La Dolce Vita: Imogen Cunningham

Imogen Cunningham

Imogen Cunningham is an American photographer who was born in Oregon in 1883. Cunningham is considered to be the greatest female photographer throughout fine art. She expressed interest in photography at a young age, but soon after her interest sparked, she sold her camera. It wasn't until attending college at the University of Seattle in Washington, that her photography interest sparked again. While in Seattle, she opened up her own studio that focused on pictorial work as well as portraiture.

Imogen Cunningham: Triangles Plus One, 1928

In her pictures, she experiments with angle and cropping to create an abstract feeling. When photographing plants, she zooms in on the plant causing it to be abstract. She does a close up which makes the viewer question what type of plant she is photographing as well as if it is a plant. She focuses on texture to emphasize abstraction.

Cunningham became a sought after photographer and premiered at an exhibition at the Brooklyn Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1913. Cunningham was also recognized for the founding of the "f/22" group with noted photographer Edward Weston.

Imogen Cunningham: Rubber Plant, 1929

Cunningham was recognized for her expressed interest of botanicals, nudity, and industry that she captured so beautifully through her photographs. Also, she took a great interest in pattern and detail, as seen in her pictures of leaves as well as bark textures. Cunningham carried out an in depth study of the magnolia flower which she photographed so frequently. Around 1940, Cunningham decided to branch away from botanicals and she began to photograph documentary street photography. She did this as a side project to her commercial and studio photography.