Four masters of photography are the pride of Philly

Gallery 339, one of Philadelphia's finest photography-focused galleries, will present an exhibition from four local photographers who have achieved worldwide reknown: Philadelphia Masters. Running November 2, 2007 to January 28, 2008, the exhibition intends to recognize the contributions these photographers have made to Philadelphia's contemporary art scene and photography community. In honoring four distinst photographers, Gallery 339 intends to emphasize the diversity and long-term progressive nature of Philadelphia' photography scene.

George Krause, William Larson, Ray K. Metzker, and Ruth Thorne-Thomsen share a common passion for experimentation in their work: perhaps the only thread, aside from the city that they call home, that they can claim in common.

From Gallery 339's press announcement:

"Like a magician, Krause is able to take the average stuff of the world around him to conjure suspense and wonder. Since beginning his career in Philadelphia in the late 1950s, Krause has explored basic human concerns of sensuality, mortality, and spirituality to create his ambiguous, symbolically rich images...

"Since completing his studies at the Institute of Design in Chicago in the late 1960s, Larson has pursued a number of influential conceptual projects that reconsider the ways that the still and the moving image are rendered in art. Experimenting with a range of technologies, including early fax machines and slit-scan cameras, Larson disassembled and reconstructed traditional ways of recording time and movement...

"While experimenting with multiple exposures, unusual juxtapositions, and the unexpected use of light and darkness, Metzker has imbued his images with an emotional resonance. By bisecting a streetscape with an intense ribbon of sunlight or a dense wall of shadow, he is able to evoke a feeling of hope or an aura of menace...

"Thorne-Thomsen combines elements from myth, 19th century travel photography, folklore, allegory and other influences to compose landscapes that appear both familiar and impossible. While surreal, these constructed scenes have a seamlessness and an internal logic that makes them seem real, yet it is a reality that is remembered from a dream.

The reception will take place 6 pm, November 2, 2007. Gallery 339's website can be found here.

Image: Fountan Head, 1970 © George Krause.