2 PICTORIAL MISSION CHURCHES NM CARL VAN VECHTEN

2 PICTORIAL MISSION CHURCHES NM CARL VAN VECHTEN
1. UNKNOWN, [Church, St. Francis of Assisi, San Francisco de Assisi, Ranchos De Taos, N. M.], 1930 Ca., sepia Silver Gelatin Print 7.75x9.75 ASG# UNK/2000 A shepherd walks his herd of sheep next to the church on a beautiful partly cloudy afternoon.

2. CARL VAN VECHTEN, The Church of the Pueblo of Santo Domingo [Mission Santo Domingo, New Mexico], 16-Jul-33 Silver Gelatin Print 6.75x9" ASG# CVV1003. Pictorialism was still a movement in photography though the movement toward modernism was in full swing by 1933. Laura Gilpin, Ansel Adams and others were transitioning from soft-focus to hard edge prints but many still liked softness as here the gate and adobe walls set off the bell tower and front of the church with low hills in the back as if the church itself was part of the landscape. The modernism here is the gray tones of modern papers versus the sepia tones as in the Rancho de Taos church photograph reminiscent of 19th century sepia toned prints.

2 photographs of Mission Churches in New Mexico. In the first half of the 20th century photographers and painters such as Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Joseph Sharp and the Taos and Santa Fe painters, Georgia O'Keeffe and others made many of their best artworks of these Hispanic and Pueblo Indian adobe landmarks. Here we offer 2 beautifully printed, accent décor, pictorial views, including one by internationally renowned Carl Van Vechten

Carl Van Vechten (1880-1964) was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He left Iowa in 1899 to attend the University of Chicago. In Chicago he was able to explore art, music, and opera. He became interested in writing and contributed to the University of Chicago Weekly.

In 1906, when Van Vechten moved to New York City, he was hired as the assistant music critic at the New York Times and in 1909 he became the first American critic of modern dance. His Life and Works, Van Vechten's first novel, was published in 1922. Van Vechten became very interested in promoting black artists and writers. He was an avid collector of ephemera and books pertaining to black arts and letters and a frequent visitor to Harlem. These experiences provided the inspiration for his controversial novel, Nigger Heaven, and later he would photograph many of the creative people he met in Harlem. In the early 1930s, Miguel Covarrubias introduced Van Vechten to the 35mm Leica camera. He began photographing his large circle of friends and acquaintances. Some of his subjects from this period include F. Scott Fitzgerald, Langston Hughes, Alfred A. Knopf, Bessie Smith, and Gertrude Stein. Van Vechten's photographs have been widely exhibited and frequently used as illustrations in books and magazines.

Condition: UNK/2000 St Francis Church - Excellent, very rich tones in excellent condition, very minor edge and corner wear, the print is unmounted
CVV/1003 – Excellent. Very rich tones, minor wear and edge wear, stamped verso with Van Vechten Stamp, title date in red ink verso