James Welling: Monograph, at Hammer Museum (Event Blog 2)

Date Attended: November 26, 2013

I visited James Welling’s “Monograph” exhibit at the Hammer Museum.  The exhibit features the life work of James Welling, a photographer who aside from exploring the documentary side of photography, explored the material and chemical nature of the field as well.  “Monograph” surveys the vast possibilities of photography from the real to the abstract.

Picture of me at the entrance to the exhibit.

In his collection “Los Angeles Architecture and Portrait”, Welling demonstrates his ability to create traditional photography by displaying architecture and portraits of his friends in a technically sound and aesthetically appealing manner.  It is apparent from his photographs in this collection that Welling was a true student of photography due to his use of photographic principles such as “The Rule of Thirds”.

Picture of Los Angeles Architecture, with 3x3 grid over it abiding by the “Rule of Thirds”.

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It was Welling’s more abstract collections of art that really peaked my interest.  In “Degradés”, Welling used photographic technologies to create art without taking pictures with a camera.  “Degradés” consists of prints where half of the emulsion paper was exposed to one color and the other half was exposed to a different color using an enlarger.  Welling also avoids the use of camera and film in “New Abstractions”, where he placed pieces of white paper on emulsion paper, developed it, scanned it, and inverted the colors to create negative images.

Artwork from “New Abstractions”.

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The true beauty of this exhibit was how it appealed to both my scientific and aesthetic interests.  Photography has always been my favorite medium of art, since it lies at the intersection of optics, chemistry, and creativity.   Being surrounded by hundreds of Welling’s artistic compositions, conjured an overwhelming feeling of magnificence for what one man can achieve within the limited constraints of his field of study.  Not only does Welling emphasize the breadth of the field, he also extends the possibilities past its current boundaries, proving the unlimited nature of photographic art.  Overall, Welling’s life work demonstrates a deep appreciation for the field of photography as a whole and serves as a gift of gratitude to the field itself.