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John A. Benigno
 | Biography: My interest in photography dates back to the mid-1950's when my father brought home one of the first Polaroid Land cameras. I was laid up with the whooping cough and he thought the camera would cheer me up. I still have that camera, and, to make a long story short, I've been making photographs ever since.
Much of my work focuses on the landscape of Pennsylvania's Lancaster County, the New Jersey Shore, New Mexico, Arizona, Sicily and Nova Scotia. Also, recently, I've returned to the studio -- the result is a series I call White Flowers. To my delight, this work has evolved into a
newfound outlet for my emotions and creativity.
Perhaps, because much of my work tends towards realism, my photographs often are described as traditional. In fact, many of my primary influences come from the writings and works of Porter, Feininger, Steichen, and Strand, to name a few. While I welcome a comparison to the past, realism is merely a means to an end. Rather, I believe that my artistic vision is driven more by my background in the social sciences, especially anthropology and history, than by my great admiration for photography's early masters.
My real interest is to create images that capture timeless moments in the landscape, and, if the land has been touched by man, to stimulate curiosity about how, when and why. Country: USA Birthyear: 1946 Galleries: If you're in the Philadelphia, PA area, you can see my work in the collections of the Woodmere Art Museum, the Philip and Muriel Berman Museum at Ursinus College, and at Rosemont College.
Other collectors include the State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax, the Lancaster Museum of Art, and the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas in Austin.
Also, my photographs have been published in "Camera Arts" magazine, "The Calumet Newsletter for Photographic Artists," and the "Antietam Review."
Awards: My "Adobe Church" project was recently awarded a grant from the Luminous Endowment for Photographers. Media: photography Style: realistic Subjects: landscapes and nature |
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