Portraits of produce, from an estate gardener.* Gorgeous, gold-toned prints, 106 years old; sharp. The subjects are isolated against muslin, superbly composed and lit: an unhurried elegance. A head of celery is bunched, the leafy tops forming a bouquet. Tomatoes, in a rhythmic cluster, have the lustrous skin of Mapplethorpe's black male nudes. Runner beans are lined up, 5 skis in a row.
There are flowers too: "Tulip May Flowering" is pure Margot Fonteyn.
In a side room hang related images -- Weston's sexy peppers, Blossfeldt's odd flora, Tasher's flower x-rays. A book accompanies the show, a handsome volume for $50 with a preface by -- who else? -- Alice Waters.
And now a brief rhapsody on the prints. The highlights glow, the shadows are rich -- the mark of an emulsion loaded with silver (alas, no longer available due to evironmental concerns). Vintage prints look different for exactly this reason, but the toning, AAAAAHHHHH.
*Jones was a British gardener/photographer who was recognized for only the former in his lifetime. The photos were discovered in a trunk in 1981, at an antiques shop in London. They're in a superb state of preservation.
Charles Jones at Howard Greenberg Gallery
41 E. 57 st. suite 1406
212-334-0010
http://www.howardgreenberg.com
through Jan. 6
p.s. there is no spinach.
