31 Prince Street, Rochester, New York (July 1978) by John Pfahl, from his series Picture Windows

Recently wrapped up a review of “Natura” at Rochester Contemporary Art Center (hence my anemic blogging last week). The show features the work of John Pfahl alongside that of several of his students from his many years teaching at Rochester Institute of Technology. The review will be published online soon; I’ll link to it when it is posted.

I’d forgotten how much Pfhal’s work had intrigued me when I was getting started. His “Picture Windows” series was one of the first bodies of work that showed me a photograph could be simultaneously breathtaking and thought-provoking. And although I didn’t really get his “Permutations on the Picturesque” at the time, it was an important introduction to thinking conceptually about digital photography.