Minor white, who was born on July 9th, 1908 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, lived a very long, very successful life. As a photographer, a father, theoretician, critic, and a teacher. The man left quite a mark after his life had run its course. He had a vision for his photography that was heavily influenced by many different spiritualistic, and intellectual experiences in his life. It wouldn’t be until after graduating from the University of Minnesota that he moved all the way out to Oregon and dove into the life of a photographer. He would go on to make thousands of Black and White photos throughout his life of landscapes, people, and different subjects. He did so with the help of both technical mastery and a strong visual sense of light and shadow. He instructed many classes and workshops in areas such as the Fine Art School of California, Rochester institute of technology, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also did some educating in his very own home.
There hasn’t been any recording of what had really happened in his earlier life, other than the big notes such as graduating, birth, place where he was raised. Many of the experiences that influenced his have escaped note and will forever be a mystery. Doing more research, it turns out that for most of his early life, he was a closet homosexual. He hadn’t disclosed this publicly, though. His photograph, “Tom Murphy, San Francisco” (1948) had some homosexual undertones implied. Of a nude, muscular man with his head tilted down to the side, giving off a feeling of insecurity.
White was as well involved in World War II. He had his sexual identity in this time period of his life. Far before the media and the public had embraced homosexuality like they do today. It is not a massive piece involving his vast collection of photos, though. Most of his work has to do with great, little details of the world around him, along with all the natural elements involved. Most of his work done throughout this middle of his life.
In the later years of his work, this would be when he spent the majority of his time teaching. Most of his work in these years come off as more meditative pieces. Gathering a moment taken from his life.
He later on would pass in Boston, Massachusetts. June 24th, 1976. After long and accomplished life.
Work Cited:
https://hyperallergic.com/138650/minor-whites-vulnerability/ , Hyperallergic. Minor White’s Vulnerability. Alicia Eler. July 25th, 2014, October 23rd, 2018.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Minor-White , Encyclopædia Britannica. Minor White. July 5th, 2018. October 24th, 2018.
http://www.howardgreenberg.com/artists/minor-white , Howard Greenberg Gallery. Minor White. October 25th, 2018.