The Legendary Laughlin

Capturing the hidden in plain sight was among photographer Clarence John Laughlin’s most consistent themes. “He was one of the most awesome artists of the 20th Century,” says Barry Fellman, director of the Center for Visual Communication. “He pushed viewers to find depth and magic in the everyday. He showed us another way to look beyond the mundane.” Laughlin, known as the father of American Surrealism, pioneered the use of the camera as a tool for creative expression at a time when the photographic image was primarily used as a document.

“Laughlin was one of the most important figures in the history of photography,” Fellman explains. “He brought photography into a whole new realm past the documentation and purism advanced by Weston’s f/64 school. Instead he used photography to illuminate what lies beyond the surface, pushing photographic imagery deeper than it had ever gone before.” Saturday night at 7, the Center for Visual Communication (541 NW 27th St., Miami) will present the first major exhibit by the American master in more than 15 years. The show will feature more than 60 of Laughlin’s stunning images and represent examples of most of the 23 groups into which he categorized the 17,000 pictures he took during his prolific career.
Sat., Oct. 11, 2008