Day one of art challenge (thanks, MLiz Keefe). Im starting with a few images from my Conversation with John Coplans series, created in 2012. blog.camera80.ro/john-coplans Born in London, England in 1920, John Coplans grew up in South Africa. He traveled extensively as a youth, dropped out of high school to become a soldier during WWII, and migrated to the US in 1962. Upon arrival he traveled across the country to the West Coast and soon became the founding editor of Artforum magazine as well as a noted art critic and curator for most of his career. In 1980 he abandoned his criticism and curatorial work and turned voraciously to photography because he felt that at 60 years old he did not have enough time to catch up to his original medium of painting. He became a much-exhibited and almost immediately successful contemporary photographer. His subject were BIG photos of his aging but defiantly naked body and he created a stir with these provocative, socially challenging, and as some critics liked to say, grotesque images. In 1990 Coplans stated that “the principal thing is the question of how our culture views old age: that old is ugly.” Usually concentrating on small parts of his body he always worked with assistants, who, with his complete direction and choreography, did all of the actual set up and shooting for him. What is amazing is that near the beginning of this personal physical exploration Coplans suffered a severe attack of macular degeneration in his one good eye and could no longer see properly. This physical challenge did not hinder his photographic process and exploration. He continued to work closely with his assistants and orchestrated each shot for he felt that “we do not see with our eyes, but with our minds.” John Coplans died in 2003 at the age of 83 and he continued to explore the photographic landscape of his body until his death.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 12:16:12 +0000
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