I’ve spent time recently researching photographers to include in my ‘Telling Image’ classes at the Cambridge U3A. At the back of my mind has been a strong, simple graphic image of the edge of a wall that I might have included. Unfortunately I couldn’t remember the photographer, only that I associated it with my involvement with the Cambridge Darkroom in the early 1980s. It niggled away and this afternoon it suddenly occurred to me that I should look at some old copies of the Creative Camera Year Book. I didn’t find the picture, but found a feature on Ralph Gibson in the 1975 edition and knew that was the name that had eluded me. The picture, from Quadrants (1975) is shown opposite.
Wikipedia writes of Gibson: ‘Ralph Gibson is an American art photographer best known for his photographic books. His images often incorporate fragments with erotic and mysterious undertones, building narrative meaning through contextualization and surreal juxtaposition.’ He is still active, but seems to receive little notice these days.
PS How we miss the wisdom of Peter Turner and Creative Camera.