3. A LITTLE BACKGROUND....
• Known for assembling photographs from multiple negatives
• As many as 3-8 enlargers used to expose a print
• Likes to create evocative images that combined the realism of photography and the fluidity of our
dreams
• He received a lot of criticism for his work, strives to amaze himself
• He isn't threatened by digital photography
• "Equally hard to create great images with any tool used"
4. HIS TECHNIQUES....
• Uses traditional darkroom with many
enlargers to create his prints
• He is known for his photo montages, or
collages, which means combining
multiple negatives to create one final
print
God's Home Movies,
1963
5. FROM NEGATIVE TO PRINT....
• His work is primarily black and white
photographic photo montages
• Because he makes photo montages, he is able to
reuse many of his negatives over and over again
Self-Reflection, 2009
6. REOCCURRING
THEMES IN HIS WORK
• Lots of windows and hands in his photographs
• He likes to use "He's got the whole world in his hands"
metaphor in his prints
"I really like those pictures in that they sort of symbolize
for me this whole basic mythical concept that somehow
you imbue nature with human qualities and you find some
kind of resonance with that. "
Jerry Uelsmann
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11. What Speaks to Me
• Doesn’t start with a particular idea for a print
• All of the compositions are from pictures he has
taken himself
• Treats photography as an experimental art form
rather than a craft
• Encourages people to stop for a long time, and
frequently, when venturing out to take photographs
• He likes to respond emotionally, not intellectually,
with the world around him
12. VOYAGER, 2008
• Backlighting
• Lots of symmetry
• Rule of thirds
• Clouds framing the boat
• Waterline
• Asymmetry with the boat
• Mountains cascade inward
• Figure placed in the middle of the
water
• Signifies ageing?
13. MEDITATION MYSTERY,
2001
• Backlighting
• Ripples and hole draw your eye immediately to
the ladder
• Bird provides relief
• Patterns in the ladder
• Ladder makes me think of climbing into a pit:
• Was he in a dark place?
• Very dark scene
14. UNTITLED [PHILOSOPHERS DESK],
1976
• Dreamlike, because of open roof and clouds overhead
• Man walking along the book, on the desk, pondering the
philosophical questions in life
• Spotlight on the desk immediately draws your eye to the
man walking along the book
• Contrast between clouds and the room in the forefront
15. WHAT CAN WE LEARN?
• Don’t be afraid to stop and really look at your surroundings
• Let your imagination run free
• Experiment with your style and don’t limit yourself
• Don’t let bad reviews keep you down
• Amaze yourself
16. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Uelsmann, Jerry. "Jerry Uelsmann Interview." Interview by Chris Maher and Larry Berman. Blog post. BermanGraphics. N.p., 2007. Web. 7 Dec. 2016.
<http://www.bermangraphics.com/press/jerry-uelsmann.htm>.
This is an interview of Jerry Uelsmann in which he explains a lot of his creative process and the inspiration for the type of darkroom-focused photography.
PDN. “Q &Amp; A With Jerry Uelsmann.” PDNGallery, PDN, www.pdngallery.com/global/en/professional/features/legendsV5Q5/qa.pdf.
In this interview, by PDN, Uelsmann talks about his relationship with actual photography. He also mentions the reason why he doesn’t title his photography: Critics
would focus too much on them and not the artwork itself. He has begun to title his work now that he is older.
Uelsmann, Jerry. “Jerry Uelsmann.” Jerry Uelsmann, 2012, www.uelsmann.net/.
This is Jerry Uelsmann's official website. This contains lots of his prints and also has a bunch of links to interviews, and other publications pertaining to him.
