Michael Kenna, Brittish (1953 - )
The Guru of black and white photography Michael Kenna, an English
The Guru of black and white photography Michael Kenna, an
English photographer, was born in 1953. He is known for his monochromatic
landscapes. Such images are not necessarily stark in contrast, they are mostly
produced in shades of gray. Many artists prefer colour in their work, however
there is a certain beauty in black & white pictures. Kenna enthralls the
audience with his splendor in monochrome photography. In London, Michael took commercial photography
and did landscape photography alongside. Then he moved to San Francisco and met Ruth Bernhard and
became a printer and assistant to her for 8 years.
Black & white photography is mystifying and mysterious
since everything around us is already in color. Such photos disseminate
calmness. When Michael Kenna produces his works of art, it is very subjective
and since there are no universal interpretations of good and bad, artists can
make whatever they want. Kenna also reflects what he sees from his point of
view. With the help on ethereal light, Kenna is able to photograph his atypical
landscapes at night and dawn.
Michael Kenna studied from Upholland
College, Lancashire,
the London College of Printing and the Banbury School of Art, Oxfordshire. He
moved to San Francisco
to work as a printer for Ruth Bernhard in 1980s.
Kenna’s work has been exhibited in museums and galleries in the
United States, Europe, Australia and Asia.
His collections are also available in Paris,
the Patrimoine photographique; in London,
at Victoria and Albert
Museum; in Washington
D.C., the National Gallery of Art; and in
Prague at the Museum of Decorative Art.