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Photographer - Craig Seymour.

Model - Eric Hehr.

Bryn Mawr Historical District/Uptown, Chicago IL. 16 May 2012.

http://craigseymour.com/

Julius Shulman was an American architectural photographer who published many of his notable works during the 1960′s. Shulman’s photography is responsible for the worldwide spread of California mid-century modern design.

“The clarity of his work demanded that architectural photography had to be considered as an independent art form. Each Shulman image unites perception and understanding for the buildings and their place in the landscape. The precise compositions reveal not just the architectural ideas behind a building’s surface, but also the visions and hopes of an entire age. A sense of humanity is always present in his work, even when the human figure is absent from the actual photographs.”

Many of Shulman’s iconic photo’s use the architecture of Frank Llloyd Wright, Pierre Koenig, Charles Eames, Richard Neutra, and Raphael Soriano as their subject matter.

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1930s Art Deco decadence epitomized itself at Eltham Palace, an often undervalued London tourist attraction. Built by the wealthy Courtauld family next to the remains of the original Eltham Palace, childhood home of Henry VIII, it’s the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in England. It has been referred to as a “masterpiece of modern design.”

Swedish designer, Rolf Engströmer, was contracted by Stephen and Virgina Courtauld to construct the modernist/art-deco interior that still exist within Eltham to this day.

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AN ANONIMA IDEA (WITHIN THE WORLD)

“Anonima means anonymity for its members in regard to the world. Anonymity is not necessarily a virtue in itself, an ideal state to be achieved. It is the basis of any group which values the results of collaboration more than the individual distinction of the collaborators.

Anonima has as a purpose within the world, the frustration of any attempts to misdirect, misrepresent, or misinterpret its activities. Anonima thus means no to Commercial Galleries, Biennales, Competitions, Prizes, Commissions, Mass Media Publicity, Critics, and Architects. At stake is the freedom to make the work, to exhibit the work, in whatever form and whenever it seems necessary, or simply to withhold it, following the rhythm of the artist and the development of his work, rather than the market of any of its more subtle extensions.”

ABOUT THE ANONIMA GROUP

“The American artist collaborative, Anonima Group, was founded in Cleveland, Ohio in 1960 by Ernst Benkert, Francis Hewitt and Ed Mieczkowski. Propelled by their rejection of the cult of the individual ego and automatic style of the Abstract Expressionists, the artists worked collaboratively on grid-based, spatially fluctuating drawings and paintings that were precise investigations of the scientific phenomena and psychology of optical perception. The work was accompanied by writings: proposals, projects and manifestos – socialist in nature – which the artists considered essential to the experience and understanding of their work. Their drawings, paintings and writings, which had much in common with the positions of artist Ad Reinhardt, and with the Russian Constructivists, were included in the 1965 Responsive Eye exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art. Along with other artists in the exhibit , Anonima’s work was incorrectly relegated to what came to be the highly commercialized and publicized category of Op Art. A recent reconsideration and recontextualization of Op Art, the expansive 2006 Optic Nerve exhibit at the Columbus Museum of Art, places the Anonima as the sole American collaborative group, along with the European Zero Group, Gruppo N, GRAV and others, who were examining new optical information at that time.

Frank Hewitt, who had a masters in art and later did course work toward a PhD in the psychology of perception, provided the conceptual framework for the Anonima Group; their projects addressed the latest information about the science and psychology of visual perception. Anonima?s anti-commercial stance (see statement below), including their ultimate refusal to interact with the commercial artworld, had the effect of removing them from the lexicon of known artists from that time. In a catalog essay for Frank Hewitt’s 1992 retrospective at the Robert Hull Fleming Museum in Burlington, Vt, William C. Lipke wrote that the artists believed that “commercialization and popularization obfuscated the real issues” being addressed by their work. Further he writes that work by Anonima is “better understood in light of the theories and data of perceptual psychology; the commitment to a systemic study of visual information irrespective of stylistic or economic pressures.”

The Anonima group disbanded in 1971, but the effect of their work has extended into the present through their writing, drawings and paintings. The group’s analytical and impersonal view of the creative process was balanced by a profound generosity of spirit which has influenced countless artists over the years; all three artists have had long teaching careers (Frank Hewitt died in 1992), in which they dedicated themselves to providing art students with a precise understanding of the constructs of optical perception, an invaluable foundation for any artist. Their ideas are certainly reflected in the work many contemporary artists.”

For more information on The Anonima Group, visit The Anonima Group Archives.

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And now for a brand new addition to E. Hehr1955′s Hard to Find 45′s.

The Cousins we’re a Belgian based band who specialized in writing teenage party anthems with an Americana surf-rock twist. In Belgium, their style of music was known as rock ‘n twist. Outside of Belgium, not too many people knew what rock ‘n twist was, and even less had heard of The Cousins.

“Dang, Dang” was released as a single in 1961. There is very little information on the song and the band.

Listen to it HERE: The Cousins – Dang, Dang

“Bruce Davidson’s 1959 project, Brooklyn Gang, is an intimate photographic study of a rebellious Brooklyn teenage gang, who called themselves The Jokers. Not only is Davidson’s work a sincere portrayal of troubled teenagers coming of age, but it also acts as a documentation of teenage life during 1950s, exposing the emotional climate of that time period and exposing the dark side of a supposedly innocent time period.”

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((Crickets))

Well, if you do, you may be asking yourself, “Why are there no new posts? Whoever updates this blog must be a real slacker.”

There has been a definite lapse in posts, mostly due to the fact that I recently acquired a writing gig for The Chicagoist, a Chicago based publication specializing in all-things Chicago. I’ve been placed in the Arts & Entertainment section, so I have been spending a lot of time writing articles on bars, burlesque shows, concerts, and albums. Unfortunately, meeting these deadlines has taken precedence over updating this blog.

I’ll do my best to post here as diligently as I can, but if the infrequency of updates on this blog distress you, feel free to set your browser to The Chicagoist.

Here are some of my recent posts for The Chicagoist:

ALBUM REVIEW: Warm Ghost – Narrows

Delilah’s Celebrates 18 Years

River Shannon 60th Anniversary Party

L.A based pop band, STAMPS, Return Home to Sweet Home Chicago

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