I was in your class on 'Another Country' a few months ago, and this essay reminded me of your close readings of Baldwin, and how much your attention reveals. I'm very much looking forward to the forthcoming Baldwin essay you mentioned.
This is something of an intro to Hujar and McKnight for me, and I so appreciate your discussion here.
As for death, I remember the last time I talked to my dad before he died. It was on the phone, in June 2018, and I so clearly remember him saying, 'I tried to make it to my birthday,' on Aug 31.
Your essay brought up a lot of memories of my dad, who would have been 78 on Saturday. I like to think the meaning behind his last words was that he wanted to stay a little longer with his family (tho I also imagine there were a host of other more harrowing motivations).
What a thoughtful, gorgeous consideration of PH’s images—it makes me wish that I not only had the opportunity to catch this show again but wish my one chance to see it hadn’t been (by necessity) so rushed! The… prudishness was something that struck me too. Still, a jewel of a show, & it was a pleasure to revisit it through your consideration here 💜
I came across this essay last night past my bedtime and decided to return in the daylight after reading the write-up of the Portraits in Life and Death reissue in the Times. This part stuck out to me: "Moser described an ambivalence around Mr. Hujar’s ascendant profile over the past decade. The more the photographer is deified, Mr. Moser said, the more it ushers 'a kind of forgetting that involves turning into this icon, turning into something to put on Instagram. It’s very conflictual for anyone.' .. I hope that people feel daunted by him." Daunted: this is appropriate; it accurately describes how I feel. Peter still intimidates me...in the way all beautiful things intimidate us.
I have been working through my own feelings about Peter, drafting out an essay, similar to what you wrote here. What attracted me to him and his photographs? What does he mean to me? Why do I keep coming back? I saw the Speed of Life retrospective no less than four times, in two cities. I have traveled uptown and downtown to different galleries. I excursed to the Biennale, to see his exhibition. I went to the Ukrainian Museum when it opened. How has his work shaped the development of my identity as a gay man? I'm 25, and I saw my first Hujar photograph, the Sontag portrait, when I was 15.
I saw what you saw in the Ukrainian Museum exhibition. It actually did seem special. I had never seen some of those photographs before, so it reiterated Peter's care for the deformed and disabled. He was clearly a humane person. He reminds me of my grandparents. With each viewing of his work, I understand him more, and his impression on me deepens. Elaine Scarry wrote about beautiful things possessing an impulse toward begetting, affecting viewers to replicate. To take a picture, to write ekphrasis. This is the great conversation, throughout art, throughout time. We're making our own conversation.
Thank you for the introduction to McKnight. I hope we can discuss in person some time... unfortunately I am missing the conversation at Rizzoli tomorrow.
Great post, Garth.
I was in your class on 'Another Country' a few months ago, and this essay reminded me of your close readings of Baldwin, and how much your attention reveals. I'm very much looking forward to the forthcoming Baldwin essay you mentioned.
This is something of an intro to Hujar and McKnight for me, and I so appreciate your discussion here.
As for death, I remember the last time I talked to my dad before he died. It was on the phone, in June 2018, and I so clearly remember him saying, 'I tried to make it to my birthday,' on Aug 31.
Your essay brought up a lot of memories of my dad, who would have been 78 on Saturday. I like to think the meaning behind his last words was that he wanted to stay a little longer with his family (tho I also imagine there were a host of other more harrowing motivations).
Thank you so much for reading this, Jesse, and for sharing this beautiful comment.
What a thoughtful, gorgeous consideration of PH’s images—it makes me wish that I not only had the opportunity to catch this show again but wish my one chance to see it hadn’t been (by necessity) so rushed! The… prudishness was something that struck me too. Still, a jewel of a show, & it was a pleasure to revisit it through your consideration here 💜
Ah, thank you so much for reading this!
I saw the Hujar show the weekend it opened at the Ukrainian Museum. I think your current description of it is spot on.
The Candy Darling portrait is now part of the mammoth show of the Elton John/David Furnish collection at the V & A in London.
That collection also includes a photo of Peter in the bathtub by Don Herron, who also photographed a number of other artists in the bath.
I am planning on coming to your event next week. Best regards.
Thank you so much for reading this. Please do say hello next week!
Will do.
I came across this essay last night past my bedtime and decided to return in the daylight after reading the write-up of the Portraits in Life and Death reissue in the Times. This part stuck out to me: "Moser described an ambivalence around Mr. Hujar’s ascendant profile over the past decade. The more the photographer is deified, Mr. Moser said, the more it ushers 'a kind of forgetting that involves turning into this icon, turning into something to put on Instagram. It’s very conflictual for anyone.' .. I hope that people feel daunted by him." Daunted: this is appropriate; it accurately describes how I feel. Peter still intimidates me...in the way all beautiful things intimidate us.
I have been working through my own feelings about Peter, drafting out an essay, similar to what you wrote here. What attracted me to him and his photographs? What does he mean to me? Why do I keep coming back? I saw the Speed of Life retrospective no less than four times, in two cities. I have traveled uptown and downtown to different galleries. I excursed to the Biennale, to see his exhibition. I went to the Ukrainian Museum when it opened. How has his work shaped the development of my identity as a gay man? I'm 25, and I saw my first Hujar photograph, the Sontag portrait, when I was 15.
I saw what you saw in the Ukrainian Museum exhibition. It actually did seem special. I had never seen some of those photographs before, so it reiterated Peter's care for the deformed and disabled. He was clearly a humane person. He reminds me of my grandparents. With each viewing of his work, I understand him more, and his impression on me deepens. Elaine Scarry wrote about beautiful things possessing an impulse toward begetting, affecting viewers to replicate. To take a picture, to write ekphrasis. This is the great conversation, throughout art, throughout time. We're making our own conversation.
Thank you for the introduction to McKnight. I hope we can discuss in person some time... unfortunately I am missing the conversation at Rizzoli tomorrow.