Jerry UelsmannSurrealist Icon of American PhotographyBy Kirsten Studebaker

Table of Contents

Early Life 3-4 Contributions 5-10 Achievements 11-12 Life Today 13 Legacy 14 Bibliography 15

Born on June 11, 1934 in Detroit, Michigan. Took an interest in photography early in life and became a wedding photographer. Received his B.F.A. from Rochester Institute of Technology in 1957. Also in 1957, had first photos in print in an issue of Photography Annual magazine.

Early Life

Untitled, 1959.

Early Life

Received his masters degree from Indiana Universitys art department in 1958. Also received his M.F.A. from Indiana University in 1960where he was instructed by notable photographer Henry Holmes Smith.

Philistines Eye, 1961.

Contributions

Teaching Career

Uelsmann began teaching photography with the Department of Art at the University of Florida in Gainesville in 1960 (his first job offer). Became a graduate research professor of art at the University of Florida in 1974.

Untitled, 1964.

Contributions

One of the leading figures of Pop-Art photography movement.

One of the first to blend elements of pop-art with photography. Became known for his combination of several images into one photograph.Untitled, 1976.

Untitled, 1964.

Contributions Techniques Photo Combination

Small Woods Where I Met Myself, 1967.

Became well-known for his darkroom multiple-printing technique used in his photos, which allowed him to print several images within the same photograph. Received Guggenheim fellowship in order to explore the possibility of combining photo negatives into photographs in 1967and also a National Endowment for the Arts Grant in 1972.

Contributions

Photo Combination Techniques (cont.)

In subsequent years, Uelsmann became very well known for the development of this technique of printing photo negatives into photographs using darkroom techniques.

Apocalypse II, 1967.

Contributions

Surrealist Photography

Uelsmann became very well-known for the surrealist, otherworldly quality his photographs began to take over the years.

Untitled, 1975. Untitled, 1969.

ContributioSurrealist Photography (cont.) ns

Untitled, 1972.

By using his techniques of combining images into a photograph, and combining photo negatives into photographshe created surrealist photographs that could hold their own against the imagery of famous surrealist paintings.

Artistic Recognition

Achievements

His work has been featured in many solo and group shows worldwide. His work is also included in the permanent collections of galleries and museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Chicago Art Institute, the International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House, and many others in countries across the world.

Untitled, 1982.

Achievements Artistic Recognition (cont.)

Uelsmann has several other notable accomplishments in his career, including the Guggenheim Fellowship award in 1967, the National Endowment of the Arts grant in 1972, being a founding member of the American Society for Photographic Education, and also being a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain.

Homage to Man Ray, 1997.

Life Today

Untitled, 2003.

In recent years, Uelsmann has retired from his teaching career at the University of Florida. He is still quite active as a photographer. He has kept up with his roots of using darkroom techniques to make his masterpieces instead of resorting to newer technologies.

Legacy

Uelsmann has broadened the photography medium as a whole, giving it life by giving it different and unique aesthetic qualities.

Bibliography

http://www.florida-arts.org/programs/ahf/displayArtist.cfm?member=33 http://www.masters-of-photography.com/U/uelsmann/uelsmann_articles1.html http://www.uelsmann.net/about.php http://www.mocp.org/collections/permanent/uelsmann_jerry.php