New Topographics Redux
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009for the second time in 34 years I spent some time at the New Topographics show at GEH. the house has re-hung the seminal show from 1975 not in the original gallery but the adjacent one, 100 prints from the original exhibition. Talk about a personal history of photography. I distictly remember having a railing experience about Hank Wessel’s work for at least an hour as Paul Hester and I drove back to Providence from Rochester. How impactful the show became when my generation began to teach the edicts of the show and then those students carried on the tradition. My feelings have changed about the work in the show over the years and now taking a class there yeaterday heard my speaking in reverential terms about the work. True, photography has moved along and different ideas are embraced now, and Rick Hock said “it was no big deal”, it still remains a seminal work. I am delighted to spen time with it.