I am drawn to Aaron Siskind’s great abstract photographs of paint on streets and walls, portions of rock formations, sand, weathered objects and other found fragments that caught his imagination. While made in interesting locations all over the world, they could have been made just about anywhere.  I like that because I believe great works of art, including those made with cameras, can be produced anywhere!  I once had a conversation with Michael Smith about this notion and he simply stated he could make a great photograph of anything, and I’m sure he could.

Siskind’s clean and direct work never fails to fascinate and excite me. And while it is not the kind of subject matter I tend to focus on very much, it inspires me to keep my mind’s eye open to the myriad of possibilities surrounding me in my daily life. Siskind’s work has also contributed to my Two Hour rule I have written about and stood by for the last several years – I photograph in areas that are within two hours drive of where I live.

One of my favorite books I own is Aaron Siskind 100, an incredible retrospective of his life work, which was published to celebrate the 100tth anniversary of his birth.  While not cheap, you can find a used copy at just under a hundred bucks. It’s a fine place to start and would in my opinion be a great addition to anyone’s photographic library.

In 2004 I was saw a major exhibit of Siskind’s photographs at the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC. One of the things that immediately struck me besides their simple beauty was the size of the photographs. They were large! If you’re a regular here you know I’m not a fan of large photographs and do not print anything larger then can fit on an 8 x10 piece of paper. But Siskind gets a pass … just like Adams, because their work stands up no matter what size it is printed! And while small prints of either master’s work would be like beautiful jewels, their large work is stupendous.

After I moved to Doylestown I learned that in 1934 Siskind, was commissioned to document Bucks County’s old homes and surrounding environs. In 1974, the Bucks County Historical Society published a book containing his work, Buck County, Photographs of Early Architecture. There is nothing abstract about any of this work and you would be hard pressed to find a copy, but I have a soft spot for the book and I guess, for the photographer.

If you’re not familiar with Aaron Siskind you need to be; he is one of the great masters of the Twentieth Century.

Stay safe,

Michael