Look Before You Leap

In celebration of Leap Day—the best of all temporally related quadrennial celebrations—I thought it would be fun to take a photographic look at the “art of the leap.” (Don't worry, after the first one it's all primo stuff!)

I say "leap" you say "tumble"… tomato/t'ohmygoshIthinkIjustbrokesomething

But first, let’s take a moment to define what is, and what is, not a leap. For instance….



NOT a leap: George Zimbel – Marilyn Monroe, Looking Left

A sixteenth-hearted effort if I’ve ever seen one.  Let someone else have the spotlight for once, Marilyn!

ALMOST a leap: Henry Horenstein – Miss Saturn, Outside Slipper Room, New York, NY 2008

Nice fake-out, Miss Saturn, but no matter how celestial your pose (and name) may be… your stance remains a tad too Earthbound for my taste!

Leap: Ruth Orkin - Boy Jumping Into Hudson River, 1948

Now THAT’S how it’s done, baybay!

Culturally, the French appear to be quite adept in their leaptitude, which is unmistakable in this duo of jump-themed pieces.

Yves Klein –Le Saut dans le vide, 1960

   

Henri Cartier-Bresson – Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare, 1932

Jaques-Henri Latrigue -- Bichonnade Leaping

Fear not, patriots, for while the French Leap does appear prominently in the photographic realm, we all know the Freedom Leap is equally entertaining.

Loomis Dean – Man Flying Off a Trampoline at Santa Monica Beach

Susan Burnstine – Jump

Dance is rife with leap photo-ops, and American modern dance queen, Martha Graham, shows up prominently in photography of the mid-20th century. Let’s combine the two, shall we?

Barbara Morgan – Graham Group, American Document, Sophie Maslow, Frieda Flier, Marjorie Mazia, (Starburst) 1938

Philippe Halsman - Merce Cunningham, leaping and Martha Graham, sitting

Apparently umbrellas play an integral part in the “leap shot,” as is evident in the following rainy day photos.

Richard Avedon – Homage to Munkasci, 1957

Ellitt Erwitt – Paris, 1989 (Tour Eiffel)

Like to see some of these works in person?  Never purchased a work of fine art photography? Take the LEAP (see what I did there?!) and stop on in and visit me at the John Cleary Gallery.  Happy Leap Day everyone… and don’t forget those umbrellas!

Artist: The Dave Clark Five / Album: Hits

Hello, Goodbye

 

The beginning of June is bringing about lots of changes here at the John Cleary Gallery.  Henry Horenstein’s Show photos have come down to make way for Mitch Dobrowner’s Storm Series.  (Even though the opening has passed you can still catch the exhibit until the end of August!

You don’t have to go but you can’t stay here! (No seriously, we don’t have the storage)

 

At the close of tonight’s opening my tenure as assistant director of the gallery will officially come to a close.  I have enjoyed coming into this building every single day and being surrounded by such a fascinating range of photography for three months has been more than an amazing experience. 

Let’s take a quick look back at the fun times, shall we?

My FIIIIRST gallery opening… look how young we all were back then! Keliy Anderson-Staley, Catherine and I.

 

Picnic day with Betsy from the gallery two doors over!

 

 

With the help of Andre we celebrated both Easter and Mother’s Day

 

   

Getting a little silly with Henry Horenstein’s SHOW pictures

 

Celebrating the anniversary of Catherine owning the gallery (with margaritas OF COURSE!)

 

My last opening :(

 

Most of all, though, I am beyond appreciative to Catherine for the opportunity and the highlight of my experience was making such a fantastic friend in the process.  Now DO IT!!!!!!

 

Artist: The Beatles/ Album: Magical Mystery Tour

The Prince and I

 

Today is a big day here on the blog: it’s my friend, Matt’s, birthday AND the gallery is having the opening of Henry Horentstein’s Show exhibit from 6-8.  Some of you may be thinking… how on earth can those two things have something in common?

When I moved back to Texas in September you might remember I stayed with Matt and Mallory in the interim until I found an apartment.  I’ve never really been a big watcher of America’s Got Talent but they were ub-sessed with one of the contestants at the time and told me I haaaad to watch it with them.  The contestant in question—Prince Poppycock—woul perform glam versions of opera arias (I’ll recuse myself from getting on my high horse about the fact that he’s not really an opera singer).  Needless to say, Matt kinda wouldn’t stop talking about him.

Jump ahead to a couple of weeks ago when we got the list of pictures for the exhibit and I saw there was a picture of Prince Poppycock in the collection! Before making it on America’s Got Talent, he was heavily involved in the neo-burlesque movement of the last decade and Henry had photographed him.  What syzygy!!

So for Matt’s birthday I thought I’d force myself into the picture a bit… … …

     HAPPY BIRTHDAY FROM THE PRINCE AND I!!!!

 

Artist: Cy Coleman/ Album: Little Me

Boogie Shoes

 

Today we’re in the final swings of getting up the Henry Horenstein exhibit at the gallery.  For the last show, Keliy (the artist) and her husband Matt hung the pictures up themselves but generally Catherine does her own.  So this time she taught me all about installing… which, unfortunately, involves math and stuffs :(

Look at me being all handy with tools.  There’s even a giiiiiant ladder in the background. 

 

Unfortunately, the illusion is mildly mostly completely shattered when you see the image I was putting up:

BOOYAH!!!!

(Henry Horenstein: Shoes, California Institute of Abnormalarts (CIA), Los Angeles, CA, 2007)

 

And (because I couldn’t resist) a couple of completely mature and respectful shots:

    

I may or may not have caught whopping cough from ol’ George Washington there. 

(Tip in Fishnets, Jacques Cabaret, Boston, MA, 2005 / Swords, Los Angeles, CA, 2005)

 

If you’re around for the opening tomorrow between 6 and 8 p.m. at the John Cleary Gallery you should com.plete.ly stop by.  In addition to a book signing with the artist the Ruby Review Burlesque ensemble from Dallas will be performing live throughout the evening!!

Artist: KC & the Sunshine Band/ Album: Greatest Hits