Re: Mapplethorpe & Gelatin Silver

Allen (arjohn@access.digex.net)
Tue, 27 Jun 1995 11:18:56 -0400 (EDT)

Hello. This is my first post to this group after lurking for
months. I hope you can help me with my questions and I hope they don't
display too much ignorance :)
Just took in the Mapplethorpe/Weston show at the Baltimore Museum
of Art. I'd heard of gelatin-silver materials before, but relegated them
to cumbersome alternative processes and didn't seek out their use. At the
exhibit, I noted that Mapplethorpe, as late as the '80's was using the
process. Can someone explain to me the following:

1) Paper -- is it available commercially? Or is it something
esoteric that needs to be "hand-made"?

2) If available -- where? Photographer's Formulary? Other
locations? Phone #'s?

3) Chemicals needed for processing -- is it a mess compared to
standard silver materials, or fairly similar in that regard? Again
availability & where?

4) Cost. Is it a process that can be viewed as cost effective
(compared, say, to other, much more expensive materials, ie. platinum,
palladium, as well as to standard silver processes)

Finally, if anyone is familiar with Mapplethorpe's evolution as
an artist, can they enlighten me on his choice of gelatin-silver
materials? Was it done because the process is so much more appealing than
generic silver products and he wished to use them solely for that
purpose? Or was it a extension of the obvious influence of Weston in his
work?
Any insight on any or all of these questions will be *greatly*
appreciated. Thanks.
Best Regards,

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Allen R. Johnson, Jr. * *
"Imagine That" Studios * "Imagination is more important than knowledge" *
Laurel, Maryland * *
Ph. (301) 470-1730 * - Albert Einstein - *
Fax (301) 604-6164 * *
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