Nice pictures

August 7, 2006 5:11 PM

Photos by Ken Rosenthal. {via Apartment Therapy}
posted by dobbs (11 comments total)

"Rather than working them digitally, Rosenthal does his manipulation the old fashioned way, in the darkroom. He uses a number of different diffusion techniques while printing, or uses bleach and selective toning after the work is printed. An experienced printer, Rosenthal worked in Arnold Newman's studio, and uses in his own work those techniques he picked up working there. Rosenthal’s toned silver gelatin prints are modestly sized squares. Each image seems to be shot through a haze. The images are soft focus and blurry. The blurriness adds mystery as well as a timelessness to the work. While many of the images present recognizable imagery--pictures of women and children, family outings and games--it is impossible to ascertain a specific identity. Rosenthal wants these images to evoke another time and place, to suggest a memory of a person or event without the ability to recall details." [source].

I like Rosenthal's photographs.

Brings to mind some of the work of Matt Mahurin and Robert & Shana ParkeHarrison.
posted by ericb at 5:26 PM on August 7, 2006

Overprocessed shlock.
posted by delmoi at 8:37 PM on August 7, 2006

I rather like them. I'm a suck for wet process photography (particularly kallitype).
posted by shoepal at 8:57 PM on August 7, 2006

don't hold back, delmoi, say what you really think
posted by jonson at 8:59 PM on August 7, 2006

(I meant "I'm a sucker for wet process...". I don't suck for wet process photography. Though, I suppose there's a first time for everything.
posted by shoepal at 9:09 PM on August 7, 2006

I think reactions to this kind of work are strongly correlated with personal tastes in the area of weight given to representation versus technique. Personally, I'm not taken with these photographs, for the same reason I prefer Rembrandt to Renoir; I look at a Rembrandt, and wonder about the subject, whereas, I look at a Renoir, and wonder about Impressionism.

But Rosenthal's no slacker; there's honest effort in these pictures.
posted by paulsc at 9:13 PM on August 7, 2006

They look like memories.
posted by StickyCarpet at 11:00 PM on August 7, 2006

Thank you! They were beautiful.
posted by martinrebas at 11:36 PM on August 7, 2006

The portraits smack of trying too hard, but some of the landscape and architectural stuff is pretty pleasing.

Seems that he's completely absorbed the Vaseline-smeared Hollywood cliché for representing the remembered or dreamt, though - dunno about anyone else, but my memories and dreams are sharp but fragmented, not in soft focus sepia.
posted by jack_mo at 2:25 AM on August 8, 2006

my memories and dreams are sharp

If you could examine more closely, you might find that your memories have "sharpness" in the the same way that these figures have "hands," just enough to recognize the attribute.
posted by StickyCarpet at 4:29 AM on August 8, 2006

thanks for the post, dobbs
posted by matteo at 5:45 AM on August 8, 2006