Emmet Gowin
Encyclopedia
Emmet Gowin is an American photographer.
After graduating from Richmond Professional Institute
(now Virginia Commonwealth University
) in 1965, Gowin attended the Rhode Island School of Design
. While earning his MFA, Gowin studied under influential American photographers Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind
.
Gowin retired from teaching at Princeton University
at the end of 2009 and lives in Pennsylvania with his wife Edith.
experiments. Using a 4×5 lens with an 8×10 camera allowed Gowin to expose the full image circle
, surrounded by a dramatic vignette, in his family portraits and rural landscapes.
Beginning with a trip to Washington state soon after Mt. Saint Helens erupted, Gowin began taking aerial photographs. For the next twenty years, Gowin captured strip mining sites, nuclear testing fields, large-scale agricultural fields and other scars in the natural landscape.
Gowin received a Guggenheim Fellowship
in 1977 and a National Endowment for the Arts
Fellowship in 1979, and Pew Fellowships in the Arts
in 1994.
After graduating from Richmond Professional Institute
Richmond Professional Institute
The Richmond Professional Institute was an educational institution established in 1917 which merged with the Medical College of Virginia to form Virginia Commonwealth University. RPI was located on what is now known as the Monroe Park Campus of VCU. The entire history of RPI can be found in "A...
(now Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
) in 1965, Gowin attended the Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...
. While earning his MFA, Gowin studied under influential American photographers 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...
.
Gowin retired from teaching at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
at the end of 2009 and lives in Pennsylvania with his wife Edith.
Career
Gowin first gained attention with his intimate portraits of his wife, Edith and family. His almost exclusive use of a large format camera led to both optical and darkroomDarkroom
A darkroom is a room that can be made completely dark to allow the processing of light sensitive photographic materials, including photographic film and photographic paper. Darkrooms have been created and used since the inception of photography in the early 19th century...
experiments. Using a 4×5 lens with an 8×10 camera allowed Gowin to expose the full image circle
Image circle
The image circle, or circle of illumination, of a lens is the circular area in the image plane formed by the cone of light transmitted by the lens . Within this circle is the smaller circle for which image definition is acceptable, the circle of good definition ; however, some authors make no...
, surrounded by a dramatic vignette, in his family portraits and rural landscapes.
Beginning with a trip to Washington state soon after Mt. Saint Helens erupted, Gowin began taking aerial photographs. For the next twenty years, Gowin captured strip mining sites, nuclear testing fields, large-scale agricultural fields and other scars in the natural landscape.
Gowin received a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim 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...
in 1977 and a 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...
Fellowship in 1979, and 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...
in 1994.
External links
- George Eastman House Emmet Gowin Series
- Emmet Gowin at Museum of Contemporary PhotographyMuseum of Contemporary PhotographyThe Museum of Contemporary Photography was founded in 1984 by Columbia College Chicago. It is well known for an active program and curating which discovers many emerging and mid-career artists...
- "Emmet Gowin", Sally Gall, BOMB 58, Winter 1997