Roy DeCarava
Encyclopedia
Roy Rudolph DeCarava was an American photographer. DeCarava and poet Langston Hughes
collaborated on a notable 1955 book on life in Harlem
, The Sweet Flypaper of Life. The subject of at least 15 solo exhibitions, DeCarava was known as the first African American photographer to win a Guggenheim Fellowship and was awarded a National Medal of Arts
in 2006.
as the only child of Elfreda Ferguson, an immigrant, who separated from DeCarava's father shortly after his birth. DeCarava lived in Harlem through many decades of important changes and development to the area. In DeCarava’s childhood, the Harlem Renaissance
gave prominence to many black artists, musicians and writers. He was close to poet Langston Hughes
, and would later publish a book with him titled, The Sweet Flypaper of Lifehttp://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/exhibits/rec_acq/history/sweet.html, which chronicled the lives of Harlem residents.
DeCarava graduated from Chelsea Vocational High School and was admitted to The Cooper Union but left after two years to attend classes at the Harlem Art Center. Deciding early on that he wanted to be an artist, he began working as a painter and illustrator; many of his early photographs were meant only as reference for serigraph prints. Increasingly, he was drawn to photography by “the directness of the medium,” and soon found himself communicating the themes and ideas of his paintings photographically. In 1955, DeCarava opened A Photographer's Gallery, an important New York City gallery pioneering an effort to win recognition for photography as a fine art; the gallery remained open for over two years.
At this time many still regarded photography as a documentary medium. DeCarava, however, never considered himself part of this photojournalistic tradition. Rather his work is creative, personal and hearkens to the intense visual imagery and tones that influenced him as an early painter and graphic artist. He cherished the people, places, and events in his pictures and early on developed the means to express his affection. He photographed using only ambient light, printed each image by hand, coaxing light expressively out of very dark images or, more rarely, to delineate darker detail in very light ones. The grays in his black-and-white pictures are velvety and warm--qualities he occasionally enhanced by purposely shooting out of focus or exposing long enough to show movement.
The strong lines, extraordinarily rich tonality, and exploration of light in his work charge his photographs with earthy mystery, like a prime Rembrandt painting (Rembrandt was an early influence) or a late Michelangelo
sculpture in which, because of the artist's rendering of light and mass, life seems to be springing off the canvas.
DeCarava worked for a time at Sports Illustrated magazine, but found it difficult to adjust his style and schedule to the constraints of commercial work. He did a series on the set of Requiem for a Heavyweight
in 1962, which the director liked so much he bought nearly 200 prints. Despite his successes DeCarava felt very strongly about maintaining the artistic integrity of his images, and eventually gave up magazine and freelance work in order to take on a job teaching advanced fine art photography at Hunter College, where he was a distinguished member of the faculty. In 2001, he received a Gold Medal in Photography from the National Arts Club. In 2006, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts
, the highest award given to artists by the United States Government.
Roy DeCarava died on October 27, 2009.
Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance...
collaborated on a notable 1955 book on life in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, The Sweet Flypaper of Life. The subject of at least 15 solo exhibitions, DeCarava was known as the first African American photographer to win a Guggenheim Fellowship and was awarded a National Medal of Arts
National Medal of Arts
The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts. It is the highest honor conferred to an individual artist on behalf of the people. Honorees are selected by the National Endowment for the...
in 2006.
Biography
Roy DeCarava was born in HarlemHarlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
as the only child of Elfreda Ferguson, an immigrant, who separated from DeCarava's father shortly after his birth. DeCarava lived in Harlem through many decades of important changes and development to the area. In DeCarava’s childhood, the Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned the 1920s and 1930s. At the time, it was known as the "New Negro Movement", named after the 1925 anthology by Alain Locke...
gave prominence to many black artists, musicians and writers. He was close to poet Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
James Mercer Langston Hughes was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance...
, and would later publish a book with him titled, The Sweet Flypaper of Lifehttp://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/exhibits/rec_acq/history/sweet.html, which chronicled the lives of Harlem residents.
DeCarava graduated from Chelsea Vocational High School and was admitted to The Cooper Union but left after two years to attend classes at the Harlem Art Center. Deciding early on that he wanted to be an artist, he began working as a painter and illustrator; many of his early photographs were meant only as reference for serigraph prints. Increasingly, he was drawn to photography by “the directness of the medium,” and soon found himself communicating the themes and ideas of his paintings photographically. In 1955, DeCarava opened A Photographer's Gallery, an important New York City gallery pioneering an effort to win recognition for photography as a fine art; the gallery remained open for over two years.
At this time many still regarded photography as a documentary medium. DeCarava, however, never considered himself part of this photojournalistic tradition. Rather his work is creative, personal and hearkens to the intense visual imagery and tones that influenced him as an early painter and graphic artist. He cherished the people, places, and events in his pictures and early on developed the means to express his affection. He photographed using only ambient light, printed each image by hand, coaxing light expressively out of very dark images or, more rarely, to delineate darker detail in very light ones. The grays in his black-and-white pictures are velvety and warm--qualities he occasionally enhanced by purposely shooting out of focus or exposing long enough to show movement.
The strong lines, extraordinarily rich tonality, and exploration of light in his work charge his photographs with earthy mystery, like a prime Rembrandt painting (Rembrandt was an early influence) or a late Michelangelo
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
sculpture in which, because of the artist's rendering of light and mass, life seems to be springing off the canvas.
DeCarava worked for a time at Sports Illustrated magazine, but found it difficult to adjust his style and schedule to the constraints of commercial work. He did a series on the set of Requiem for a Heavyweight
Requiem for a Heavyweight
Requiem for a Heavyweight was a teleplay written by Rod Serling and produced for the live television show Playhouse 90 on 11 October 1956. Six years later, it was adapted as a 1962 feature film starring Anthony Quinn, Jackie Gleason and Mickey Rooney....
in 1962, which the director liked so much he bought nearly 200 prints. Despite his successes DeCarava felt very strongly about maintaining the artistic integrity of his images, and eventually gave up magazine and freelance work in order to take on a job teaching advanced fine art photography at Hunter College, where he was a distinguished member of the faculty. In 2001, he received a Gold Medal in Photography from the National Arts Club. In 2006, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts
National Medal of Arts
The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts. It is the highest honor conferred to an individual artist on behalf of the people. Honorees are selected by the National Endowment for the...
, the highest award given to artists by the United States Government.
Roy DeCarava died on October 27, 2009.
Works consulted
- [The Sound I Saw]http://www.phaidon.com/store/photography/roy-decarava-the-sound-i-saw-9780714843315/. Phaidon Press, 2000
- Roy DeCarava, A Retrospective. Museum of Modern Art New York, NY 1996
- Roy DeCarava, Photographs. Edited by James Alinder, Friends of Photography, 1981.
- Ralph Eugene Meatyard. published by International Center of Photography, 2004, Introduction by Cynthia Young.
- [Thumbnail View] http://131.229.48.136:8188/luna/servlet/view/all/what/Photograph/?os=1500. Luna.