RE: Fresson question
On Sat, 12 Jan 2008, Dave S wrote: Wow Dave-- what a memory ! I want you on my side ! However, it wasn't my class, it was my friend Cynthia's class at Cooper Union, and I was invited ... I suppose I'd been curious about Fresson. Cynthia also invited me when she had Louis Faurer, whose work I adore...The students did not "get" or really respond to Faurer, or have any inkling of the man's talent (dare I say genius?). Cynthia & I took him to dinner afterward which was (for me) a thrill.For all that I've read (and written! -- as in P-F #9) about the Fresson Process, I don't recall having seen an actual Fresson.Judy, you certainly have seen actual Fresson prints. Sheila Metzner. Remember? She came to your class as a guest and showed her Fresson prints. I read it from this list! :-) As for Metzner, I never "got" her at all, not finding her supposedly beautiful things the least bit interesting OR beautiful. The "fresson" prints looked like regular color photographs to me, except maybe larger...which might just show my own lack of sensitivity, tant pis, but there it is. The only other thing I remember (which I probably reported at the time) was, sitting at an angle across the room, I noticed a white haze on part of one print & asked about it. Sheila said she'd told them a section of the print was too dark, so she supposed they'd laid a thin white coating over it. (She hadn't noticed it before.) But, speaking of what I don't get that the world adores, first prize goes to Jan Grover (sp?). Due to means beyond my control, I saw her solo of pots and pans at MoMA some years ago. I found it deadly -- dull, obvious, cliche'd, pretentious and inane would be wild praise. The Grover show I saw today was 60 times (by actual math) worse -- also kitchen equipment, but less attractive and "creative" -- a lot of fudgy looking metal printed by Light Jet. I can only surmise that "the world" is looking for something "arty," and will take whatever comes down the pike flying that flag as the real thing. However, what brought me to the 6th floor of 160 Broadway where I encounted the Grovers was a show of cliches verres, "The Hand-Drawn Negative" by Corot, Daubigny, Delacrois, Millet & 1 or 2 others at Peter Freeman Inc. These were so fabulous, sublime, luscious, and adjective adjective adjective, they almost hurt. Did I say I'm going to try the medium? Most were "salt prints" (brown) exposed through negs drawn on (maybe collodion). Also some carbon prints (black). The work is a private collection being sold as a group -- who has influence at the Met? We deserve/need it in NY... (It will probably go to, like Texas... boo hoo.) Anyway, it's up til next Saturday. Judy
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