In an epic undertaking, Nathan Lyons, supported by George Eastman House, Memorial Art Gallery and Visual Studies Workshop assembled, sequenced and installed 230 pictures in three venues, covering 40 years of Wood’s imagemaking. There is a companion book, published by Steidl, that is a must have addition to my library.

When I walked in to the House (GEH) the front gallery held about 50 pictures and the feeling was eerie. First off, I remember so many of the pictures from the late 60s and early 70s, It felt like a history of photography but only my photographic education. Much of the extended thinking was something I emulated in my early life as a photographer. Johns Wood represents that ever inquisitive midset of “what if I try this, what will happen?” There was a certain disregard to the purist viewpoint of that era led by Minor White, Paul Caponigro, et al and he investigated the boundaries of what picture making was, what should it look like and how one should even make pictures. Although he was mainly photography based, even that was not strict dogma.

I spent an hour today looking at the 130 some pictures at VSW and derived much energy from the work. The work wasn’t slathered in arty sauce, it was honest and organic and experimantal and full of enery and joy for the picture making process. How very cool. Photos to be posted soon.

Three photographs are up at Panopticon Gallery at Kenmore Square in Boston.

Bruce Myren is showing at Gallery Kayafas in Boston, The View Home, a series of 8×10 contact prints (and a fine series it is.  Arlette Kayafas has moved her gallery at 450 Harrison upstairs to a new space with double the space and exhibition possibilities.  Also included in the show are three large scale triptychs for his memories series.  The show and gallery opened on Oct 16.

Karin Rosenthal, Belly Landscape 1980

First Doubt: Optical Confusion in Modern Art, a new show by Joshua Chan, curator at Yale University Art Gallery, with 114 pictures drawn from the Allan Chasanoff collection, looks at optical confusion in pictures. A topic that is often talked about in classes but rarely investigated as thoroughly as this. With pictures from Ansel Adams to Lee Friedlander all dealing with a confused optical space, the viewer is challenged to look out and figure out sometimes very beguiling space. The show is up through January 4, 2009 but will be reconfigured three times during the run. Worth a look.

In Jackson, WY at the Oswald Gallery, Cary Tijerina is holding forth and is showing a fine selection of work including Dylan Vitone, Kelli Connell, and Jon Stuart among others.  While not exactly known for first rate fine photography Jackson is blessed to have the Oswalds in residence there.  The gallery is large enough to have several galleries and devote a space to contemproary artists and a fine showing of collectable photographs as well.  Cary is a knowledgeable, engaging and articulate host.  When in Jackson and tired of the extraordinary landscape and weather, spend some time at Oswald Gallery.

Behind the Seen: Photographs of Abe Morell

The second time I have seen and written about an Abe Morell exhibition in two months; this time at YUAG in New Haven.  There are about 40 pictures up including some of his very recent color work done in museums (as Doran Artist in Residence at YUAG) and camera obscura. The show is up through Aug 10.

The guy just continues to make first rate stuff.

Jerry Leibling has a grand show at Yale Art Gallery that went up last week, most of a collection Yale recently purchased, with pictures from 1947-2000, b&w and color. Leibling is a master of surface, body, spirit and life. I sure like his work, especially his most recent color stuff.

Butterfly Boy, Jerome Leibling, 1949

Photographs from the Doris Bry collection are also up at Yale. A fine historical collection of pictures from Atget to Winogrand and much in between. Amazingly, there were no pictures larger than 20×24, which meant there were lots of pictures to look at very closely. A Robert Frank picture of the highway not even 2×3 in., many in the 8×10 range, quite a change to what we are typically seeing today.

Albert Renger-Patzsch 1942

Abe Morell has a wonderful new bunch of pictures up at Bernie Toale’s Gallery in SOWA. There are a half dozen color camera obscura pictures, three of which are just fine. A group of maybe 8 B&W Cliche Verres of the world. Five or six new pictures mad in museums, of juxtapositions of famous artworks juxtaposed with other elements. All three groups certify that Abe just keeps rolling along making strides (maybe leaps and bounds) forward, Solid work and a joy to see.

www.bernardtoalegallery.com

Frank Gohlke has two groups of pictures up at Gallery Kayafus just down the walk from Bernie’s gallery. He is one of the best landscape photographers working today. There is always something curious and beautiful about and in Frank’s pictures, standing in fornt of them invariably reveals more than simple surface or form.

www.gallerykayafas.com

The PRC has its annual member’s show juried by Leslie Martin, Publisher of Aperture. This is a show with ten or so photographers (out more than 300 submissions) and at the very least represents a survey of the state of the art today. The PRC continues to provide a beacon of insight and a feel for the pulse of where the medium is today.

www.bu.edu/prc

I had the chance to see the annual thesis show of Yale this weekend. Some good work, some interesting work, some neither. In year’s past all the work looked the same this year not so. There seems to be an effort to make curious, not attractive pictures though. In the Greene Gallery through 5/25/08.

http://art.yale.edu/Photo