A Photographic Leap Day

 

In celebration of Leap Day—the best of all temporally related quadrennial celebrations—I thought it would be fun to take a photographic look at the “art of the leap.”

But first, let’s take a moment to define what is, and what is, not a leap. For instance….

NOT a leap: George Zimbel – Marilyn Monroe, Looking Left

A sixteenth-hearted effort if I’ve ever seen one.  Let someone else have the spotlight for once, Marilyn!

 

ALMOST a leap: Henry Horenstein – Miss Saturn, Outside Slipper Room, New York, NY 2008

Nice fake-out, Miss Saturn, but no matter how celestial your pose (and name) may be… your stance remains a tad too Earthbound for my taste

 

Leap: Ruth Orkin - Boy Jumping Into Hudson River, 1948

Now THAT’S how it’s done!

 

Culturally, the French appear to be quite adept in their leaptitude, which is unmistakable in this duo of jump-themed pieces.

Yves Klein –Le Saut dans le vide, 1960

 

  Henri Cartier-Bresson – Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare, 1932

 

Jacques-Henri Latrigue – Bichonnade Leaping

 

Fear not, patriots, for while the French Leap does appear prominently in the photographic realm, we all know the Freedom Leap is equally entertaining.

Loomis Dean – Man Flying Off a Trampoline at Santa Monica Beach

 

Susan Burnstine – Jump

 

Dance is rife with leap photo-ops, and American modern dance queen, Martha Graham, shows up prominently in photography of the mid-20th century. Let’s combine the two, shall we?

Barbara Morgan – Graham Group, American Document; Sophie Maslow, Frieda Flier and Marforie Mazia (Starburst) 1938

 

Phillipe Halsman – Merce Cunningham, leaping and Martha Graham, sitting

 

Apparently umbrellas play an integral part in the “leap shot,” as is evident in the following rainy day photos.

Richard Avedon – Homage to Munkasci, 1957

 

Elliott Erwitt – Paris, 1989 (Tour Eiffel)

 

Like to see some of these works in person?  Never purchased a work of fine art photography? Take the LEAP (see what I did there?!) and stop on in the John Cleary Gallery.  Happy Leap Day everyone… and don’t forget those umbrellas!

Henry Horenstein with B. Hollyman Gallery and the Austin Center for Photography

 

In collaboration with Austin Center for Photography (ACP), B. Hollyman Gallery will be exhibiting Henry Horenstein’s series Animalia, a collection of intimate and intriguing portraits of land and sea creatures made between 1995 and 2001.

Asiatic Elephant

 

Horenstein shoots with a balanced uniqueness, experimenting with view, angle, and perspective. Each photograph is different, yet with a similar underlying mood. Some captivate the viewer with a macro look at scales, texture and animal skin. Others unveil the deeper nuances of personality and mystery. Some are simply quiet and beautiful.

Brown Sea Nettles

 

Horenstein shoots with a balanced uniqueness, experimenting with view, angle, and perspective. Each photograph is different, yet with a similar underlying mood. Some captivate the viewer with a macro look at scales, texture and animal skin. Others unveil the deeper nuances of personality and mystery. Some are simply quiet and beautiful.

White-cheeked Spider Monkey

 

Austin Center for Photography’s Icons of Photography No.12 lecture series brings Horenstein to Austin on Friday, November 18 at 7:00pm. He will speak at the Blanton Museum of Art Auditorium on the UT campus. To purchase tickets, go to www.visitacp.org/events.

B. Hollyman Gallery is pleased to host a coinciding exhibit, running November 19 – January 14, 2012 with an opening reception on Saturday, November 19, 6:00 to 8:00pm.  The gallery is located at 1202-A West Sixth Street, Austin, Texas 78703 (adjacent to Wally Workman Gallery).

Hello, Goodbye

 

The beginning of June is bringing about lots of changes here at the John Cleary Gallery.  Henry Horenstein’s Show photos have come down to make way for Mitch Dobrowner’s Storm Series.  (It’s not too late to make the opening reception with the artist tonight from 6-8 p.m.!)

You don’t have to go but you can’t stay here! (No seriously, we don’t have the storage)

 

The other big change happening is that, unfortunately, my tenure here as assistant director will come to a close at the end of tonight’s opening.  I can say without hesitation that it has been a pleasure to come into this gallery every day and be surrounded but such fascinating pieces of art. 

Weep not for me, though, because upon leaving here I will be headed on a two month tour singing the baritone solo in Brahm’s Requiem across Europe.  My blogging duties aren’t exactly ending because I may make a random post here or there whenever inspiration hits.  (Until then you can always follow my own blog here!)

So thanks for following and please say hello/goodbye if you make it to the opening tonight.

