📷​​🔥 LEARNING to OBSERVE 👀​: The landscape minimalism 🌄 of MICHAEL KENNA 🧑​✨​

[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] over the past half century Kenna has established himself as one of the world's most distinctive and influential landscape photographers known for his minimalist compositions often featuring otherworldly light his subjects over the past five decades have been remarkably varied English Power stations US Car factories the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea Catholic confessional booths and Buddhist statues however Ken's primary focus is on natural landscapes he uses film cameras to create meditative black and white images of trees coastlines snow bodies of water and solitary structures black and white photography is mystifying mysterious as everything around us is already in color his photos exude a sense of calmness the production of Michael Kenna's artwork is highly subjective since there are no Universal interpretations of what is good or bad in art artists can create whatever they wish Kenna also reflects what he sees from his unique perspective with the aid of ethereal light Kenna is able to capture his unconventional Landscapes at night and at dawn Kenna invites you to see the world from a different perspective he continues shooting until he believes he has explored all the possibilities for a particular area or subject often he spends several hours for a single long exposure Kenna likes to invest time in his subjects and frequently revisits locations in search of anything he may have missed this endeavor requires endurance flexibility and time when he is not working he enjoys simply observing his surroundings Kenna doesn't plan schedules or visualize the images beforehand he captures what he encounters Japan has has been a key inspiration for Kenna a place he has returned to frequently over the years with the wintry North in particular providing the Stark Landscapes featured in many of his best known images he first visited Japan in 1987 Michael Kenna is a man who has realized that the secret of life has more to do with slowing down and appreciating nature than rushing around or arguing with strangers online he once commented the following in an interview with the Guardian I don't spend much time stressed out at my desk punched over a computer I'm not a fan of social media I don't have a Twitter account I spend a lot of time walking searching and breathing fresh air photography is a very nourishing profession it's highly meditative I like to take my time and Savor the company of my subject matter for me it's about doing something you love that's the the essence of life Kenna's work has been shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions worldwide and can be found in permanent collections throughout the world his work is widely published in 2022 he was awarded the order of arts and letters in France he lives and works in Seattle Washington Michael Kenna was born in 1953 in wides England into an Irish Catholic Family from an early age he aspired to be a priest and aged 10 began studying at a seminary School however art quickly became his strongest subject and at the age of 17 he moved to Banbury Oxfordshire and studied at the banbery School of Art he explored drawing painting print making pottery and photography before going on to pursue a degree at the London College of printing initially Kenna concentrated on commercial photography however he soon turned to the landscape after seeing the work of Bill Brandt Joseph sudek Eugene atet and Alfred stiglet who were highly influential to him in 1977 Kenna moved to San Francisco and began to be represented by galleries who were willing to Showcase his work he quickly settled into life in California where he lived and worked as a photographer for over 30 years for 10 of those years he worked as the assistant and printer for the renowned photographer Ruth burnhard Kenna learned a great deal from burnhard particularly impressive to him was the creative license she took with the negative to achieve compositional and tonal Precision Kenna still patiently makes every print himself in his own dark room burning and dodging to perfect the balance of each image each print is more evocative than informative interpretive rather than documentary later Kenna moved North to Portland Oregon where she lived from 2004 to 2007 before settling in Seattle Washington in 2007 to the present Kenna is drawn to certain times of the day and night preferring to photograph in the Mist rain and snow clear blue skies and sunshine do not Inspire him as much he also photographs exclusively in black and white as he believes black and white is immediately more mysterious because we see in color all the time it is quieter than color Kenna travels around the world constantly photographing the varied Landscapes of over 40 countries including China Brazil the Czech Republic Egypt and the United States however it is England France and Japan that he has returned to most frequently Kenna looks for interesting compositions and Arrangements within the natural land landscape working in a tradition that owes more to the Romantic landscape painters such as Casper David Friedrich John Constable and jmw Turner than to more contemporary Trends Kenna's vision of the landscape sees the Human dwarfed by The Grandeur of the natural world he transforms the mundane into the extraordinary by registering the presence and absence of the human in the landscape Kenna prefers to photograph on his own in silence creating a sense of of calm Solitude and Tranquility in his photographs as he stated I prefer suggestion over description the world is pretty chaotic seemingly always speeding up and getting louder and more visually dense I am interested in finding and creating calm shelters from the storm places where quiet and Solitude is encouraged and inner contemplation possible I think we could all use a