Ett Ögonblick: Less is More

Last week I returned to Moderna Museet in Malmö to see the Irving Penn photo exhibit. It was a good show - always exciting to see photographs in person that I've only seen in books/magazines/reproductions, as well as new ones. I'm reminded how great Penn's sense of composition was.

Two thoughts stood out for me during this exhibit. One, it felt almost nostalgic to see silver-gelatin & platinum/palladium prints again. And these were beautifully printed. I swear while I was walking through the show, I could smell the darkroom. (Roger said he just smelled the fresh paint on the walls.) For the non-photo folks or just young people, the photos in this exhibit were all printed in the darkroom with toxic, stinky chemicals which create lovely, luminous photographs in beautiful black, white, and gray tones. Granted digital prints are really good these day, but sometimes the difference is there.

My second thought about the show: less is more, at least it can be in the museum. Malmö's Moderna Museet is small for a museum, but it does a good job of using the space without overcrowding the walls and space. Less works on display, but then only the really strong pieces make the cut. And it frees up a visitor to spend more time enjoying favorite pieces, as opposed to the big blockbuster show where one is compelled to keep moving so as to see everything in gallery after gallery. I'm talking to you, SFMOMA.