BRUCE BERZIN BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY
ABOUT the GALLERY
I’ve always been drawn to black and white photography. It causes me to stop and observe; to feel what I see. Black and white eliminates the distraction of color and one's attention is focused on the essence of the subject. I like its simplicity and clarity. It compels us to imagine. While the images are of recognizable places and objects, the feelings and thoughts that they evoke are the real subjects, which may differ for each of us. Paraphrasing Robert Henri, I hope that you might see the spirit of the flying bird in some of these images and not just the feathers. These are the moments, as I saw them.
FRANCE - The poetic geometry of the trees and paths imparts a sense of calm and serenity. Often there's a special quality of the light. People converse, contemplate, meditate or play. We see them having the freedom simply "to be". The stills and interiors are of objects that may be many hundreds of years old. For some, we might wonder what they mean, who created them. For others, it's obvious. In either instance, we slow down; we look around.
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LANDSCAPES - The Norman and New England coastlines also lend themselves to black and white. The medium strips the beauty of nature to the essentials. Wind, sand and water, while powerful and relentless, can create delicate beauty. Trees thrive, but are bent gracefully by the prevailing winds. Massive boulders are cracked and worn. White cliffs are created over millenia. A gale transforms beach sand into delicate, rippling abstractions. Clouds change by the minute. These natural patterns can be metaphors for our own feelings and emotions.
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Various of these photos have appeared in juried exhibitions in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont. They are owned in private collections in New England and France.
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BRUCE BERZIN
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