Caramoor House Museum
Katonah, New York
914-232.5035
Arnold Genthe: The Greek Series
From the shadowy alleys of Chinatown and the society circles of New York, to rustic, romantic landscapes of Japan and Greece, photographer Amold Genthe achieved a depth and breadth that few artists of the 20th century can claim. Genthe mastered portraiture, landscape, and architectural photography in a uniquely pictorialist style - his haunting photographs influenced by his early desire to be a painter. He attempted to avoid conventional formulae and to achieve, almost at any cost, a startling result.
Opening October 3, 1998 at Caramoor
Center for Music and the Arts, Arnold Genthe: The
Greek Series
offers a rare opportunity to view two dozen photographs by this
master photographer.
The works come from Caramoor's permanent collection, and were
amassed in
the 1930s by Lucie and Waiter Rosen, Caramoor's founders, who
were personal
friends of Mr. Genthe. (Caramoor also possesses several stunning
portraits
of Mrs. Rosen taken by the photographer, and close to 200 other
prints).
Some of the images in the exhibition appear in As I Remember,
Genthe's
autobiography. Nancy Hall-Duncan, Curator of the Bruce Museum in
Greenwich,
Connecticut is guest curator of the show. The Caramoor House
Museum will
publish a small catalogue featuring the curator's essay and a
checklist
of the exhibition.
According to Ms. Hall-Duncan, the photographs in
the Greek
Series are not just compelling works of art, they serve as
historic
documents. "These images of Greece represent the fulfillment of
a life-long
dream of Genthe's, which was to explore the land of Homer and
follow the
trail of the Odyssey," she notes. "But he also wanted to study
the castles and Byzantine monasteries, and the peasants and
shepherds, who,
in the solitude and protection of the mountains and islands,
preserved much
of the ancient tradition."
Included in the show is the well known image Abbot
and
Deacons at the Mt. Athos Monastery of Zographou, a superb
example of
Genthe's ethereal, soft-focus style. "Genthe captured his
subjects
in a beautiful, half-flickering light in a striking context,"
Ms. Hall-Duncan
says. "Intense shadows contrast with luminous accents where
light touches
the hands and faces of the Abbot and Deacons, just beneath the
portraits
of four saints. He caught an extraordinary moment."
Photos Capture Great Drama
It was a moment that only an observant, persistent photographer would notice. Wrote Genthe: "I had attended a service at the monastery. When it was over and the monks were filing out, the abbot and three deacons happened to be standing in front of a wall covered with a Byzantine fresco of four saints. I asked the abbot if I might take a picture of this group.'Not today' was the reply given with a quiet finality, which I felt meant 'Never.' I asked if he minded if I looked into my camera to see how I might take the photograph the next day. There was no objection, so I rapidly made the necessary adjustments for taking the picture then and there. Though the light was scarcely strong enough for an exposure without a tripod, I took a picture of the group, raising my voice so that the noise of the released shutter should not be heard."
Other images in the exhibition include View
from Delphi
Toward Itea and Meteora Rocks and Monastery-Thessaly,
in which
Genthe captures the bold rhythm of Greece's mountains and
valleys. The organization
of the photographs is such that the subject matter appears
stunningly three-dimensional.
"The languorous movement of the clouds as seen through filtered
sunlight
create an extraordinary effect; the depth and drama Genthe
achieves are
unequaled," Hall-Duncan points out. "His landscape photography
has the unique ability to give the viewer a true sense of
place." 
For Genthe, the views were thrilling: "One could spend many months tracing the charm of the Greek islands, and every day come upon some new adventure in an old beauty," he wrote. "The awesome cliffs, volcanic tufa, bays that are so deep no ships can anchor there, the terraces that look out over the sea - enchanting beauty at every step."
Amold Genthe's photographs are found in many important collections throughout the country - the George Eastman House in Rochester, The Library of Congress and the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., and the Art Institute of Chicago, among others. The Metropolitan Museum of Art has 4,000 of his prints in their permanent collection; Caramoor has 200. Some of Genthe's photographs appeared in the Photography in America exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1974.
The exhibition may be viewed during regular
Museum hours:
Wednesday through Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. (last tour at 3 p.m.),
October 3 through
November 1, 1998. From November 2 through December 16, Monday
through Friday,
by appointment. Closed Thanksgiving. Cost: $6 per person;
children 16 and
under, free. 
Caramoor's House Museum is a large, rambling Mediterranean-style villa,which was once the summer home of financier Waiter Rosen and his wife Lucie Bigelow Dodge Rosen, Caramoor's founders. The couple furnished the house with treasures from abroad, sometimes importing entire rooms from European palaces. The House Museum is built around a large stone courtyard--the Spanish Courtyard--which features small perennial gardens, cloistered walkways, and an old baptismal font. Outdoor concerts are held here during the summer months. On many weekends during the fall and spring seasons, concerts, holiday programs, and opera performances are held indoors to the Museum's Music Room, an elegant, intimate space. On weekdays, Caramoor also presents lectures, art outings, teas, mid-week recitals, and wine tastings.
Caramoor is easily accessible by car and by the Harlem Division of the Metro-North Railroad operating out of Grand Central Terminal. To get to Caramoor by car, take exit 6 off I-684, go east 1/4 mile on Route 35 to Route 22, then south two miles to Girdle Ridge Road. Follow the signs to Caramoor.
From top to bottom: View from Delphi
Toward Itea;
Byzantine Church of Orchomenos; Abbot and Deacons at
the Mt. Athos
Monastery of Zographou; Meteroa Rocks and Monastory --
Thessaly; Street
of the Knights in Rhodes.
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