66 9 May 2020I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI subscribe 0330 333 1113
Legends
of photography
O
neofthedifficulties
oflookingback
atinfluential
photographsis
drawingoutjustwhatit is
thatmadethemsosignificant
inthefirstplace.Oneof
thebestexamplesofthisis
USphotographerStephen
Shoreandit’sonemadeall
themoredifficultbythefact
thatthethingsandscenes
Shorephotographedwereso
everyday.Cars,gasstations,
motelrooms,drinkcartons,
billboards,andeverythingin
betweenfeaturedheavily.It’s
tempting to refer to the things
Stephen
Shore
Shoreshot(andcontinuesto
shoot)asmundane.Butit’s
theirmundanitythat’sthe
point.InShore’sworld,the
veryactofphotographingan
objectmakesthatobjecta
pointofinterest,andwithin
thatpointofinterestliesan
inherentbeauty.
Shorestartedyoung.In1961,
aged14,Shoreknockedonthe
doorofEdwardSteichen,
curatorofphotographyatNew
York’sMuseumofModernArt
andaskedif hewouldtakefive
minutestolookathiswork.
ThreeofShore’sprintswere
purchased there and then and
totheheartoftheAmerican
experiencethrougha visual
representationofits‘things’.
Later,Shoreputtheseimageson
showandthereceptionwasless
thansympathetic.Theimages,
whichwereprintedinlabs
acrosstheUS,werepresented
unframedandunmountedand
wereshotincolour.Thiswasat
a timewhenblack&whitewas
stillthehomogeneousstyle,
colourwasseenasunworthy,
cheapandsuperficial.
Undeterred,Shorethen
producedUncommonPlaces,
inwhichheproducedlargeand
lucidscenesofAmericausing
4x5and8x10negatives.
It’sinterestingtoseethat,in
manyways,Shore’sworkhas
comefullcircle.Thesedays,
whenhe’snotguidingstudents
asthedirectorofphotography
atBardCollegeinNewYork,
hecreatesworkwith
Instagraminmind.Inhisown
words,it allowshimto ‘try
anideafora day’.
StephenShoreextractsthebeautyof
everyday scenes, writesOliver Atwell
thusbegana career.Shore
developedhisworkandartistic
philosophy,vowingtowork
againstthe‘banalandkitsch’
imagesthatdominatedthe
photographysceneofthetime.
At17,Shoreranintopopartist
AndyWarholwhoembedded
theyoungphotographerinto
theartist’sFactoryto
documentlifethere.It’seasyto
drawparallelsbetween
Warhol’sapproachtocommon
objectssuchasBrilloboxesand
Shore’squotidianscenes.
In1968,Shorefoundhimself
asonlythesecondliving
photographertohavea solo
showattheMetropolitan
MuseumofArtinNewYork.He
thenembarkedona seriesof
tripsacrosstheUSthatfound
himdevelopingtheconceptual
frameworkthatwouldcarry
himthroughthenextfewyears.
AmericanSurfaces(now
republishedbyPhaidon)is a
differentbeasttohisprevious
work.Shoton35mm,the
imagesrecreatedShore’sfieldof
visionashejourneyedacross
the US. It was an attempt to get
© STEPHEN SHORE. COURTESY 303 GALLERY, NEW YORK
© GETT Y IMAGES
AmericanSurfacesis publishedbyPhaidonand
is priced at £49.95. ISBN 9781838660628
Macon, Georgia, June 1972
