There is a great show of Harry Callahan’s (1912-1999) work at London’s Tate Modern museum at the moment (until 31 May 2014). It is well worth going to see.
Cattails Against Sky. Harry Callahan, 1948
Callahan’s main role and income-generator was teaching photography. This left him free of commercial pressures and able to explore with the eye of an artist. Nevertheless you cannot take the teacher out of the images: all of his photographs are lessons in how to see photographically, from the surreal (for example, shop mannequins) to the abstract (his shots of plant forms). The examples show us that the world as seen through Callahan’s camera/eye is an endlessly fascinating place.
New York (Mannequin Legs). Harry Callahan, 1955
I overheard one teenager ask her friend “is that a time exposure?”, and the roving security guard was seen admiring the abstract images. So for different people the show functions at different levels, which is one hallmark of a successful exhibition. For me, the abiding memory is of the inquisitiveness that Callahan’s roving eye had, and this was generated internally not by some desire to copy prevailing trends. That’s a good lesson for us all!
Grasses, Wisconsin. Harry Callahan, 1958
There’s an interview with Harry Callahan on YouTube
Love Callahan’s work! Did a paper on him in college.
Yes, I’ve always admired his work too. The artistic freedom he had by not having to earn a living as a commercial photographer was a lesson I took from him early in my life, keeping photography as a hobby, and I’m glad I did.