Monday, March 23, 2009

Iconic L.A. Photographer Coming To OKC

Does any photo capture the essence of mid-century modernism better than this shot, by Julius Shulman?

In an age where the prevailing suburban aesthetic is some sort of faux-Tuscan/French Country/Tudor goulash, this sleek, cantilevered home seems to float above Hollywood, utterly modern and completely American. Unfortunately, this sort modernist style fell out of favor years ago.

You might think the photographer is long since retired, or probably dead, but no, he's 97 years old, and he's very much alive. In fact, there's a new documentary of his life and work touring the country now, and cross your fingers, it's scheduled to play in Oklahoma City next month. In fact, Shulman is scheduled to appear at the screening.

He took several notable photographs of modernist landmarks in Oklahoma, so I'm sure there will be plenty of interesting dialogue during the Q & A.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I remember all the great Jetsons-looking banks and buildings in OKC--very cool!

Hope you're doing good...I miss your blog posts!!

Mike and KK said...

Love mid-century mod!!