
Large Wave Face in Sun, Zuma Beach, CA, 2000, by Anthony Friedkin via Joseph Bellows Gallery
The dog days of summer will get anybody down, but true beach bums will swoon at the chance to catch the perfect wave. For ocean lovers, surf aficionados, and black and white photography lovers, Joseph Bellows exhibit of transcendental wave photos are worth a look.
Anthony Friedkin’s tonally rich black and white images of the Pacific Ocean depict the force and the quietude of its waveforms. Each wave is pictured isolated and unique, while suggesting the larger context of the surrounding ocean. The resulting photographs reveal the momentum, formal beauty and reflective grace of the surf.
As one looks at the photographs, it becomes clear that the artist is observing and understanding the waves as both photographer and surf rider. The images included in the exhibition are part of a larger project that spans several decades of recording the ocean and its culture.
Friedkin’s photographs are in the collections of numerous institutions including: the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Museum of Modern Art. Monographs by Friedkin include: Time Keeper (2003) and the Gay Essay (2014), both with introductions by Julian Cox.
Anthony Friedkin’s aquatic essay will be up with other summer selections at Joseph Bellows through the end of August.
For More Information: Joseph Bellows Gallery