Jerry Spagnoli
Encyclopedia
Jerry Spagnoli a photographer since the mid-1970s, is best known for his work with the daguerreotype
process, a complex photographic technique invented in 1839 that produces images on highly polished, silver clad copper plates. Initiating his exploration of the daguerreotype
in San Francisco in 1994, Spagnoli experimented with nineteenth century materials and studied the effects achieved by early practitioners to understand the technical aspects of the process, as well as its expressive and visual potential as a medium. He began work on an ongoing series entitled “The Last Great Daguerreian Survey of the 20th Century” in 1995, continuing the series upon returning to the east coast in 1998. The project features views of the metropolis as well as images of historically significant events including the destruction of the World Trade Center
on 9/11, the vigil following the disappearance of John F. Kennedy, Jr.
., and Times Square
at midnight on the eve of the new millennium
. Considered the leading expert in the revitalization of the daguerreotype
process, Spagnoli is also noted for his collaboration with artist Chuck Close
on daguerreotype portraits and nudes.
Spagnoli’s interest in the characteristic qualities of photographic processes extends to other aspects of his work. In his “Photomicrograph
” series Spagnoli explores how people, photographed at great distances onto a small piece of film and enlarged many times, are readable as human forms from the most minimal information. In “Pantheon,” a recent series of color photographs, Spagnoli placed a radiating sun
at the center of each image, the effect of which is enhanced by his use of a pinhole camera
. Recently this project has morphed into “Local Stories.” Exchanging the pinhole for a super-wide-angle lens
the project has taken on a more documentarian
agenda while retaining the preoccupation with the sun
as a central motif
. Of his work, Spagnoli comments, “Ultimately my use of various materials and methods is centered in my desire to make complicated stories out of the everyday world, which is my apparent subject matter. Photography allows me to engage viewers with images and ideas which are filtered through the abstracting apparatus of the camera and woven into the matrix of its rich history.”
Daguerreotype
The daguerreotype was the first commercially successful photographic process. The image is a direct positive made in the camera on a silvered copper plate....
process, a complex photographic technique invented in 1839 that produces images on highly polished, silver clad copper plates. Initiating his exploration of the daguerreotype
Daguerreotype
The daguerreotype was the first commercially successful photographic process. The image is a direct positive made in the camera on a silvered copper plate....
in San Francisco in 1994, Spagnoli experimented with nineteenth century materials and studied the effects achieved by early practitioners to understand the technical aspects of the process, as well as its expressive and visual potential as a medium. He began work on an ongoing series entitled “The Last Great Daguerreian Survey of the 20th Century” in 1995, continuing the series upon returning to the east coast in 1998. The project features views of the metropolis as well as images of historically significant events including the destruction of the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
on 9/11, the vigil following the disappearance of John F. Kennedy, Jr.
John F. Kennedy, Jr.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr. , often referred to as John F. Kennedy, Jr., JFK Jr., John Jr. or John-John, was an American socialite, magazine publisher, lawyer, and pilot. The elder son of U.S. President John F...
., and Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
at midnight on the eve of the new millennium
Millennium
A millennium is a period of time equal to one thousand years —from the Latin phrase , thousand, and , year—often but not necessarily related numerically to a particular dating system....
. Considered the leading expert in the revitalization of the daguerreotype
Daguerreotype
The daguerreotype was the first commercially successful photographic process. The image is a direct positive made in the camera on a silvered copper plate....
process, Spagnoli is also noted for his collaboration with artist Chuck Close
Chuck Close
Charles Thomas "Chuck" Close is an American painter and photographer who achieved fame as a photorealist, through his massive-scale portraits...
on daguerreotype portraits and nudes.
Spagnoli’s interest in the characteristic qualities of photographic processes extends to other aspects of his work. In his “Photomicrograph
Micrograph
A micrograph or photomicrograph is a photograph or digital image taken through a microscope or similar device to show a magnified image of an item.Micrographs are widely used in all fields of microscopy.-Photomicrograph:...
” series Spagnoli explores how people, photographed at great distances onto a small piece of film and enlarged many times, are readable as human forms from the most minimal information. In “Pantheon,” a recent series of color photographs, Spagnoli placed a radiating sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
at the center of each image, the effect of which is enhanced by his use of a pinhole camera
Pinhole camera
A pinhole camera is a simple camera without a lens and with a single small aperture – effectively a light-proof box with a small hole in one side. Light from a scene passes through this single point and projects an inverted image on the opposite side of the box...
. Recently this project has morphed into “Local Stories.” Exchanging the pinhole for a super-wide-angle lens
Wide-angle lens
From a design perspective, a wide angle lens is one that projects a substantially larger image circle than would be typical for a standard design lens of the same focal length; this enables either large tilt & shift movements with a view camera, or lenses with wide fields of view.More informally,...
the project has taken on a more documentarian
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
agenda while retaining the preoccupation with the sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
as a central motif
Motif (narrative)
In narrative, a motif is any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story. Through its repetition, a motif can help produce other narrative aspects such as theme or mood....
. Of his work, Spagnoli comments, “Ultimately my use of various materials and methods is centered in my desire to make complicated stories out of the everyday world, which is my apparent subject matter. Photography allows me to engage viewers with images and ideas which are filtered through the abstracting apparatus of the camera and woven into the matrix of its rich history.”
Collections
- The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
- The National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC
- The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA
- The Fogg Museum, Boston, MA
- The High Museum, Atlanta , GA
- The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston MA
- The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
- The Nelson Atkins Museum, Kansas City, MO
- The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
- The Oakland Museum, Oakland, CA
- The New York Historical Society, New York, NY
- The Museum of the City of New York, New York, NY
- The Cleveland Museum, Cleveland, OH
- Musee Carnavalet, Paris, France
In collaboration with Chuck Close
- A Couple of Ways of Doing Something, Chuck Close and Bob Holman, Aperture, New York, (2006)
- Chuck Close: Daguerreotypes, Demetrio Paparoni, Alberico Cetti Serbelloni Editor, (2002)
Other books featuring Spagnoli’s work
- The Journal of Contemporary Photography VI, (2004), “Flesh and Spirit: The Photomicrographs of Jerry Spagnoli”
- Photography’s Antiquarian Avant-Garde, Lyle Rexer, Abrams, (2002)
- The Photographic Arts, John Wood, University of Iowa Press, (1997), “Passed, Passing or to Come: The Conceptual Songs of Jerry Spagnoli”