Jerry Uelsmann is a modern master of photography, one of a select group of artists who can be said to have altered the very language of their medium. By synthesizing his photographs from multiple negatives starting in the late 1950s, Uelsmann broke rank with the prevailing aesthetic of the period and pioneered a new approach that would influence a generation of artists and photographers.
Uelsmann's dreamlike images conjure up associations with the paintings of Rene Magritte, the teachings of Carl Jung, and the photographic work of Man Ray. Made by sandwiching negatives and using combination printing techniques in the darkroom, his surreal compositions anticipate digitally altered pictures by decades. They have appeared on cards, posters, and calendars, and original prints are in many museum collections.
Other Realities showcases a personal selection of Uelsmann's most compelling images from the early 1960s to the present. It is accompanied by an accessible and insightful essay by photography critic and historian Peter Bunnell. The first substantial monograph of Uelsmann's work in many years, this book offers an unprecedented opportunity to discover the work of an acknowledged American master whose influence has been immeasurable but is only now beginning to be fully understood and appreciated.