JULIUS SHULMAN
COOL AND HOT
17.10.2010 - 27.02.2011
Julius Shulman’s 100th birthday on October 10th, 2010 gives us the chance to look at a body of artwork, which defined the view of the world through California and its modern architectural roots.
In the show Cool and Hot we will see beneath the iconic images an analytic view of the systematic approach Julius Shulman used when he translated the three-dimensional art of architecture into the two-dimensional art of photography. Not only was he able to set the standards for modern architectural photography, and collaborate with the most brilliant architects of these important decades; he invented a style never seen before.
Cool and Hot presents Cool in the reduced settings of the California Style, which reflected the American way of life – during a period of unlimited economic growth. This Coolness found its expression in the way he integrated people or their belongings into his photographs. Conversely it affects the Hot in the viewers and thus creates the desire to follow these congenial translated dreams of life. Hot describes the reactions, which are caused by his images. It is this perception which leaves us admiring the beauty of architecture and photography, while evoking the deep desire to be part of the scenery and thus to take part in the Great American Dream. This momentum in his work is outstanding, rare, and is an inseparable part of his art.
Cool and Hot combines the iconic images of the 40´s, 50´s, and 60´s, with the last decade of his work done in partnership with Juergen Nogai. Most people did not realize that Shulman was collaborating intensively with Juergen Nogai, a Santa Monica based architectural photographer. It is to Juergen Nogai's credit that through this very real partnership, they were able to transform and capture the dreamlike architecture in beautifully believable images.
The enormous influence of Julius Shulman’s work lies in this balance between cool and hot. It is no accident that today, the recognition he receives for his work is greater than ever before. In experiencing this, we begin to wonder where the beauty of yesterday’s dreams has gone. It is this very perplexity, which creates the desire, and urges us to look at significant art and architecture. Many of the houses he has photographed are modest homes, though not in their quality – but in their size. Through his work, he exemplified their interior design, and the integrated space between the interior and the exterior landscapes. Modesty and simplicity were also part of the way he creates images.
Julius Shulman was working to portray the architect’s vision and through that process he achieved fame. It was his eye, his technical understanding and the extraordinary spark of creativity, that lead him across the boundary into a totally new field of photography.
The exhibition catalogue is available at our shop. Order here