Jean Pagliuso: Poultry and Raptors
Mary Ryan Gallery is pleased to present a selection of Poultry and Raptors works from Jean Pagliuso, including two newly released images from the series. An artist who has built a career in fashion and celebrity portrait photography, Pagliuso has long been fascinated with picturing rare birds in the same glamorous light as Hollywood starlets, an interest sparked by a childhood spent breeding Bantam Cochin chickens with her father. Emphasizing the birds’ plumage, stance, form, and countenance on minimal backgrounds, Pagliuso ascribes a humanness to each bird she photographs; equal parts expressive and distinguished, they take on anthropomorphic qualities.
White #23, 2009
Silver gelatin print on handmade Kaji paper
Paper Dimensions: 23 1/2 x 19 1/4 inches (59.7 x 48.9 cm)
Framed Dimensions: 26 5/8 x 22 1/4 inches (67.6 x 56.5 cm)
Edition of 20
Buff #7, 2008
Silver gelatin print on handmade Kaji paper
Paper Dimensions: 23 1/2 x 19 1/4 inches (59.7 x 48.9 cm)
Framed Dimensions: 26 5/8 x 22 1/4 inches (67.6 x 56.5 cm)
Edition of 20
Integral to these works is the artist’s unique darkroom process. Pagliuso carefully applies a silver gelatin emulsion onto handmade papers before enlarging and printing her negatives, lending the images a striking, painterly quality. Utilizing a shallow depth of field, the artist pulls the birds’ personalities into focus. Full of life, the two newly released works from the series, White #23 and Buff #7 (originally photographed between 2008 and 2009), exemplify this body of work.
Owl XVI, 2011
Silver gelatin print on handmade Kaji paper
Paper Dimensions: 23 1/2 x 19 1/4 inches (59.7 x 48.9 cm)
Framed Dimensions: 26 5/8 x 22 1/4 inches (67.6 x 56.5 cm)
Edition of 20
Owl IV, 2009
Hand-applied silver gelatin print on handmade Kozoshi Paper
Paper Dimensions: 23 3/4 x 19 inches (60.3 x 48.3 cm)
Framed Dimensions: 26 x 21 3/4 inches (66 x 55.2 cm)
Edition of 20
Variegated #16, 2006
Silver gelatin print on handmade Kaji paper
Paper Dimensions: 23 3/4 x 19 inches (60.3 x 48.3 cm)
Framed Dimensions: 26 x 21 3/4 inches (66 x 55.2 cm)
Edition of 20
Variegated #2, 2005
Silver gelatin print on handmade Kaji paper
Paper Dimensions: 23 3/4 x 19 inches (60.3 x 48.3 cm)
Framed Dimensions: 26 x 21 3/4 inches (66 x 55.2 cm)
Edition of 20
Owl IV, 2009
Hand-applied silver gelatin print on handmade Kozoshi Paper
Paper Dimensions: 23 3/4 x 19 inches (60.3 x 48.3 cm)
Framed Dimensions: 26 x 21 3/4 inches (66 x 55.2 cm)
Edition of 20