In
these new photographs, Aaronel de Roy Gruber, Western Pennsylvania's most
exhibited artist, brings home to Pittsburgh fresh images done in her highly
distinctive way.
While in Europe last September with her husband Irv - and joined
on part of the trip by Michael and Sherle Berger -- Aaronel concentrated on
several architectural subjects she had agreed, at the Bergers' request, to
photograph in her special manner.
These exposures are exterior views of American architect Frank
Gehry's magnificent Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Antoni Gaudi's art nouveau
period sculptural buildings in Barcelona (a return visit for the artist),
studies of the huge Ferris wheel that was the undisputed hit of London's recent
millennial celebration and other photographs not exhibited before.
As with all of her work, Aaronel saw her objectives were
to capture a feeling for each subject within its locale, select unusual design
elements that would make fine photographs and establish a sense of space.
Here are the arresting results.
After many years of creating prize-winning abstract paintings
and kinetic/luminetic chrome and Plexiglass sculptures, Aaronel turned her
attention twenty-four years ago to photography. Her son, Terry, a professional
photographer based in New York, suggested this adventure. After being away
from taking pictures for many years, Aaronel newly learned the use of many
different cameras. She also enrolled in special classes around the country,
concentrating on different techniques and processes.
To this new interest Aaronel brought a quality she had
earlier honed to a fine point: not only to make photographs interesting
to collectors and the public but also to find subjects that would give
her outstanding sensibility and flair for the unusual a virtually unlimited
reign. With Irv at her side, Aaronel has not only gathered many unforgettable
views of Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania but also traveled the world for exotic
images.
She and her printer John Fobes have also advanced a secret
toning technique that allows her to color photographs during a chemical bath
in the darkroom. Through this process the artist is able to produce both
pure black and white photographs as well as black and white images tinted
with many hues. Combined with recently added digital editing, the results
are frequently brilliant, going beyond literal transcription of images.
In her photography of recent years, Aaronel has extended the
aesthetic sensitivity of her painting and sculpture. She has developed a
fresh metier that is ideal in being able to reflect what she deems is visually
exciting.
Aaronel is adept at using many different kinds of cameras,
from highly sophisticated automatic and spring-driven ones to humble throw-away
and pinhole versions. But on this trip to Europe she wisely resigned herself
to being a tourist, limiting herself to a few cameras that were not too
difficult to carry. Although foreign customs officers damaged much of her
film and although the weather was rainy and cold, her vivid subjects allowed
the photographer to rise to the occasion, as she often has in the past.
These new photographs again prove that Aaronel, despite
her many awards for outstanding paintings and sculpture, has found her
area of creativity - in images that reflect what is most interesting to
her artist's eye. They and her other photographs of recent years comprise
a distinguished chronicle of permanent value. May Aaronel amaze and delight
us for many years
to come.
- Donald Miller
Donald Miller is the author and publisher of the 2000 monograph, Aaronel:
The Art of Aaronel de Roy Gruber. He is a senior editor and retired art
and architecture critic of the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette.
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