Joel Meyerowitz
(Joel Meyerowitz: Porch, Provincetown [from the Bay Sky Porch series])
Joel Meyerowitz (U.S., b. 1938)
Porch, Provincetown [from the Bay Sky Porch series]. 1977, printed 1986
Chromogenic color (Ektacolor) print
20 1/8 x 16 1/4 in. image size
Henry Art Gallery, Joseph and Elaine Monsen Photography Collection, gift of Joseph and Elaine Monsen and The Boeing Company, 97.107
With Porch, Provincetown, New York native Joel Meyerowitz created an image that is as emotive as it is minimal. Columns, railing, and roofline provide a frame for an expanse of water and a lone boat. The atmospheric sky, soft lighting, and sparseness of the scene stir the senses of the viewer. The composition, though spare, is not based purely on formal elements of color and line but, according to Meyerowitz, is meant to portray “more of my feelings and less of my thoughts. I want to be clear. I see the photograph as a chip of experience itself.”