Stephen Shore and the American Aesthetic Learning About Master Photographers 06

Learning About Master Photographers 06
Stephen Shore and the American Aesthetic

Introduction
Good afternoon, everyone. In today’s lecture on contemporary art history, we will be examining the life and work of Stephen Shore, a figure who played a pivotal role in the recognition of color photography as a legitimate form of fine art. Before Shore’s emergence in the 1970s, serious photography was almost exclusively conducted in black and white. Color was dismissed as being too commercial—reserved for fashion magazines or family snapshots. However, Shore challenged this notion, fundamentally altering our visual perception of the mundane world.

Early Influences and The Factory
Shore was something of a prodigy. At the age of 14, he took the initiative to contact Edward Steichen, then a curator at the Museum of Modern Art, who subsequently purchased three of Shore's early works for the museum’s collection. But perhaps his most formative experience occurred in the mid-1960s when he began frequenting Andy Warhol’s studio, known as ‘The Factory.’

Spending time with Warhol allowed Shore to witness the intersection of high art and popular culture. He observed Warhol’s meticulous documentation of everyday objects—soup cans, for instance—and began to apply this sensibility to his own photography. It was here that he learned that any subject, no matter how trivial, could be worthy of artistic exploration.

"American Surfaces": The Snapshot Aesthetic
In 1972, Shore embarked on a series of road trips across the United States. The resulting project, titled American Surfaces, consisted of hundreds of snapshots. He photographed everything he encountered: the meals he ate, the beds he slept in, and the dreary toilets of roadside motels.

What was revolutionary about American Surfaces was its "snapshot" aesthetic. Shore used a handheld 35mm camera, mimicking the style of an amateur tourist. To further distance himself from the traditions of fine art, Shore opted to have his film processed at ordinary commercial laboratories, much like a typical holidaymaker. Critics at the time were perplexed, often dismissing the work as banal and lacking technical craft. Yet, Shore’s intent was clear: he was creating a visual diary of a consumerist society, capturing the quintessential American landscape without the filters of traditional beauty.

"Uncommon Places" and Technical Precision
Moving on to his next major body of work, Uncommon Places, Shore shifted his technical approach significantly. He swapped his small handheld camera for a large-format 8x10 view camera. This was a laborious process; the camera required a tripod and long exposure times, forcing Shore to be extremely deliberate in his compositions.

The shift to a larger format allowed for an incredible level of detail and clarity. Whereas his earlier work felt spontaneous, Uncommon Places was structured and formal. He captured street corners, storefronts, and parking lots with a dispassionate eye. This "deadpan" style—characterized by a lack of obvious emotional bias—became his trademark. It allowed the viewer to look at the ordinary with a renewed sense of wonder, noticing the complex textures and subtle color harmonies of a simple suburban intersection.

The Legitimacy of Color
It is essential to understand the resistance Shore faced regarding his use of color. Historically, color photography was seen as "vulgar" because it reminded people of advertising. Nevertheless, Shore argued that because we see the world in color, it is only logical to photograph it that way. He didn't use color for sensationalism; he used it as a structural element of the image. Through his exhibitions, color photography slowly began to gain academic and institutional respect, eventually paving the way for future generations of photographers.

Legacy and Conclusion
To conclude, Stephen Shore’s influence on contemporary photography cannot be overstated. He taught us that the "vernacular"—the everyday language of our surroundings—is a rich source of artistic inspiration. By documenting the periphery of American life, he captured a specific era with unparalleled precision.

Today, his work is studied not just for its aesthetic value, but as a sociological record of the built environment. As you prepare for your upcoming assignments, I encourage you to consider Shore’s ability to find significance in the seemingly insignificant. Next week, we will look at how his work influenced the "New Topographics" movement.

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Visuals:
Original Street Photography by Urban City Lens

A Quick Note on the Images:
All street photos shown are my own work,
used to visualise the topic.
They are not the work of the famous photographer
being discussed in the audio.

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