Poignant Pics no.68: On Stephen Schneiderman's "Period of Existence"
Welcome to no. 68 in our series Poignant Pics, where our editor, Diana Nicholette Jeon, writes about Stephen Schneiderman’s image, “Period of Existence.”
“It is the illusion of knowledge, not ignorance, that keeps one from growing.”
—Jerry Uelsmann
I saw this image, Period of Existence, in the FRAMES Magazine Facebook group many months back. It caught my eye because the artist, Stephen Schneiderman, noted that he made this image in the darkroom in the early '90s. No Photoshop.
I was familiar with Schneiderman's much more recent, digitally composited work from his FB posts. But until he posted this image, I had no idea that he had taken a workshop with Jerry Uelsmann. Or, more impressive, Schneiderman had a letter written to him by Uelsmann congratulating him on his technical prowess. While the Surrealistic theme does not resonate with me—because I'm always looking for work that is more personal in concept—I know many others who adore Surrealist works. So this is one of those rare occasions where I show you an image based on the technique itself.
Schneiderman told me that during the workshop, he was trying to "fill in the blanks" in his masking techniques and that he picked up some additional methods of working with them to put into his darkroom toolkit.
He said, "I found out that multiple printing techniques was accomplished using several enlargers. The enlarging paper was passed from one enlarger to another to another in registration and exposed parts each time. So I went back to the drawing board to figure out how to mask the center of the enlarging paper precisely. I designed a glass plate registration easel, unique to me, to accomplish this precise masking technique. I developed the system by using a three a hole paper punch and a sheet of plate glass on a 15- X 11-inch piece of plywood to make the registration enlarging easel. I developed five of them for each enlarger." This all sounds complicated and daunting to me!
When I contacted Schneiderman about featuring this image, Uelsmann was still among us. I've included the letter I mentioned above for your perusal alongside the image. It is only due to my getting behind on my posting calendar earlier this year that this became a sort of a memorial post. In a way, I feel that it is better that I was late, as it becomes one more commemoration of Uelsmann's influence on a photographer's life (and student on teacher’s as well), one more piece of lore that may have gone unnoticed previously.
I don't know about you, but I am quite impressed with how well-registered this work is. Although I can make Photoshop do just about anything even in my sleep, I've never done anything similar to this (other than sandwich negatives together) in the darkroom. However, I have attempted to register traditional printmaking plates, some more successfully than others. And because I think this must be similar to that with the additional layer of complexity of being in a safe-lighted setting, I am in awe of that prowess.
Bravo, Stephen!
Artist Bio
Mr. Schneiderman has written five articles for Peterson's PHOTO-GRAPHIC Magazine where his unusual processes have been nationally recognized. His work was showcased in the premier issue of SCAPE Magazine, a international publication. ART BUSINESS NEWS chose the print "Manhattan" to be included in the new photo edition's section. The print, "Theater of The Absurd" was published. Pentax Family 57, a trade magazine, published by the Pentax Camera Company, included two images and an article about his technique. New Exposure, a fine art catalogue, featured one image. Camera & Darkroom a national magazine, featured a ten page article and the cover of the magazine (January 1994). The cover of - The Miss America 75th Anniversary Program Book, and Photo Electronic Imaging Magazine, a three page article about his technique, with three images electronically assembled.
Mr. Schneiderman has had exhibitions at Rutgers State College-Stedman Gallery, Stockton State College, Ocean City Art Center, Ventnor Cultural Art Center, Atlantic City Art Center, The Alfred Lowenhertz Gallery of New York City, the Level 3 Gallery in Philadelphia, Emmies Gallery in Philadelphia \ Cape May, The Dyansen Gallery in the Taj Mahal Casino, Atlantic City, NJ Pisces Gallery, Woodstown, NJ, Gloucester County College, NJ, and The Philadelphia Museum of Art (sales and rental division).
This award winning photographer has his work in the permanent art collections of Cape May County, Atlantic County, Atlantic City, Rutgers State College and the Johnson & Johnson Foundation.
Author Bio
Diana Nicholette Jeon is an award-winning artist based in Honolulu, HI, who works primarily with lens-based media. Her work has been seen both internationally and nationally in solo and group exhibitions. Jeon holds an MFA from UMBC.