The works of past and present Jewish photographers are on display at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park.
There are seven works by Bern Schwartz in Talking With a Friend: Portraits by Bern Schwartz and a single work by Jacob Manowitz, a student at Meadowbrook Middle School.
In the last years of his life (1914-1978), Bern Schwartz excelled as a portrait photographer – his technique normally being to engage his subjects in informal conversation and to use a hidden shutter release when their expressions reflected the conversation – or lack of it.
His subjects in the MOPA exhibit are Lord Louis Mountbatten and Prince Charles, both of Britain; novelist Ralph Ellison, painter-photographer David Hockney and supermodel Twiggy Larson, sculptor Henry Moore; fashion designer Zandra Rhodes.
Manowitz’s single subject is titled “Polaris,” which was submitted to be part of MOPA’s juried “Dreamscapes Exhibit.” This exhibit was described on MOPA’s website as “an exploration of the subconscious and the ways in which we perceive dreams. The featured photographs highlight individual and collective hopes, fears, and future inspirations.”
Commenting on both exhibits, Joaquin Ortiz, MOPA’s director of innovation, said “Our mission at MOPA is reaching the broadest audience, so we’re thrilled when a person comes in and feels that a part of them is represented in the photograph’s subject or by the artist who made it. We want people to be introduced to new ideas through the photographs on display, and hope the images expand their understanding of our world and their identity.”
The portraits by Bern Schwartz will remain on display through Jan. 12. Dreamscapes will continue through March 1. The Museum of Photographic Arts asks for donations, but does not charge admission.
Republished from San Diego Jewish World