The word photography comes from the Greek language, meaning "writing with light". In her magnificent career working in the medium, photographer and author JOYCE TENNESON has mastered the art of capturing that signature illumination her wide array of subjects beam. Most recently, her camera lens has been engaged in a dialogue with flowers, and the result of her creative immersion is her newly released book RADIANT BEINGS The Magical Essence of Flowers. The Coudert Institute is delighted to welcome Joyce to our 2022 season as part of our Speaker Series in which she will share her expansive body of work in JOYCE TENNESON: A Life in Photography, at 11:30 AM on Thursday February at The Sailfish Club of Florida.
I have never seen flowers as mere decorations; they have always seemed like distinct personalities with a secret life of their own.
Much of the work represented in the pages of RADIANT BEINGS was produced during the pandemic as Tenneson submerged herself in her Rockport, Maine studio surrounded by a cacophony of flowers and vines keeping them close for extended periods of time in order to intimately witness their life cycles. "Flowers have always been a symbol for life - welcoming new births and accompanying the departed. I never knew what each day would bring," shared the artist. "I just trusted and launched myself into the great unknown hoping that I would be energized by what was revealed." As with her iconic portraits, the soul stirring images in the new book provoke an intense emotional response. RADIANT BEINGS represents the third in a trilogy of books on the life cycle of flowers.
JOYCE TENNESON is the author of 17 books, including the bestseller, WISE WOMEN. A seasonal resident of the Palm Beach area, her work has appeared on the covers for magazines such as: Time, Life, Newsweek, Premier, Esquire and The New York Times Magazine. Internationally lauded as one of the leading photographers of her generation, Tenneson's work has been published in books and major magazines, and exhibited in museums, galleries and private collections worldwide. In 2018 she was awarded a LUCIE for Achievement in Portraiture. This past October, her accomplishments were further recognized as she was inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame.
She acts as the midpoint of a compass that tries to link the flower, tree, or person with a viewer who wants a deeper and more meaningful understanding of her subject matter.
Of her artistry, Holden Jay Luntz of Worth Avenue's HOLDEN LUNTZ GALLERY, observes, "Joyce Tenneson transcends the normal definition of what makes for a memorable portrait. She is committed to searching beyond the merely visual and fathoming the soul or essence of whoever or whatever she chooses to place in front of her lens." HOLDEN LUNTZ exhibits select works from Tenneson's decades long career. "If photography is merely a record of visual verisimilitude it doesn’t engage the viewer in the fullest matter. For Tenneson the eyes are the gatekeeper to the soul. Metaphorically, she acts as the midpoint of a compass that tries to link the flower, tree, or person with a viewer who wants a deeper and more meaningful understanding of her subject matter. Joyce Tenneson creates images that make a lasting impression and have a depth and a richness beyond the two dimensionality of the photographic image."
The Institute is honored to welcome Joyce for this very special public appearance in which she will share stories and images from her remarkable career as an artist. For more information, and to purchase tickets, please click HERE.