The Moment of Seeing: Minor White at the California School of Fine Arts (Hardcover)

by Stephanie Comer (Author), Deborah Klochko (Author), Jeff Gunderson (Contributor)
Key Phrases: teaching photography, creative continuity, photography program, Minor White, Ansel Adams, San Francisco (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Founded by Ansel Adams, directed by Minor White, and staffed by such luminaries as Imogen Cunningham, Dorothea Lange, Lisette Model, and Edward Weston, the first fine-art photography department in the United States was created in 1946 at the California School of Fine Arts (now known as the San Francisco Art Institute). Under White's leadership and against a backdrop of revolutions in photography as an art form, this dynamic faculty developed the modern photography curriculum, bringing a new academic pedigree to the medium and establishing the future of photography education. The Moment of Seeing is much more than a history of the program and those who comprised it. Including White's never-before-published writings on the teaching of photography, it is also a rich gallery of iconic images by both renowned faculty members and the dedicated students they taught.

About the Author
Stephanie Comer is a freelance photo researcher. Deborah Klochko is an educator, author, and curator and co-author of Create and Be Recognized. She lives in Oakland, California. Jeff Gunderson has been librarian and archivist at the San Francisco Art Institute since 1981. He lives in Greenbrae, California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (July 20, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081185468X
• ISBN-13: 978-0811854689
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #537,266 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A surprising look at Minor White, May 13, 2007

By	Short Shelf (Arlington, VA) - See all my reviews

Most of what has come down to us about Minor White as a teacher and thinker is based on his East Coast career from the late 1950s to the 1970s. This well edited, richly illustrated book deals with Minor White's time at the California School of Fine Arts (San Francisco), where he founded the photography program with Ansel Adams in 1946 and taught until 1953. There are fascinating details here about what was arguably the America's first really rigorous photography curriculum, and about the reception and teaching of people like Dorothea Lange, Imogen Cunningham, and Edward Weston long before they were enshrined in the canon of modern photography. A concluding series of portfolios in this book reminds us that much of Minor White's best work was produced during his early Californina years, and attests to the quality of the work of his first students. This is an valuable book in its own right, but also an excellent companion to the indispensable Minor White: The Eye That Shapes.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Moment in Photography Education, September 2, 2008

By	Richard D. Zakia (North Carolina) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Here is a book that takes one back in time to learn about the beginnings of the serious study of
photography as a fine art shortly after WWII at the California School of Fine Arts. It is a
ground breaking drama in which we learn, in almost diary form, about the struggles of
Minor White as Director and the experiences of some of his prominent faculty; Ansel Adams,
Imogene Cunningham, Dorothea Lange, Lisette Model and Edward Weston. It is profusely
illustrated with many vintage photographs and documents. The authors have done a supreme
job of bringing us this historic book.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Moment of Seing: Minor White at the California School of Fine Arts, January 18, 2009

By	Javier F. alonso (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The book was very informative and well written. Images were well selected and very well duplicated. I highly recommend it to any art/photo student/profesional.