Preparations for Henry Horenstein: Show

 

Today we’re in the final swings of getting up the Henry Horenstein exhibit at the gallery.  For the last show, Keliy (the artist) and her husband Matt hung the pictures up themselves but generally Catherine does her own.  So this time she taught me all about installing… which, unfortunately, involves math and stuffs :(

Look at me being all handy with tools.  There’s even a giiiiiant ladder in the background. 

 

Unfortunately, the illusion is mildly mostly completely shattered when you see the image I was putting up:

BOOYAH!!!!

(Henry Horenstein: Shoes, California Institute of Abnormalarts (CIA), Los Angeles, CA, 2007)

 

And (because I couldn’t resist) a couple of completely mature and respectful shots:

I may or may not have caught whopping cough from ol’ George Washington there. 

(Tip in Fishnets, Jacques Cabaret, Boston, MA, 2005)

 

This is going into my audition portfolio for Top Chef!

(Swords, Los Angeles, CA, 2005)

 

If you’re around for the opening tomorrow between 6 and 8 p.m. at the John Cleary Gallery you should com.plete.ly stop by.  In addition to a book signing with the artist the Ruby Review Burlesque ensemble from Dallas will be performing live throughout the evening, plus Henry is showing a preview of his original documentary at 8:15 p.m.!!

Artist: KC & the Sunshine Band/ Album: Greatest Hits

Hop to It

 

Happy Easter from the John Cleary Gallery!

Henry Horenstein: Scotty the Blue Bunny, New York, 2008

To see more of Henry’s work, make sure to catch the opening of Show on Saturday, April 23 from 6 – 8 pm at the gallery.  Henry will be at the opening for a book signing and the screening of an original documentary, as well as live performances by the Ruby Revue Burlesque ensemble.

For more information, check out our previous blog post here.

Henry Horenstein: Show

GIRLS! GIRLS GIRLS!

Fishnets, New York Burlesque Festival, Southpaw Brooklyn, New York, 2005

 

Got your attention, didn’t we?

Please join us Saturday, April 30, from 6-8 p.m. forr the opening of Henry Horenstein: Show, a candid look into the neo-burlesque world  from 2001-2009.  The exhibition will run through Saturday, May 28th.  The artist will be in attendance for the opening reception and book signing.  A screening of an original Horentsein documentary will be shown at 8:15 p.m. and live entertainment for the evening will be provided by Dallas’ Ruby Revue Burlesque.

Jackie Beat, California Institute of Abnormalarts (CIA) Los Angeles, CA 2007

 

Boston-based photography Henry Horenstein has spent the last three decades making an indelible mark on the photographic world.  His subjects range from the country music industry of the 1970’s and ‘80’s to the animal kingdom to the thrill of the Saratoga horse races.

             Danyella de Meux, Los Angeles, CA, 2005

Show is a return to Horenstein’s roots as a documentary photography.  With a mixture of shooting love performances and in-studio work, Show captures the heat, humor, history and sensuality of an art form that is oft forgotten yet still thriving.

Flambeaux, New York, 2006

 

Horenstein has been a working photography and teacher since the 1970’s and has authored more than thirty books—Honky Tonk, Animalia, Humans, Racing Days and Show among his most prominent.  His work has been exhibited in galleries and museums both nationally and internationally, including the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, Washington, D.C.; the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston; and the International Museum of Photography, George Eastman House, Rochester, New York.  Horenstein currently lives in Boston and is a professor of photography at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Amber Ray (eye), Los Angeles, CA, 2005

 

We hope you can make it to this extraordinary, multifaceted event on April 30th.  If not, Henry’s photography will be on exhibit through May 28th—stop by any time!!

The 2011 AIPAD Photography Show

Deck the Walls

Deck the Walls is an annual group exhibition of vintage and contemporary pieces that allows John Cleary Gallery to showcase a variety of artists, prices ranges, styles, and photographic mediums.  Deck the Walls will feature gallery favorites such as Elliott Erwitt, Maggie Taylor, Jeffrey Becom, Mitch Dobrowner, Takeshi Shikama, along with several others.  There will be something here for everyone’s budget and taste.

Henry Horenstein Booksigning this Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Diverseworks

Join John Cleary Gallery and HCP on Friday, April 23 for a presentation by Henry Horenstein of his life as a photographer and a sneak peek of his newest short film.  Shot between 2001 and 2008, Show, Henry's newest work, is published in his recently released book and also the focus of the film, which is about the myriad worlds of burlesque, drag, fetish, and sideshow.

Show

A Short Film and Presentation with Henry Horenstein

April 23, 2010

7:30 - 9:00 p.m.

at Diverseworks Art Space

A book signing will follow the screening.  Books available for purchase at the event include:

Honky Tonk

Animalia

Aquatics

Creatures

Humans

Henry is in town to teach a Master Class at Houston Center for Photography on Saturday and Sunday, April 24 & 25.  Check their website to see if you can still register for a space with this master photographer.

We hope to see you Friday night!