"Because my brain, not my camera, is my instrument, beauty isn't enough."
Author of the above quote, Paul Kwilecki wanted his works to represent a higher meaning. The documentarian is one of dozens of photographers showcased in Beyond Beauty: Photographs from the Duke University Special Collections Library, one of the Nasher Museum of Art's most thought-provoking exhibitions to date.
The exhibit features more than 80 original photos, films and historical objects selected from the Nasher and Duke's Special Collections Library. The works illustrate photographic development from the 1860s to the present, emphasizing on documentary photography.
With such a plethora of artists and pieces on display, the showcase initially seems overwhelming.
But the photographic gems in the collection offset any spatial confusion. The nineteenth century American West is masterfully shown in seven albumen prints by Timothy O'Sullivan. Civil War photographer Mathew Brady's famed "General Grant on Lookout Mountain" is also on display.
Archaic films supplement the still art. The transition of China from a dynastic to modern state is illuminated in a slideshow of 5,000 photos by Sidney Gamble. In addition, a wall-sized movie of 16 mm footage features a three-day pilgrimage in early China.
Although many of the images are picturesque, the intrigue of Beyond Beauty lies in its concentration of documentary photos that serve to disconcert viewers and raise awareness of the invisible and the disadvantaged. S
Beyond Beauty is poignant but authentic, reminding us that making a dynamic statement requires works whose meanings run deeper than their pretty surfaces.
Beyond Beauty runs through Oct. 18 at the Nasher Museum of Art.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.