Rodney Smith Photographs
By Rodney Smith (Author)
Price$95.00
Format Paperback
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Rodney Smith Photographs
by Rodney Smith
OVERVIEW
In the tradition of Richard Avedon and Irving Penn, Rodney Smith has a signature, timeless style. This dazzling collection, now in paperback and with a framable print, celebrates 50 years of Smith’s photography.
Rodney Smith bridges the gap between commercial photography and art, between the real world we live in and the artist’s world of the imagination. His images—silhouettes and skylines, a man in a hat, elegant women in lush gardens—are by now familiar to us. Rodney Smith Photographs presents the man behind the photographs. A selection of pictures spanning four decades, organized thematically, stand alongside personal reflections drawn from Smith’s popular blog. It reveals that the photographer’s signature style is the product of his unusual background, his unique perspective, and his many years of self-analysis: in short, Smith’s photographs are also pictures of their creator.
Rodney Smith bridges the gap between commercial photography and art, between the real world we live in and the artist’s world of the imagination. His images—silhouettes and skylines, a man in a hat, elegant women in lush gardens—are by now familiar to us. Rodney Smith Photographs presents the man behind the photographs. A selection of pictures spanning four decades, organized thematically, stand alongside personal reflections drawn from Smith’s popular blog. It reveals that the photographer’s signature style is the product of his unusual background, his unique perspective, and his many years of self-analysis: in short, Smith’s photographs are also pictures of their creator.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)
Rodney Smith (1947–2016) was born in New York City, NY. He found his artistic inspiration while visiting the permanent collection of photography at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) during his junior year in college. After graduating from the University of Virginia in 1970, he went on to earn a master’s degree in theology from Yale while also studying photography under Walker Evans. Influenced by the teaching and technical precision of Ansel Adams, Smith sought to perfect his own technique, narrowing his choice of camera, film, exposure, developer,and paper. He parlayed this training into a fellowship in Jerusalem, where he took the photos that would become his first book, In the Land of Light. After his return to the United States, he made his mark as a sought-after fashion photographer and artist. Throughout it all, he retained his signature aesthetic. Shooting exclusively with film and natural light, Smith’s timeless images are instantly recognizable for the way they combine surrealism, style and humor. Smith passed away unexpectedly at age 68, soon after the first publication of Rodney Smith Photographs. Smith’s other books include The Hat Book, The Book of Books and The End. See more at www.rodneysmith.com.