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Harry Callahan was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He purchased
his first camera in 1938 and joined the camera club at Chrysler Motors,
where he worked. Strongly influenced by a 1941 lecture and workshop
given by Ansel Adams, Callahan traded his enlarger for an 8 x 10
view camera.
In 1946 Callahan was hired by Liszl-Moholy-Nagy to teach
photography at the Institute of Design in Chicago. He taught at
the Institute until 1961, at which time he left for the Rhode Island
School of Design, where he taught until his retirement in 1977.
Throughout his career, Callahan explored a number of different
subjects. Landscapes, city streets and pedestrians, and portraits
of his wife, Eleanor, received much of Callahan's attention over
the years. With a characteristic sharpness and a strong sense of
design, Callahan is known for his ability to transform his subjects
into arresting compositions of simplicity and grace.
Bib. Ref: Harry
Callahan. Sarah Greenough. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of
Art, 1996. |