break from time to time in many ways Kenna is is an anachronistic contemporary to the pictorialists the pioneering premodern movement of photographers that saw the atmosphere of the photograph as Central to its emotive Force like the photography of Alfred stiglets Kenna's images place an emotional hold over viewers through the atmospheric effects of photographing at night in crepuscular light or in Mist fog and snow Kenna does not seek to present an accurate copy of the world but to extract something original and emotive from it Kenna currently lives in Seattle with his wife and children his photographs are held in over 110 permanent collections including the bibliotech national in Paris the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London he has been exhibited globally including solo exhibitions in China India Japan Russia and South Korea Kenna is also the recipient of numerous Awards including the imagin Cunningham award San Francisco USA in 1981 he was made a Chevalier of the order of arts and letters by the ministry of culture in Paris France in 2000 in 2003 he became an honorary master of arts at the Brooks Institute in USA and in 2016 he was awarded the special photographer award in higashiku Japan [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh where [Music] are [Music] [Music] yeah [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] yeah [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] yeah [Music] [Music] oh [Music] Michael Kenna's life is a Living testament to dedication authenticity and perseverance in the world of Photography over his 50-year career he has forged a unique path unconcerned with passing Trends following his own logic and an impassioned Instinct for creating images that capture the essence of Landscapes unlike those who are swept Along by the tides of fashion Kenna has remained true to his vision uing Trends and the dictates of the Art Market however this independent has not hindered him on the contrary it has been the foundation of his International success his work is cherished exhibited published and collected worldwide while he may describe himself as an aberration his work is deeply understood and appreciated Kenna has traversed the globe exploring a diverse array of locations in every direction always with his trusty dark room camera in tow he does not travel to discover the world but to photograph it and convey his unique vision of each corner of the earth his photographs Are Not Mere documentary records They are windows to a world of emotions and Sensations he employs special techniques such as long exposures at dawn Twilight or night to capture phenomena imperceptible to the naked eye cloud stretched to Infinity Stars Trace arcs across the sky and water takes on a mysteriously opaque quality Kenna invites us to share his emotional world through his lens in an act of pure intimacy with nature His Image is not only capture the reality he sees but also transcend mere representation they are more than Landscapes they are emotions turned into art they reveal a world where perception is romantic where the connection with nature melts with the very essence of life when working in the dark room Kenna's approach Remains the Same magn ify the feeling he experienced at the moment of capture he may highlight the tiniest details to bring them to the Forefront or conversely enhance the effects of mist to distill the image to its Essence at times he Embraces minimalism purifying the image to retain only the most extreme values of pure white and deep black this conscious manipulation allows him to convey his vision uniquely and powerfully the environments Kenna photog rhs are seldom pristine they often bear the mark of humanity while human figures may not appear in his images their presence is felt in each photograph paths structures traces and signs of humanity are numerous he reminds us that even when we are not physically present in the image humans are an integral part of the world he captures what makes Kenna's work exceptional is the absence of human figures in his photographs this enables the viewer to fully embrace the landscape to possess it in their imagination the reduced format of his prints contributes to this intimacy his photographs require time and effort to be fully appreciated they cannot be perceived in passing or hurridly only when we devote time to their contemplation with patience do they reveal their magic in depth Michael Kenna's life and work serve as a reminder that as photographers we must discover and follow our unique Vision we must resist the pressure of fleeting Trends and instead seek our own logic and Trust our instincts passion and commitment are essential to capturing the essence of a place and conveying our emotions through our images Kenna encourages us to find beauty in the seemingly mundane and to share the magic hidden in every corner of the world his legacy inspires us to explore transcend reality and share share our own emotional world through photography ultimately it reminds us that photography is more than a visual representation it is an expression of our connection to the world and a way to share our unique Vision with others in a world that often rushes by Michael Kenna's photographs invite us to take our time to contemplate reflect and find gratification in the depth of the image if you enjoyed this video please remember to like it share it with your friends and subscribe to my channel this way you'll always stay up to date with all the videos I produce here until the next one see you later

Channel: JoelUlises

Views: 25,243

Keywords: Michael Kenna, Fine Art Photographer, Landscape Photography, Black and White Photography, Michael Kenna Biography, Iconic Photographer, Michael Kenna Art, Photography Master, Michael Kenna Portfolio, Creative Visionary

Id: CyH2dEzC8j4

Length: 22min 9sec (1329 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 12 2023