Joel Sternfeld
Joel Sternfeld
Photographer, Artist, and Author
Full Name and Common Aliases
Joel Sternfeld was born in 1944 and is commonly known by his first name.
Birth and Death Dates
Born: 1944
Died: Not applicable (still alive as of this writing)
Nationality and Profession(s)
Nationality: American
Profession(s): Photographer, Artist, Author
Early Life and Background
Joel Sternfeld was born in 1944 in New York City. He grew up in a family that encouraged his creative pursuits from an early age. Sternfeld's interest in photography began during the 1960s, when he started experimenting with cameras as part of his art studies.
Sternfeld went on to study at Yale University and later earned a Master's degree in Fine Arts from the New York Institute of Technology. During this time, he honed his skills as a photographer, working with various mediums and techniques.
Major Accomplishments
Throughout his career, Sternfeld has received numerous awards and accolades for his work. Some notable achievements include:
Recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship (1991)
Received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (1985)
Exhibited at major museums worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New YorkNotable Works or Actions
Sternfeld's work spans various mediums and styles. Some notable projects include:
On This Site, a series documenting the locations where significant events took place (e.g., the site of a historic battle, a location mentioned in literature)
_American Prospects_, a book showcasing his photographs of the American landscape
Experimentation with the use of Polaroid cameras to create large-scale prints
Impact and Legacy
Joel Sternfeld's contributions to photography have had a lasting impact on the art world. His innovative approach to storytelling through images has influenced generations of photographers.
Sternfeld's work often explores themes such as identity, culture, and the human condition. His photographs frequently capture ordinary scenes in unexpected ways, inviting viewers to reevaluate their perceptions of reality.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Joel Sternfeld is widely quoted or remembered for his insightful commentary on contemporary issues. As a photographer, he has had the unique opportunity to document significant events and everyday life. His photographs often spark meaningful discussions about our place within society.
Sternfeld's perspective as an artist offers valuable insights into the world we live in today. Through his work, he encourages us to engage with the world around us, challenging our assumptions and perceptions along the way.
Quotes by Joel Sternfeld
For me it was sort of career suicide to work in color, but I did it because I perceived myself from an early stage to be interested in seasonality - the changing of the seasons - that's what I deeply loved.
No individual photo explains anything. That's what makes photography such a wonderful and problematic medium. It is the photographer's job to get this medium to say what you need it to say. Because photography has a certain verisimilitude, it has gained a currency as truthful - but photographs have always been convincing lies.
The job of the color photographer is to provide some level of abstraction that can take the image out of the daily.
Some of the people who are now manipulating photos, such as Andreas Gursky, make the argument - rightly - that the straight photographs of the 1940s and 50s were no such thing. Ansel Adams would slap a red filter on his lens, then spend three days burning and dodging in the dark room, making his prints. That's a manipulation. Even the photographs of Henri Cartier-Bresson, with all due respect to him, are notoriously burned and dodged.
Photography has always been capable of manipulation. Even more subtle and more invidious is the fact that any time you put a frame to the world, it's an interpretation. I could get my camera and point it at two people and not point it at the homeless third person to the right of the frame, or not include the murder that's going on to the left of the frame. You take 35 degrees out of 360 degrees and call it a photo. There's an infinite number of ways you can do this: photographs have always been authored.
Looking at a black and white photograph, you are already looking at a strange world.
Some people consider utopia to be derived from nature. For some people, utopia is the city.
For me it was sort of career suicide to work in color, but I did it because I perceived myself from an early stage to be interested in seasonality - the changing of the seasons - thats what I deeply loved.
The digital print is becoming the look of our time, and it makes the C-print start to look like a tintype.