‘15 Decades of Photography’

Cathy Curtis’ 1,000 words in review of the Brea Civic Gallery’s current exhibition, “15 Decades of Photography” (Calendar, July 17), deserve thanks for generously exposing a “museum quality” show that breaks new artistic ground for an awakening cultural community hidden in the hills of north Orange County.

However, the spotlight summary that the Brea Cultural Center show “lacks artistic focus” seems odd when her page runs out of room to give more than “also showing” credit to such talented photographers as Renger-Patzsch, Bill Connell, Al Belson and Barbara Morgan--especially since Morgan’s seldom-seen photograph of Ansel Adams with Beaumont Newhall documents the energetic elan that Adams brought to his life, as well as his work, and is, in itself, worth a trip to the gallery (before Aug. 18, when the show ends).

In general, criticizing a “survey” show for lacking an organic idea seems like visiting London and complaining that “it’s not at all like Paris.” The exhibition presents itself as “A Visual Expedition,” a criterion it easily meets, and as Curtis herself writes, “There is a lot to see, and much of it borrowed from some of the West’s major photography collections . . . is a real treat.” And if curator Mark Steck has “skirted the medium’s wilder shores” by avoiding media-dependent “shock value” artists like Andres Serrano, some of us, who became bored stiff by the social resignation of “vulgar” artists over a decade ago, are grateful.

It is not that the show should bear no criticism. Curtis’ observations that the Stereograph techniques of Francis Frith require background information in order to be properly understood are completely valid. It can also be fairly said that the show, without Eisenstaedt or Stieglitz, compares to a survey of American journalism without Horace Greeley or Benjamin Franklin.

But the Brea Civic and Cultural Center Gallery is hardly funded at the level of Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and it just seems, on balance, that the exhibition deserves more applause than apathy or abuse for the 122 photographs it brings into view.

To borrow a whole bunch of phrases from Carl Sandburg (who not only introduced many of us to our first book of photography, “The Family of Man,” but also shows up in a stunning and brooding portrait by Bill Connell), “without the sunshine of good words, worthy tasks will gather dust and mildew, and shrivel in the shadows of our buildings.” The honey and spice combination of the Brea Civic Gallery show deserves more positive publicity.

It may sound a bit provincial, but up in the north county we worry about knowledgeable curators being underwhelmed by the sound of one hand clapping and departing for more hospitable artistic canyons of Wyoming and Montana. If all they need is a few good words to tie their images together, we’ll try to help.

ALFRED CLEMENS

Brea