dots, pt/pd print, 2012
I've always had a hard time with Imogen Cunningham. My first experience with her work was in a book I rescued from the Friends of the Library book sale. Once I got it home and we spent some time together, I couldn't find a single thing about it I liked. I'm not sure I even still own the volume at this point. We crossed paths again in History of Photo, and while I could understand the impact of her existence and the work she created, I still couldn't really identify or find any aesthetic pleasure in it. More recently, we met again and made amends when I fell in love with platinum palladium printing.
This fictional version of Imogen goes by Cymbeline, and she may have finally won me over into the fan club. Part of the narrative follows Cymbeline as she produces several images, including an actual image by Imogen, The Unmade Bed. So, in honor of the first chapter, here are dots and lilies, 3am.
lilies, 3am
Even though the above image was inspired by Cymbeline's talk of death in relation to photographs of cut flowers, I later realized that it bore some resemblance to another Imogene image not mentioned in the book, Amaryllis Flower.