Julius Shulman
Julius Shulman | |
|---|---|
 The Kaufman House in Palm Springs, California, made famous by the photographs of Julius Shulman. | |
| Born | October 10, 1910 |
| Occupation | Architectural photographer |
Julius Shulman, (born October 10, 1910) is an American architectural photographer best known for his photograph "Case Study House #22[1], Los Angeles, 1960. Pierre Koenig, Architect." The house is also known as The Stahl House. Shulman's photography spread California modernism around the world. Through his many books, exhibits and personal appearances his work ushered in a new appreciation for the movement beginning in the 1990s. His vast library of images currently reside at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. His contemporaries include Ezra Stoller and Hedrich Blessing.
Julius Shulman's images of Californian architecture have burned themselves into the retina of the 20th century. A book on modern architecture without Shulman is inconceivable. Some of his architectural photographs, like the iconic shots of Frank Lloyd Wright's or Pierre Koenig's remarkable structures, have been published countless times. The brilliance of buildings like those by Charles Eames, as well as those of his close friend, Richard Neutra, was first brought to light by Shulman's photography.
The clarity of his work demanded that architectural photography had to be considered as an independent art form. Each Shulman image unites perception and understanding for the buildings and their place in the landscape. The precise compositions reveal not just the architectural ideas behind a building's surface, but also the visions and hopes of an entire age. A sense of humanity is always present in his work, even when the human figure is absent from the actual photographs.
Today, a great many of the buildings documented by Shulman have disappeared or been crudely converted, but the thirst for his pioneering images is stronger than ever before.
Exhibitions
On December 16, 2007 Shulman attended a showing of his architectural photography at the Los Angeles Public Library[2]. The exhibit, sponsored by The Getty Center [3], includes one hundred fifty photographs documenting architectural changes in Los Angeles for the last eighty years. This progression includes the re-development of Bunker Hill, the growth of Century City, the avant-garde architectural designs in Los Angeles, such as Watts Towers, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, and the Getty Villa, as well as the growth of Wilshire Boulevard. The exhibition features the industrial engines at the Port of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles International Airport that helped fuel the growth of Los Angeles Also, featured diverse residential fabric from Echo Park to South Los Angeles. The exhibit spot-lighted Shulman's unique role in capturing and promoting innovative, sleek Case Study Houses, as well as the contrasting tract housing developments with repeated floor plans.
Film
Synopsis: Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, "Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman", as directed by Eric Bricker, explores the career of architectural photographer, Julius Shulman. Populating his photos with human models and striking landscapes, Shulman combined organic with synthetic, melding nature with contemporary design. These images shaped the careers of some of the great architects of the 20th Century. Exploring Shulman’s art and uniquely creative life, Visual Acoustics offers an unforgettable portrait of Modernism’s most eloquent ambassador.
References
External links
- Julius Shulman: Man Behind the Camera (kcet.org)
- NPR Architectural Photographer Julius Shulman
- An online collection of Shulman photographs at USC
- The German publisher Taschen has released several books and photographic editions by Shulman
- Julius Shulman Institute at Woodbury University
- Julius Shulman Resources - The Getty
- VISUAL ACOUSTICS The Modernism Of Julius Shulman
  | This article about an American photographer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |