Those of you who subscribe to the monthly newsletter already knew this was coming, but it's officially happened. As of Tuesday, February 20th, I am a podcaster. It's my hope that the blog will reach lots of new friends in this manner, but also that my existing followers and readers will find it interesting as well. You can get all the details here.
Meanwhile, for this week's quest I'm returning to the poll I took on Facebook last week. We're heading back down to the very photogenic Bucks County to learn about a gentleman who found inspiration in the unique architecture of the region.
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| The marker stands on East Swamp Road just north of Main Street, directly across from the Cross Keys Diner. |
After earning a degree in English from City College, Aaron taught the subject in the New York City school system for 25 years. He might never have been anything else, but in 1929 he married his longtime sweetheart, Sidonie "Sonia" Glatter; she had also been a member of the Junior Young People's Socialist League and then a New York City teacher. One of their wedding gifts was a small camera, and Aaron started experimenting with it on their honeymoon in Bermuda. He continued to do so when they returned to New York, and taught himself a vast deal about photography.
In 1933 the joined the Workers Film and Photo League, which had a strong focus on social reform and political issues. The members of the Photo League, as it was called, used their photography skills to shine a light on the struggles of New York residents. Within a few years, Aaron's pictures were attracting a lot of attention. But tragedy struck in his personal life; in 1937, his beloved Sonia had to be made a permanent resident of a care facility due to her declining mental state. Throughout the ordeal, Aaron's grief was extensive, and he funneled his feelings into his work by producing a series of pictures about the decay and eventual demolition of the New York Civic Repertory Theatre.
It was in 1939 that he made his way to Bucks County. By this point he had created a few notable documentary productions, particularly Harlem Document. He was commissioned to visit beautiful Bucks County and photograph the unique architecture of the area, and he created a series of black and white pictures which focused on aesthetic order and visual composition. He found his time in our commonwealth to be so inspiring that for the rest of his career, Aaron's focus was on the elements of a photo, not the subject. Unfortunately, his friends in the Photo League didn't see things as he did and, after multiple disagreements, Aaron left them in 1940.
Aaron and Sonia's marriage was legally annulled in 1945 due to her condition. He continued teaching and pursuing his passion, showcasing his photos at the Museum of Modern Art in 1946. His style of photography involved black and white images of outdoor items, but not actually of the items themselves. Rather, he tended to focus on one particular aspect of the item, the result being a sort of abstract art. He gave up teaching in New York in 1949 and instead became a photography instructor at Trenton Junior College in New Jersey. He still lived in Manhattan, though. A social club for contemporary artists and photographers, known simply as "The Club," was founded in 1950 and Aaron became a member. In 1952 he married another member of "The Club," Cathy Spencer. The couple then moved to Chicago, where Aaron took a teaching post at the Institute of Design. They divorced in 1957, and in the aftermath he focused on his teaching. The following year he published a book of his work, Aaron Siskind: Photographs.
Aaron married for the third and final time in 1960; his new wife was the poet Carolyn Brand, a single mother with a young daughter. He was promoted to head of the photography department in 1961, and for the remainder of the decade he traveled extensively throughout the United States as well as to Mexico and Italy. He held some prominent showings of his work, including at the Art Institute of Chicago. He retired from the Institute of Design in 1970 and moved with his family to Rhode Island, where he took a professorship at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence.
Carolyn died in 1976, which was the same year that Aaron retired from teaching. I'm not sure which happened first. But for the remainder of his life, he continued to travel, meet with students, and curate shows. He made a sizeable contribution of his work to the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, Arizona, providing them with many artifacts of his career.
Aaron died of a stroke in Rhode Island on February 8, 1991. Curiously, it's unknown where or even if he was buried. At the time of his death he was survived by two sisters, as well as his stepdaughter and her two children. Multiple museums throughout the country - including the Getty and the MoMA - continue to exhibit his work, and he's remembered for having helped photography become recognized as a legitimate and viable art medium. Several published books showcase his photos, including the one which first led him down his abstract path; you can enjoy his unique vision of Pennsylvania by picking up Bucks County: Photographs of Early Architecture.
Except where indicated, all writing and photography on this blog is the intellectual property of Laura Klotz. This blog is written with permission of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. I am not employed by the PHMC. All rights reserved.
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