Tulip Frenzy

There is a theme to the new photos we are exhibiting at The Stephen Bartels Gallery in London, and it is captured well here.

For those who visit Tulip Frenzy, you’ve likely noticed our fixation, since his death in November, with the late master Saul Leiter.  The images we’ve chosen to exhibit this month all reflect this study of his work.

We don’t think there is anything amiss with a photographer — or any artist — admitting that he’s been so knocked over by his study of a master, that he has self-consciously attempted to apply what he’s learned to his own photography.  We’d be willing to bet that, like Cormac McCarthy channeling Faulkner, or the Brian Jonestown Massacre channeling the Velvet Underground, some of the best work by our favorite writers and musicians flow from their desire to emulate their influences.  If over a long career there’s only one influence emulated, then the artist is derivative, unoriginal.  But if he or she is a magpie, and takes a little from here and a little from there, well, in that case we call them The Dandy Warhols.  And everyone gets something that they want.

Enjoy the images.  And if you like them, don’t forget they’re for sale!

This entry was posted on January 13, 2014 at 1:47 pm and is filed under Uncategorized with tags 35mm Summilux Asph FLE, Leica M, Saul Leiter, Stephen Bartels Gallery. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.