Portraits of Women, 1964-2004. This display of vintage prints traces Dater's long-term investigation of the portraiture of women, including herself; inspired by such masters of the form as Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, and August Sander
Portraits of Women, 1964Â2004
Michael Dawson Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of photographs by
Judy Dater. This display of vintage prints traces Dater¹s long-term
investigation of the portraiture of women, including herself. Inspired by
such masters of the form as Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, and August
Sander, Dater was drawn to portraiture early in her career, and has
continued to explore the power of the photographic portrait. She is
fascinated by the capacity of the medium to achieve what photographic
historian James Enyeart has described as the ³realm of psychological
characterization². Dater says :³People tend to reveal themselves to the
camera and express something about themselves, perhaps even something hidden
from themselves.²
Included in the exhibition are a number of images shown at Dater¹s 1972 solo
exhibition at the Witkin Gallery in New York. These pictures of women,
taken between 1969 and 1972, articulate a profound sense of emotional
energy, sexual tension, and assertiveness emblematic of the era. Early in
her career , Dater understood that portraiture could not be primarily
concerned with the projections of the photographer. Instead , the manifest
presence of the photographed woman is channeled from subject to
photographer and thus to the viewer.
Dater¹s concern with the difficulties of representation led to a sustained
project of self-portraiture between 1980 and 1983. During numerous trips to
the desert regions of the southwestern United States, close to the country¹s
border, Dater explored the boundaries of her form. The portraits that
emerged, grounded in landscape, evoke ritualistic performances and
earthworks, and led to Dater¹s sparse and experimental approach to
photography in the late 1980s and 1990s.
Image:
Judy Dater, Twinka Thiebaud, 1970
November 19th, 2004 through January 22nd, 2005
Opening Reception: Friday, November 19th, 7-9 pm
Michael Dawson Gallery
535 North Larchmont Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90004