Wynn Bullock

Portrait

Inspired by the work and personality of Edward Weston, Wynn Bullock (1902 – 1975, USA) ventured into Pure Photography after 1948, becoming one of the leading photographers and art teachers of his time. His favorite nature motifs were land- and seascapes as well as the human body, as seen in numerous studies of nudes surrounded by nature. However, Wynn was not only interested in photography. He regarded himself a lifelong student of philosophy, physics, semantics, psychology, spirituality, art, and especially music, since being a trained singer and piano player.

For Bullock, Fine Art Photography became a way of life. In his early years, his focus was to explore light through solarization and abstraction studies in the darkroom. Later, he tried to better understand nature, human beings and their interactions by exploring their spatial and temporal character, and by sensing their deeper qualities. By interacting with what he photographed, Bullock not only became a witness of nature’s beauty, but he also felt that he himself was part of the mystery and harmony he experienced. Towards the end of his life, this ultimately led to a mystical perception of the unity of all being – beyond words and imagery.

In 1955, The Museum of Modern Art launched the legendary «Family of Man» travelling exhibition, which included two iconic works by Wynn Bullock: «Child in The Forest» (see below) and «Let There Be Light». Both photographs became very popular and much discussed over the years. Edward Steichen, the curator of the show, originally had to chose from over two million submitted photographs, finally reducing this vast amount of material to 508 masterworks taken by 273 photographers from 68 countries. By the early 1960s, the travelling exhibition had been shown in 38 countries and was viewed by more than nine million visitors.
Wynn Bullock was both a scientist and artist. He held numerous photography patents and was awarded by various photographic institutions for his research in photography. Today, his prints are included in over 90 major collections and museums worldwide. WBB GALLERY officially represents Bullock in Switzerland.