Carmel Magazine

Summer/Fall 2020

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128 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R / F A L L 2 0 2 0 turing the work of the ar tists it represents. "Our first book, "A Personal Section," won Photography Book of the Year, and edited by Brett, provided us the creative freedom to showcase unpublished images," says Williams. "He often told me that I was the only person he trusted to edit his work. After inviting me to Ansel Adams' 80th bir thday par ty, I reciprocated by host- ing his 80th gala at Stonepine. Brett began burning negatives that year, because he felt fiercely that future generations should view his photo- graphs exactly as he created them with his own hand. "So, Brett sought to preserve the visu- al integrity of his original photographs with that controversial gesture, initially announced in 1958 and sworn to imple- ment when he turned 80 in 1991. Brett's unwavering passion for the integrity of straight photography inspired me to dedicate a room in the gallery to him after his death and Photography West today remains a sanctuary exclusively devoted to film photography, each origi- nal created in classical wet darkrooms by the artist's own hand." Works in the gallery are primarily from medium and large format film, reflecting the techniques of the famous group f/64. "F/64 is the smallest aper ture with which you can get everything in the frame in focus from front to back," Christopher explains. "The human eye can't do that. The idea is to create a form of 'super-realism,' and give people the oppor tunity to see in perfect focus." In a world of Instagram filters, it's important to Christopher, who is a pho- tographer herself, to educate visitors to the intricacies of the techniques required to create the works on the walls. "When you make a photograph (with photographic paper from film) in a wet darkroom, it's literally created blind. In turn, it's physically impossible to make the same exact one twice, which is what makes photography a 'fine ar t' medium. It is my job as a gal- lerist to be just as par ticular about darkroom craftsmanship as I am about ar tistic composition," Christopher says. "Photography is the only ar t medium created from light. That is what photography is all about— light—and it is my privilege to share that light with others." Photography West Galler y is located on Dolores, one SE of Ocean Avenue in Carmel-by-the-Sea. For more information, call 831/625-1587 or go to photographywest.com. Portrait of Carol Williams & Julia Christopher by Brett Weston, Hawaii, circa 1987. Christopher Burkett, "Cottonwood and Light, Utah, 1987." 40x50 inch original Cibachrome photograph handmade by the artist from 8x10 format sheet film. Known to be the largest Cibachrome ever individually handmade by an artist in their own darkroom. Photo: © Christopher Burkett Photo: © Brett Weston Photo: © Bill Purcell

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