Water and it’s elemental forces have always been, artistic indicators for self-experience and self-loss. Images of the ocean determine the iconographic nature of the history of art. The sea has remained to this day one of the archetypal natural landscapes of our planet and therefore has not lost any of its enchantment.  The ocean: a collective metaphor and a space of projection for our longings and desires. Therefore, on first encounter, Renate Aller’s Oceanscapes appear so familiar to us. What we are seeing is nothing new, but how it is presented to us is what makes the difference.

Renate Aller, from the series ‘Oceanscapes: One View, Ten Years’, 2008.  The photographer captured this Long Island viewpoint over the decade.

With an eye for detail and an accomplished technique, Aller knows how to capture the full chromatic spectrum of nature in all its breathtaking variety. In some images, there is an interplay of clouds and reflections on the surface of the water. In others, the roughened surface of the ocean transforms itself into a metallic sandy desert, a silvery moonscape, a glittering diamond field, or a crusted icy plane. It is the light, above all else, giving the images their powerful color and creating unique textures.

The ever-changing horizon in the individual pieces reminds us of the swaying amplitude in a piece of music. Aller’s ocean compositions appear to be visualizing the universal rhythms of life: ebb and tide, coming and going, life and death – an endless melody. She constructs mental images and raises sensory issues highly reminiscent of the ideology and concepts of the 19th century with her sublime oceanscapes. Something of the sublimity of the great romantic landscape paintings, especially those of Caspar David Friedrich clearly oscillates in her iconography of melancholy and silence. The absence of Friedrich’s familiar rear-view figure demands an even greater need for the active presence of the viewer.

Aller’s works present us with visual experiences of striking activity, in which landscape becomes the stage: nature performs it’s dramatic spectacle of life and death – everything  is in a permanent process of renewal. Her point of view is as well renewed at every moment. In her opinion it is unavoidable and necessary that humans adapt constantly and akin to their environment. Therefore she will, most likely, never stop the creation of these impressive images of the ocean.

Editor’s note: In conjunction with our upcoming Auction this fall , a series of  guest bloggers will be sharing an in-depth look at some of the artist’s works featured in this year’s event.  Read Auction Coorinator Olivia Arnone’s kickoff blog here.

Spring Greetings!

George Eastman House returns to NYC to host benefit auction this fall

With the success of our 2010 Auction and the need to be find creative, proactive ways to fundraise, we had to ask ourselves, how could we NOT? Last year’s online and live auctions featured more than 300 photographs, books and cameras donated by artists, collectors and dealers, and ultimately raised more than $650,000— constituting the largest fundraiser in our museum’s history. Thank you so much to all of you out there who helped support the auction by contributing or bidding, or even just spreading the word. Every bit of participation has helped maintain our collections, educational programs and Landmark museum site— ensuring the continued preservation of these works for years to come.

What is in store for our 2011 Auction, you ask?

Our live auction and reception will be held Monday, Octg. 3 at Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood, a Mecca of art galleries, museums, restaurants, boutiques and markets. Denise Bethel, Senior Vice President and Director of Photographs at Sotheby’s, New York will once again bring vigor and grace to the event as our auctioneer. Accompanying the live auction at 7 p.m., there will be an online auction, a two-day preview exhibition, and a series of conversations with artists to kick off the event beginning on Sunday, Oct. 2.

So far, more than 175 artists, dealers and collectors have agreed to participate. Among the offerings are works by veterans of photography like Vik Muniz, Barbara Morgan, Larry Towell, George Tice, Carl Chiarenza, and F.C Gundlach, as well as works by mid-career and emerging artists- Brian Ulrich, Roger Eberhard and Doug Menuez, to name a few. There will also be another Kodak Colorama up for bid in the live auction!

In the coming months I will be bringing you updates and highlights, and will also be inviting guest bloggers to talk in depth about some of the artist’s works featured in this year’s auction. In closing, and until my next post, here is a sneak peek of a work by one of our 2011 contributing artists:

Amy Stein, Threat from the series “Domesticated”, 2005

Here’s a look back at the construction of this New York landmark through the iconic images of Lewis Hine.

Lewis W. Hine, NEIL DOHERTY, ca. 1931

Lewis W. Hine, GROUP OF WORKERS, EMPIRE STATE BUILDING, ca. 1931

Lewis W. Hine, ICARUS ATOP EMPIRE STATE BUILDING, 1931

View more Lewis Hine images of the Empire State Building and from this era documenting Ellis Island, Child Labor, and the Industrial Age.