Harry Richardson Cremer‘s poetic art
When speaking of the development of the artistic photography in the first half of the XX century, Harry Richardson Cremer is one of the most interesting and poetic representatives of his time and, in our opinion, one of the most talented as well.
Born around 1904, of Upper Montclair, New Jersey, Harry Richardson Cremer comes from a family of photographers.
He was the grandson of James Cremer (1821-93), a pioneering photographer from Philadelphia. Harry’s father, Frank R., was a photographer as well. He has been influenced and inspired by both of them. Shortly after high school graduation, he attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts for two years. H.R. Cremer first exhibited his photos in 1924. Later, he became a charter member of the Photographic Society of America and president of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts, Photography Department (now the Brooklyn Museum). He participated in more than 100 photographic exhibitions (salons) until 1937.
In his art world dealings, H. R. Cremer met and photographed fellow artists such as photographer Margaret Bourke-White and illustrator W.H.D. Koerner. The negatives at that time range in size from 4-by-5, 5-by-7, and 8-by-10 to an astounding and rare 11-by-14 inches.
The art by H. R, Cremer is a vivid and authentic illustration of the original aesthetics of his time, and we highly recommend adding his works to your photography collection.
In this blog article, some of selected images by Cremer are shown, all created in the 1920-30s. One of them is currently available at Controforma for a special price and others can be found on request, so please contact us if you are interested.
Original vintage photogravure on paper, labeled by the artist's name, verso. Composed and printed in 1928. A stunning black & white composition of this famous photographer of the 1920's. The artist leaves the viewer with the impression that the flying woman is born by a flowing wave. Shown for the first time at the Salon International d’Art Photographique, Paris, in 1928.
Condition: Good. Few, very fine scratches, visible only by holding the photograph against the light.
