ART: Edward Weston: A Legacy @ The Huntington

Edward Weston. Since the first time I encountered his photographs at LACMA back in the days, I haven't been able to forget the images I saw. They've been burned into my retinas. I think about his work often. And I was absolutely delighted when I saw the street banners advertising the Edward Weston exhibit at The Huntington this summer. To see his photographs again...after all these years...wow...I feel so fortunate. So I went, saw, looked, stared at those wonderful photographs of his. The Huntington has a large collection of Weston's prints which he donated back in the 1940's.

The collection consists mostly of the photographs he took during a road trip through the West and Southwest. Lots of pictures of Death Valley, Point Lobos, and Yosemite. The only downside is that there weren't enough of his still life photographs which I love. He took these amazing pictures of shells, bell peppers and other vegetables that look like human sculptures. It's fun to imagine what these mundane objects resemble. There's this one photograph of a bell pepper that looks like two people in a passionate embrace. It's wild. Also I like the photograph of a cabbage cut in half that resembles the cross-section of a brain.

Weston shows you how to look at the world in a different way. He had such a stinkin' good eye. His photographs make tremendous impact because of the strong lines and sharp constrasts. You'd be missing out if you never lay eyes on a Edward Weston photograph. The exhibit is showing now through October 5 at the The Huntinton Library and Botanical Gardens in the Boone Gallery (Tuesday-Sunday 10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.). While you're there also check out the beautiful grounds. My favorite place is the Cactus Garden. Second favorite is the Japanese Garden.

www.edward-weston.com

::5 stars::