The Photographs of Ann Ginsburgh
On view from April 6 through August 1 in the White Print Room at the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum, “Light in the Landscape: Photographs by Ann Ginsburgh Hofkin” (Mount Holyoke Class of 1965) offers a series of dreamlike images from her travels in the United States and Israel. Included are three-dimensional photographs, created with multiple lenses and a lenticular printing process, as well as black and white infrared silver prints.
The artist will present a slide show and lecture on April 8, at 4 pm, at the museum.
“Imagination and reality operate together, and it is this union which directs my work as an artist,” said Hofkin. For several years, she has been producing three-dimensional photographs. Their hypnotic quality, she suggests, augments their sensuous and organic elements and expands the possibilities of the medium. The added depth draws in the viewer, thereby triggering a more intimate relationship with the work. In working with these 3-D images, the artist is particularly struck by “the sense of reality each possesses and yet the pieces seem to emphasize the unknown or hidden layers present in our surroundings.”
Black and white infrared film is sensitive to the visible spectrum and infrared light, which is not perceived by the human eye. Objects reflecting significant concentrations of infrared energy register greater density on the film’s negative, thereby causing final images to appear lighter or more ethereal. For example, green leaves appear white instead of the shades of gray to which viewers are accustomed. Blue skies are black. “The resulting shift in tonality,” said Hofkin, “emphasizes those mysterious qualities I seek in my work.”
Hofkin studied with Ansel Adams, Frank Gohlke and Linda Connor. Her photographs are part of numerous collections, including the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Savannah College of Art and Design.
The Mount Holyoke College Art Museum in is open Tuesday-Friday, 11 am to 5 pm and weekends, 1 to 5 pm. For information, www.mtholyoke. edu/go/artmuseum/ or 413-538-2245.
