Inspirations #14: Jackson Pollock

Number 8, 1948, by Jackson Pollock, oil on canvas

My daughter was taking an art class at her school on Saturdays earlier this year. I would drop her off, go get some coffee and visit with Rod Klukas at the camera store, then go out and photograph or scout for a few hours until I had to pick Lindsay up. One Saturday I noticed this large painting in one of the art classrooms. I asked Mr. Pesselato about it and he explained they were doing an homage to Jackson Pollock in the Art Club. I thought it was pretty interesting and asked if I could photograph it, to which he agreed.

I spent about an hour and a half photographing it, using a Nikon 120 Macro lens on my 4x5" camera with Velvia 50 so I could get up close and personal. These are all really small snippets of this large painting. Even in this small area the complexity is incredible. I made six images that morning and this is the first one I have scanned. I will post the rest when I have them scanned.

The colors are intense and the abstraction is reminiscent of Brett Weston or Aaron Siskind. Earlier in my photographic career I would have photographed this in black & white. But now, with my new appreciation and understanding of color this was the ONLY way I could photograph it today. I even tried converting it to black & white in Photoshop and it did nothing for me.

Art Club #1, 2009, Richard M. Coda

Below is the original and complete painting by the Art Club of Phoenix Country Day School. It is at least 4x8 feet in dimension. This is actually an Inspiration once removed... the Art Club was inspired by Jackson Pollock, and I was inspired by the students at PCDS. Thanks kids!

Art Club Spring 2009, Jackson Pollock Exercise, acrylic on paper, 48x96"

Inspirations #6: Paintings

Although most of my photographic inspiration has come from other photographers and photographs, sometimes it comes from other disciplines.

After graduating from college I took several courses just to keep busy. One was a Gallery Management class at William Paterson College (now University). I enjoyed this class a lot. It involved everything that goes along with operating a gallery, from selecting artists and shows to marketing to shipping. My professor even approached me about a Masters degree where I would work the gallery and take other art classes in return for a Master's degree. I received opposition (I won't go there) about this offer and began my working career instead. Making $11,700 a year in 1983 was a lot more enticing than a free Master's degree. And, looking back on it now, I made the right decision.

One good thing that came from this experience was a painting. We were hanging the student art show and this one painting was hung at the end of the gallery. Up close it was purely abstract, but standing at the other end of the gallery I saw "the face". I asked the curator about the artist. He was a student at WPC, Sal DiBenedetto. I got his phone number and talked with him about the painting. He said he got the idea from a story that after Hiroshima was bombed in WWII there were reports of the face of Jesus being seen in the mushroom cloud. This was his interpretation of that story. As most people who believe in a Creator think that He created the Heavens and the Earth, Mr. DiBenedetto has titled his work "The Mapmaker". I now own this painting, which I bought for $250 in 1984 when Sal needed rent money. I can't tell you how many people who have seen this painting don't see the face.

The Mapmaker, oil on canvas, by Sal DiBenedetto, 1983

Anyway, fast forward a few months to summer 1984. I was working on the Ellis Island Documentation/Interpretation project with Montclair State College and the National Park Service. As I had mentioned in a previous post, I became fascinated with the peeling paint on the walls at Ellis Island. When I walked into this one room my jaw nearly hit the ground. From across the room... there was "the face" again. I could not believe it. And with the history of this place I can only imagine how many new citizens saw Jesus here. I set up my 4x5 and made the exposure. During this project I made a number of other images which I am trying to work into a small portfolio of 4x5" contact prints this year.

The Mapmaker II, Ellis Island, NY, 1983, Richard M. Coda

Below is a cover article I designed to go along with my images as part of my presentation for a grade.

Inspirations #4

Brett Weston has been a strong influence in my work, especially my early work. His strong graphic compositions are a pleasure to view. His use of high contrast is also apparent throughout his life's work. You haven't seen black in a photograph until you have seen a Brett Weston print.

Mendenhall Glacier, AK, 1973, Brett Weston


Torn Poster, Montreal, Canada, 1985, Richard M. Coda

I was on a weekend trip to Montreal in 1985 and we were walking around sightseeing. I passed this poster that had most likely been through a Montreal winter or two. It was torn up pretty badly. I only had my 35mm with me on this trip so I stopped and took a few frames. In reality, the image should be rotated 90 degrees counter-clockwise, but when I originally previsualized this image I rotated it to a horizontal image. I was struck by the contrast and the lines and it did remind me of Brett Weston's Mendenhall Glacier.

If any students are out there reading this series I guess what I am trying to say is that by studying photographic history and seeing as many photographs (or paintings) as you can, be it in books, galleries or museums, is a great way to cultivate your eye and develop a style of your own. While these two images have absolutely nothing in common subject-wise, they do share many traits on several other levels.