Charm of Gelatin Silver Prints VI

Feb. 19［Wed.］―Mar. 14［Sat.］, 2020 11:00-19:00
Gallery closed on Sunday, Monday, and national holidays.

The 20th Century was the age of gelatin silver prints. Photographers created many works with this method, the most advanced medium of the time. However, it would be no exaggeration to say that with the advancement of digital cameras, gelatin silver prints, which were so central to the analog photography of the 20th century, disappeared. But gelatin silver prints have a certain flavor that can't be captured by digital photography. There is an intrinsic quality that is born from the material and methods that have held on for 100, 200 years of history. The arrival of new technologies weeds out the old, but just as new technologies have their benefits, there is also a traditional charm cultivated by the old ways over long years. To encourage the survival and appreciation of these old techniques, Toki-no-Wasuremono first presented the "Charm of Gelatin Silver Prints" series in 2009. For its sixth edition, we will present works by Narahara Ikko, Fukuhara Shinzo, Fukuda Katsuji, Kazama Kensuke, Sugawara Ichigo, Atget, and Man Ray, as well as photo-dessin (which are technically gelatin silver prints) by Q Ei to commemorate the 60th anniversary of his death.

Artists：

	Narahara Ikko（1931- 2020） Joined Ikeda Masuo and Ay-O's group "Jitsuzaisha" in 1955. He sent a shock through the photography world with his solo exhibition Human Land, a presentation of his photographs which captured the lives of the inhabitants of Gunkanjima and Sakurajima, Kagoshima, where he visited while studying art history in Waseda University's graduate program in 1956. In 1958 he established himself as a representative figure of the new generation of photgraphers with his publication of Domains, a parallel photobook focusing on the lives of prisoners and monks. Afterwards, he moved his base to the United States and Europe, and continued to take photographs using various methods, winning many awards internationally and gaining global acclaim. However, he collapsed from illness and was under treatment until Januray 19 of this year, when he passed away. He was 88.
	Fukuhara Shinzo（1883 - 1948） The son of the founder of Shiseido Company, Fukuhara Arinobu. From a young age, Shinzo dreamed of being a painter, but he studied medicine at the behest of his father. After graduating from Chiba Medicial School (now the School of Medicine, Chiba University) in 1908, studied abroad in the United States. In the States, he visited many art museums, and during travels to Paris, befriended many Japanese painters. He took the mantle of Shiseido Company upon his return to Japan, and in 1919 established the Shiseido Gallery in Ginza and supported budding artists at what today is the oldest art gallery in the country. In addition to his role as the first president of Shiseido Company, he also kept a constant hand on his camera and left behind many photo works. Along with Nojima Yasuzo, Fukuhara is considered a pioneer of contemporary Japanese photography as it dawned between the end of the Taisho period and the beginning of Meiji.
	Q Ei（1911 – 1960） Real name Sugita Hideo. Debuted as a pioneer of the avant-garde with the publication of his photo dessin collection "Reason for Sleep" in 1936. Founded Demokrat Bijutsu Kyokai in 1951. Was heavily influential to many young artists including Ay-O, Ikeda Masuo, Isobe Yukihisa, Kawara On, and Hosoe Eikoh. He worked in many mediums including oil, photo-dessin, and print, and created a unique world of his own.
	Fukuda Katsuji（1899 – 1991） Awarded the Ilford Diamond Prize at the 1st Japan Photography Art Exhibition in 1926. Gained critical praise for his writing "Camera Diagnosis" published in Camera Asahi in 1936, and went on to publish many instructional books beginning with "How to Capture a Woman"; he also took many advertisement photographs. After the war, he created nude works in the pursuit of feminine beauty and is considered a leader of the Japanese photography world. Even as the photo world was gripped by the realism movement, Fukuda maintained his own style.
	Kazama Kensuke（1960 – 2017） Traveled Japan with his camera during his 20s, then settled in Hokkaido. Awarded the Newcomer's Award by the Photographic Society of Japan in 2006 for his photo collection "Yubari" published by Jurosha in 2005. Moved to an empty house in Tateyama, Chiba, in 2015, and built a photography museum, Gallery Kazama. He made a living as a photographer by selling his own works, and left behind many beautiful prints. On June 17, 2017, he passed away alone in his home in Tateyama, aged 56.
	Sugawara Ichigo（b. 1960） Has held many solo exhibitions since beginning his work as a photographer in France. He goes beyond the standard array of photographic expression and worlds in many wide fields; in 1996 he directed the film "Blue Fish" which was selected at the Berlin International Film Festival. In recent years, he has been experimenting with wet-plate photography to pursue how to capture the brightness of light, and continues to make new photo works which combine old techniques with new digital techniques.
	Jean Eugene Atget（1857 – 1927） French photographer. In 1879 he studied at a conservatory for musicians and actors, but had to quit for military service, and ended upas a traveling actor. In 1898 he was fired from his troupe and he returned to Paris, where he tried to be a painter, but began taking photos to make ends meet. He had a hand written sign on his door reading "documents pour artistes" and made a living selling painters reference photographs. Left behind around 8000 photographs taken over 30 years of the buildings and interiors of 20th century post-war Paris. Many of his works were disovered after his death.
	Man Ray（1890 – 1976） American painter, sculptor, and photographer. Well known as a Dadaist and Surrealist. Though particularly for his many sculpture works, he is also a representative photographer of the 20th century. He widely made us of many methods such as solarization and his own rayographs, and was skilled at straight portraiture as well (often taking portraits of his contemporaries), and garnered high acclaim for his fashion photos.

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