Minor Ward
I’ve been intrigued by Minor White’s work since seeing his ‘Capitol Reef’ abstract while browsing the Masters of Landscape website (a frustrating website but occasionally useful). This picture is captivating and offers a wonderful example of how a picture can transcend mere representation. The fact that this is just a vein of rock is irrelevant. The picture’s lack of subjective anchor releases your eye to take in the subject as pure shape.
I went to the library in Leeds a few days ago and borrowed ‘Rites & Passages’ and surprised to find one of David Ward’s pictures in it! Ok, it wasn’t really one of his pictures but it was certainly very similar (I’ve included Minor White’s picture to the right and you can see the photo of David’s I refer to here. Now I’m sure this wasn’t intended as a direct homage of Minor but I wonder if the imprint of such a striking photograph was sparked when David was confronted with the subject matter? There are a few other aspects of Minor White’s photography that I find has parallels with David’s (I’m not in any way suggesting that David is a plagiarist by the way). Minor White and David share a love of the abstract and of art philosophy and although David doesn’t share many of Minor’s other proclivities, I’m sure he would admire his art (Actually I know he has a Minor White book and if he is anything like me, I can’t help but be inspired by revelational photography). However this wasn’t really meant to be comparing David Ward with Minor White, it was intended to introduce a wonderful photographer to a wider audience, one who may appreciate his intimate landscapes (just ignore the naked boys and moustachioed men!)
Find more about Minor White you can see more pictures here and here and you can read a little about him here
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