On My Stand - Mid-May 2024: ”Photographs & Stories” by Michael Kenna
What I'm Enjoying This Month
Quick Recap: I decided to have a local artist build a book display stand for me so I could view my collection of artbooks throughout a given month: selecting one each month and then periodically turning the pages to see more of the content. This publication is a brief snapshot of what’s “on my stand” this month. See the genesis of this idea HERE. See this month’s first post HERE. And to be clear: Unless otherwise identified in the text, I do NOT own any of the images you’ll see in this publication nor am I claiming any credit for having any part in producing them.
”Photographs & Stories” by Michael Kenna
This month, Michael Kenna’s book, Photographs & Stories, is On My Stand. Kenna is a renowned English photographer whose black and white landscapes capture seemingly mundane images with a very specific aesthetic.
One of my favorite things about this particular book are the stories Kenna tells about the photos in this 50-year retrospective (hence the title). Located at the back of the book - so they don’t disrupt the visual flow as you enjoy the images - these stories shed light on the circumstances behind each photo. It’s not often that artbooks allow you to read the author’s thoughts as to their creative processes, but this one does just that.
Kenna also practices a photographic aesthetic known as minimalism - and he’s been doing it for quite a while. Minimalism is just as the name suggests: an artistic viewpoint that removes all distractions and deconstructs a scene to its most bare components. The results are often striking in both their simplicity and their resonance with viewers.
The images below are exquisite examples of Kenna’s use of light and shadow to capture the scale and scope of the natural world. His almost painterly approach to photographing these scenes supports the incredible detail also visible in each image.
I sometimes photograph with my eyes slightly out of focus, so that I can allow shapes to arrange themselves without the weight of any single element pulling or seducing me.
- Michael Kenna
While I don’t typically photograph subjects outside of nature/landscapes, I do find inspiration in the work of great artists like Michael Kenna. For example, the first photo below is Kenna’s piece, “Schoolyard, Heptontstall.” The work uses the man-made lines of the road to lead the viewer into the scene. The second photo is one I took in Portugal (“Crossing Guard?”) wherein I was also trying to use road markings to direct the viewer’s attention through the image frame.
Kenna’s work as portrayed in Photographs & Stories is a wonderful exploration of the capacity of photography as an artform. He skillfully imagines and then manipulates the scene (through his photographic skill) until it represents his artistic vision. Truly a book worth owning and an artist worth exploring in further detail.
Purchasing Note: You can purchase this book from Nazraeli Press HERE.
Next month, I’m eyeing a book with not only mesmerizing images but also with an intensely important plea from the artist regarding the book’s subjects…stay tuned!