Continuing through October 24, 2015
Although it spotlights work by established and emerging photographers on its virtual pages, "Depth of Field" is the first time Rfotofolio, a nonprofit online archive, has curated a show for a brick-and-mortar gallery. The difference between the remoteness of online viewing and the intimacy of in-person viewing clicks in instantly upon entering this attractive gathering of 104 works by 79 artists. Lush gelatin silver prints and pigmented inkjet prints are represented, along with a sampling of historical processes such as ambrotypes, hand-coated albumen prints and tintypes. The subjects run the gamut from slices-of-life and street scenes to nature studies, nontraditional portraiture and nude figure studies. A few works are muddled in their intentions — surrealism or realism? Romantic notions or cynical critiques? Yet you can’t fault the zeal for experimentation.
The majority of works simply shine in a gallery setting, such as Aline Smithson’s lovely yet disorienting “Lucy in Blue” and the haunting photographic collage “Anima” by Annette Elizabeth Fournet. Joining the pack are venerated photographers such as Wynn Bullock, Susan Burnstine and Harold Feinstein. True enough, it’s a democratizing thing for photographers of many skill levels to gain a foothold on the Web; a show like this, however, reaffirms that encounters with photographic mastery lie in first-hand viewing.
