We live in a colorful world, but look no further than the Private Investigations exhibit at Durham's Through This Lens photo gallery for proof that all an artist really needs is black and white.
Investigations is comprised of photographs taken by nine members of the Triangle Black and White Photography Group. Their pictures are characterized by "a desire to isolate subject matter from the visual clutter around us," according to the exhibit's brochure, all were created using non-digital photographic processes reminiscent of bygone eras.
Displaying such a large number of artists' work in the exhibit makes it diverse and multifaceted.
"It's very difficult to try and find an encompassing theme unless they're given some assignment, which we didn't do, and that's why we called it Private Investigations-to suggest that it was left up to the individual," said gallery director Roylee Duvall.
The group's decision to only use black-and-white provides much more than just a surface aesthetic character.
"I think sometimes black-and-white images reveal shapes and textures that are completely lost with color," Duvall said. "When you think about Orson Welles and some of the film noir, Bogart films, a lot of times you see textural representations that generally don't come out very well in color, representations that maybe more naturally lend themselves to black-and-white."
A number of artists even explored multiple themes within the scope of their two or three pictures on display. For example, two pieces by group president Dick Cicone portray contrasting elements and ideals. The first piece, "Posted Keep Out," is a haunting portrait of a dilapidated wooden house while the other photograph, "37 Cord Pipes," is a highly magnified image of an antique automobile. The focus of the second work is the chrome pipes of the vehicle, which are seemingly more permanent than the houses shown in "Posted."
"I wanted to capture [the house] for the antiquity and to open up the imagination as to what that building was used for when it was in its prime," Cicone said. "I've been photographing old buildings in this area for over 30 years, and I've watched many of them totally disappear.... I'm glad I was able to capture them."
Others pursued only one theme through their work. Tim Telkamp focused on a Civil War-era appearance for his three photos, produced using mid-1800s technology.This technique lends one of his images, "Dock and Cattails in the Breeze," an ethereal quality that resonates from the swaying reeds.
Taking a different approach, Len Eselson's portraits of rock faces are characterized by striking definition in their details. Similarly, Mitch Rosen isolates one element--architectural structures-from their surroundings. The buildings, abandoned and desolate, have a corpse-like quality that hints at a removal from the world.
Although each artist managed to pursue his or her own unique ideas, all of the photographs are unified by their black-and-white authenticity. This lends Private Investigations a powerful anti-modernity that resonates beyond the differences between the pictures themselves.
Private Investigations is currently showing at Through this Lens Gallery, 303 E. Chapel Hill Street, through Sept. 16.
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