Jim Krantz, Epic Western No. 33, 2017
Jim Krantz, Epic Western No. 33, 2017 
TITLE_NAME :
The Way of The West: Jim Krantz and Ansel Adams

02/11/2017 - 22/12/2017

DANZIGER 
95 Rivington Street 
 
10002 New York

www.danzigergallery.com   

 
Each a photographic pioneer in his own right, Adams is well known for majestic black and white landscapes of the American west while Krantz occupies a unique place in the history of contemporary art for his western images that have become iconic depictions of American popular culture.
The Adams/Krantz pairing is not without reason as Krantz studied with Adams in the mid ’70’s, where Adams taught workshops from his home. Driving from Omaha, Nebraska to Carmel at the age of 18 to study with the master, Krantz attended multiple week long workshops throughout his college years and was one of Adams’ most promising students. Becoming a full-time professional photographer at the age of 22, and one of America’s most successful commercial photographers by the age of 30, Krantz credits Adams for his attention to light and composition.
Krantz remembers Adams telling him one thing in particular: “Technical proficiency leads to artistic freedom”.  While the unpredictable elements of a photograph were (to a large extent) the weather for Adams and action for Krantz, pre-visualizing the final image, composition, and perspective was key for both photographers. A strong point of commonality for the two men is that each sought the mythological moment in the real while pushing the boundaries of their medium with the emotive and technical quality of their negatives and prints.