Ralph Gibson
Born: January 16, 1939
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Military Service: Navy (1956-1960)
Education: San Francisco Art Institute
Assisted: Dorothea Lange, Robert Frank
Somnambulist 1970
In 1970, Gibson began to explore the realm of surrealist images. His works in the early 1970's cleared the path to establish his promising career in creative photography. His works throughout the decade were published in 18 books by creating Lustrum Press to maintain control over the the republication of his photographs. The control he exercised over each publication enabled him to organize the images associatively in the manner of a dream sequence (Etherton Gallery).
Deja Vu 1972
As the years past, his images often incorporated an erotic atmosphere and mysterious undertones, which he used to build meaning through a narrative juxtaposition (Etherton Gallery).
Days at Sea 1974
Although he is well known for his early creative portraits of the bare female body, Gibson soon became a rather formal photographer when 1980 approached.
Black Series 1980
Through his entire career, his attention to detail is prominent: everything from his formal studies of light to specific positions of the camera. Always in black and white, Gibson heavily used shadows to carefully, yet softly, outline his subjects, which often ranged from the bare female body to vases or any object with precise curves and points.. He casted the light in a way that the shadows create almost a frame on the subjects. He often creates more than just a picture; he creates an entire scene. Every detail within the photograph is purposefully present. Some photos have a more complex structure in a sense that he incorporated the subject to correlate with the background details. In other images, he creates a minimalist photo with the absence of a complex background and props, which highlights the subject. Every single image calmy explores a singular theme or subject through each of his creations (Etherton Gallery). Today, Ralph Gibson is a proud owner of 17 awards from all over the world. He continues to to publish his photographs, his most recent being his works coming from Mono , which was released this past December.
MONO 2013
Bibliography
www.ralphgibson.com
www.ethertongallery.com
www.rogallery.com/Gibson/Ralph_Gibson-Biography
Hey Brandi,
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned his use of shadows and that is all I could think about while reading and looking at your research. While what the subject of the pieces vary, all of his work retain a calm and soft element that most likely stems from his use of shadows. His Black Series are fascinating in, once again, his use of intense shadows to create intense geometric shapes. His photos of naked women are so different from Helmut Newton, the man whom I researched. Gibson takes on a more feminine approach of capturing these ladies that appear softer and more gentle.
Great job and congratulations on finishing this course!
i love the way you did this biography and spread it out. they are all so interesting and suprer cool to look at with such a variety, great job on your final project!
ReplyDeleteHey Brandi! I am so impressed with Ralph's photos and the mystery he captures in each image. His use of black and white and the shadowing is so interesting and the nudity is not explicate in any way but rather beautiful. Great work on this assignment and this semester!
ReplyDeleteHello Brandi,
ReplyDeleteOut of all the photos you posted the black series stands out the most. it is something about the shapes and how the sun hits them to create different perspectives of the object. Ralph has great eye for women and their shape. I like his use of black and white, because it gives his photos such authenticity. To me black and white photos are the best because it seems like you are catching a point in history. The top photo in the mono series is so sexual, but you dont see anything. He does such a great job of showing you just enough to let your imagination do the work. Great job of your choice of photographer!