Although originally known as a master printmaker working for Robert
Mapplethorpe while still a student in New York, Tom Baril's true passion
has always been taking photographs. When not in the darkroom, Baril
was quietly making his own photographs while perfecting his printing
of Mapplethorpe's images. Initially he avoided the studio to distance
himself from Mapplethorpe's work, focusing on landscapes and urban
architecture, like the Chrysler building, which has become one of
the best known and most distinctive images of this frequently photographed
building.
Baril did eventually shift his focus to the studio, photographing
still-lifes, nudes, and objects with a pinhole camera -- it wasn't
until 1994 that he began to photograph flowers. "Photographing
flowers is a no-brainer… They are beautiful…get the picture
in focus, don't screw up the lighting and you should make a great
picture every time. That's the problem I have with photographing flowers
-- one of the reasons I rejected the subject for years," said
Baril. However, he succeeded in changing the way people look at flowers.
Few photographers are capable of getting viewers to look at something
as familiar as a flower with such a new and fresh perspective. "If
I am successful, the photograph reveals the underbelly, the overlooked
and the under appreciated."
Today, Baril carries on his passion for producing exquisite imagery
from both behind the camera and in the darkroom. In Wet-Plates,
Baril will exhibit his newest flora pieces which show his mastery
over 19th century Collodion wet plate and Ambrotype processes. Although
these processes are new to him, Baril is no stranger to working with
antiquated formats. Having created some of his best known work with
a $45 pinhole camera, it seems only natural that Tom Baril would move
back to the roots of photography instead of embracing the digital
technology of the 21st century.
Tom Baril has enjoyed great success over the past ten years, exhibiting
throughout the United States. His second monograph, Botanica was
released by Arena Editions in 2000 following his sold out self-titled
monograph from 1997, published by 4AD. His work is in numerous prestigious
private and public collections including the Los Angeles County Museum
of Art, The Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University (Cambridge, MA)
and The Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam).
