of Divinity in Theology program at Yale University, Smith met the renowned documentary photographer Walker Evans. Smith became Evans student and mastered the craft of black and white photography. Today, even though digital technology has largely replaced the darkroom, Smith remains committed to traditional photographic printing methods.
After graduating from Yale, Smith pursued various photographic projects, traveling through the southeastern United States, Haiti and Israel. This early work, which included live action, portraits, formal landscape and still life, had a significant impact on Smiths commercial photography. For nearly a decade, Smith worked in relative obscurity until a couple of high-profile assignments in the mid-1980s introduced his work to a broader audience. Today, Smith lists an impressive clientele on his resume, including American Express, Merrill Lynch, The New York City Ballet, Ralph Lauren, Saks Fifth Avenue, and the New York Times Magazine, to name only a few.
In addition to directing his active studio, Smith regularly lectures and teaches photography workshops. He has published two books, "In the Land of Light" (1983) and "The Hat Book" (1993), and is currently working on a third. He lives with his wife and daughter in Snedens Landing, a small community on the Hudson River near New York City.
Adams Dream: The Photographs of Rodney Smith" will be on view in the Conway A. Ashton & Carl E. Jackman Gallery on the museums second floor. This exhibition is free and open to the public during regular museum hours.
Digital Images: High-resolution images of a sample of Smiths work from the exhibition are available on request.
Interviews with the Artist: Smith is available to answer questions from the media about his work and upcoming exhibition. For Smiths contact information, please contact Christopher Wilson at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art or visit Smiths Web site at www.rodneysmith.com.
The Brigham Young University Museum of Art is one of the largest museum facilities in the Mountain West, hosting a diverse exhibition schedule that includes displays of its permanent collection, large traveling exhibitions and other thought-provoking temporary exhibitions. The Museum of Art is a place where the heart and mind are brought together to seek knowledge and values, self-affirmation and spiritual understanding.
Museum hours: Monday and Thursday from 10 am to 9 pm; Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 am to 6 pm; Saturday from noon to 5 pm; Closed Sunday.
Tours: Tours are conducted during regular museum hours and must be scheduled at least one week in advance. Tours usually last about one hour. Call (801) 422-1140 to schedule a tour or to inquire about additional information or special needs.
Contact:
Christopher Wilson
801 422-8251
christopher_wilson@byu.edu
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