Irving Penn at The National Gallery of Art

[c6h6o3]

[font=Times New Roman][size=3]The show at the National Gallery’s West Wing of Irving Penn’s seminal platinum/palladium prints was a revelation to me. Were it not for what is in my opinion a fatal flaw (that flaw being that the prints were all made from enlarged negatives) I would probably be of the opinion that these are the finest prints I’ve seen, by any photographer, using any process, ever. As it is, they’re certainly close to that and they’re without question light years better than any other platinum work I’ve yet encountered anywhere in more than 40 years of looking critically at photographs.[/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman]They’re not perfect. Some of the highlights border on the blown, but I think that’s mainly an artifact of the enlargement. Some of them are pretty grainy. But oh my god those blacks. Patent leather, India ink blacks which give these prints a mid tone glow which always eludes less masterful printers. Strand and Stieglitz were strictly amateur night compared to these. The prints appear to have a higher reflective Dmax than Azo, although that’s of course the most subjective of impressions. [/font][/size]
[size=3][/size]
[size=3][font=Times New Roman]There was a lot of supplemental material to give insight into the years of struggle Penn had with the process. There are collages of washy, faded work prints, many with uneven coatings and contact sheets on silver paper with work plans for individual prints showing how each mask was to be applied and where tones were to be pulled back or augmented. These prints were layered; that is, an initial exposure was made with a mask, then another, longer one of just the negative and then the paper was recoated and yet another exposure made. He used pin registration equipment to build the tones in layers so as to achieve the final, incredible solidity of tone we see in the finished products. [/font][/size]

[font=Times New Roman][size=3]The show is poorly lit, which I just cannot understand given the longevity of platinum prints. Over in the East Wing in the Small French Painting gallery, the paintings are beautifully lit, with a powerful indoor flood light for each piece no more than 6 or 8 feet from the painting. Corots, Renoirs, Pisarros all dazzling in the powerful light in which they’re bathed. I can’t imagine that platinum/palladium prints are any less prone to deterioration that the pigments in oil paint. You’d think National Gallery curators would know better.[/size][/font]

[size=3][font=Times New Roman]In any case, if you’re anywhere near Washington, DC between now and the beginning of October, you really owe it to yourself to see this show. Rarely have I been so impressed. [/font][/size]

[David A. Goldfarb]

Thanks for the report.

The lighting is most likely due to the fact that the work is on paper. The emulsion may not fade in the light, but the light can hasten the deterioration of the paper, so works on paper are all displayed under low light these days, and usually for no more than six weeks at a time.

[c6h6o3]

Thanks for the report.

The lighting is most likely due to the fact that the work is on paper. The emulsion may not fade in the light, but the light can hasten the deterioration of the paper, so works on paper are all displayed under low light these days, and usually for no more than six weeks at a time.

I think this show is running for about three months.

I'll definitely be going back to see it again. I had family in town whom I haven't seen in decades and we didn't have much time to linger.

Next time I'll take notes. Not only were his formulae for the coatings given, but the papers were specified as well.

[Dave Wooten]

I could be wrong but was under the impresson that Irving Penn did not actually do the platinum printing? If this is correct does anyone have any insight as to who might have done the printing for him?

I would like to see this show...thanks for the post......how long does it run?

Dave in Vegas

[c6h6o3]

I would like to see this show...thanks for the post......how long does it run?

Until October 2. Next show is Nick Nixon's 'The Brown Sisters: Thirty Years'. I can hardly wait.

[c6h6o3]

I could be wrong but was under the impresson that Irving Penn did not actually do the platinum printing?

You're wrong. He did them himself.

[Dave Wooten]

Thank you thank you I stand corrected...and thanks for the info link

Dave

[Dave Wooten]

In an article in the Washington Post "Irving Penn Platinum Prints" ""The Beautiful People" Andy Grundberg discusses the National Gallery show and the Penn prints.....in the article it is mentioned that these platinum portraits were made from Color Negs....interesting..

[nze]

Most of the portrait print in platinum are at first color slide. For other work like still life some are made from bw20x25 and larger.soem nude series are also made from bw 120 neg.

[Dave Wooten]

I am going to do my best to catch this show....I really want to see these prints in person.....maybe a possibility for an apug forum lunch at the gallery?