Walker Evans exibit at Florence Griswold museum

<p>There is a nice exhibit of Walker Evans' work at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, CT. It focuses on his work for the FSA in the '30s (of course), his later work with Fortune Magazine, and subsequent work while with Yale University, including Polaroid color photos with the SX-70. Some of the prints are gelatin/silver contact prints, most are archival pigment (i.e. high-end inkjet) from scanned negatives, with some large ones, up to 4' by 5' or so. Here is the link:</p>

<p><a href="http://walkerevans.florencegriswoldmuseum.org/introduction/index.php5">http://walkerevans.florencegriswoldmuseum.org/introduction/index.php5</a></p>

<p>For those who are unfamiliar with this museum, the Florence Griswold is a nice little museum just off I-95 in Old Lyme, CT, a two hour drive from either Boston or New York City. It honors an important colony of American tonalist and impressionist painters in the first decades of the 20th century, as well as hosting temporary exhibitions. Well worth a visit. The Walker Evans exhibit ends January 29.</p>

<p>Thanks for that link. I never tire of looking at Walker Evans. One of the things that I'm particularly drawn to in the work he did for the FSA is the almost reverential way he portrays the mundane possessions in the sharecroppers' homesteads, as if the objects take on a particular significance to those with a relative paucity of material possessions. I think I've read somewhere that Evans rearranged some of the objects, but I don't believe that detracts from the effect these pictures have.</p>

<p>Ben,<br>

I have been twice so far to see the exhibit, and will probably go again, as it is really nice to see actual prints (and all of the other prints made for the show.) I wonder what you think of the super large prints made for the show. I really like them personally, but of course, the originals were never seen at that size - interesting to me what a difference in impact that makes. The other thing I would like to know is what you think of the secret portrait shots he took with his hidden camera? To me, they are the worst crap he ever did. Because you can get hundreds of blank expressions on people's faces doesn't make it worthwihile. It always drives me crazy when curators belived that if a famous person did something, it must be good. Evans seemed very reticent about photographing people, and in those it really shows. Of course, this is just my own, and probably ignorant, opinion, but I always wonder what other photographers think of those images. The exhibit is quite extensive and well worth seeing, and thanks for mentioning it to others in the area_<br>

Mark</p>

<p>Mark,<br>

I do like the very large prints - lots of detail, and a bit like looking through a window at the scene. It would have been very expensive to make prints like these just a few years ago, but with high resolution scans of the large negatives and current large format inkjet printers, it is straightforward and (relatively) inexpensive. The candid NYC subway photos didn't amount to much, and the collections of color polaroid photos of friends and acquaintances didn't do anything for me either. </p>