William Larson
Encyclopedia
William Larson is an American Photographer who has influenced the photographic world with conceptual pieces that examine the role of technology in art.
in 1968, where he studied under Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind
. Although he began his career half a century ago, he has never stopped analyzing and experimenting with the medium of photography.
His first exploration dealt primarily with the issues of time, continuity, and movement. Larson was one of the first to create “slit-scan” photographs, made using medium format film and a special motorized camera. With these stretched-out images, Larson managed to portray the fluid feeling of moving cinema within a still photograph. At the same time, he displayed his incredible technical expertise. In his next step, Larson questioned the inherently “visual” aspect of image-making. Fascinated by the way a fax machine could convert a photograph using audio code, he used this new technological device to create works of art. Through the last few decades, Larson has delved into the moving image, investigating film projectors and toying with notions of video art.
He has shown at Gallery 339.
Larson’s continuing innovation in the field of photography has earned him many honors in the art community. His works can be found in many significant collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art
, the Museum of Modern Art
, the J. Paul Getty Museum
, the George Eastman House
, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art
.
Larson currently lives and works out of Philadelphia, PA.
(1982), a Pew Fellowships in the Arts
(2001), several fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts
(1995, 1994, 1992, 1971, 1979, 1986), two Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowships (1988, 1983), an Aaron Siskind Foundation Fellowship (1993), and two grants from the Polaroid Corporation
(1979).
Life
Larson completed his masters from the prestigious Institute of Design in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1968, where he studied under Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind
Aaron Siskind
Aaron Siskind was an American abstract expressionist photographer. In his biography he wrote that he began his foray into photography when he received a camera for a wedding gift and began taking pictures on his honeymoon. He quickly realized the artistic potential this offered...
. Although he began his career half a century ago, he has never stopped analyzing and experimenting with the medium of photography.
His first exploration dealt primarily with the issues of time, continuity, and movement. Larson was one of the first to create “slit-scan” photographs, made using medium format film and a special motorized camera. With these stretched-out images, Larson managed to portray the fluid feeling of moving cinema within a still photograph. At the same time, he displayed his incredible technical expertise. In his next step, Larson questioned the inherently “visual” aspect of image-making. Fascinated by the way a fax machine could convert a photograph using audio code, he used this new technological device to create works of art. Through the last few decades, Larson has delved into the moving image, investigating film projectors and toying with notions of video art.
He has shown at Gallery 339.
Larson’s continuing innovation in the field of photography has earned him many honors in the art community. His works can be found in many significant collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
, the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, the J. Paul Getty Museum
J. Paul Getty Museum
The J. Paul Getty Museum, a program of the J. Paul Getty Trust, is an art museum. It has two locations, one at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, and one at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California...
, the George Eastman House
George Eastman House
The George Eastman House is the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in Rochester, New York, USA. World-renowned for its photograph and motion picture archives, the museum is also a leader in film preservation and...
, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States. It is located at the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. The Museum was established in 1876 in conjunction with the Centennial Exposition of the same year...
.
Larson currently lives and works out of Philadelphia, PA.
Awards
He has received a Guggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
(1982), a Pew Fellowships in the Arts
Pew Fellowships in the Arts
The Pew Fellowships in the Arts is an organization established by the Pew Charitable Trusts in 1991 which awards grants to Philadelphia-area artists. The grants provide artists with an economic freedom that presents the opportunity to focus on their individual practices over a considerable period...
(2001), several fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
(1995, 1994, 1992, 1971, 1979, 1986), two Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowships (1988, 1983), an Aaron Siskind Foundation Fellowship (1993), and two grants from the Polaroid Corporation
Polaroid Corporation
Polaroid Corporation is an American-based international consumer electronics and eyewear company, originally founded in 1937 by Edwin H. Land. It is most famous for its instant film cameras, which reached the market in 1948, and continued to be the company's flagship product line until the February...
(1979).