Elliot Schildkrout
Lost Memories, the abandoned Lincoln Amusement Park of Dartmouth Mass
My work on the abandoned Lincoln Amusement Park was the culmination of a long photographic interest in urban decay and the mix of message and graphic artistry created by our graffiti underground.
I found profound sadness in this fenced-in relic that had become the canvas for a talented graffiti community to express their longings and regrets. For me, the pictures carried a nostalgic look at what had once been a place of happiness and carefree fun, but was now cloaked in decay and loss.
This work began with a life long interest in Harry Callahan, Aaron Siskind, and abstract expressionism. It evolved into a focus on the complex messaging sent out by graffiti artists and then by advertising messaging, and the odd images represented in our consumer hungry world. What are we saying about ourselves as a society in these objects and images?
Artist Bio
Elliot Schildkrout fell in love with the magic of photography as a teenager. In high school, he studied with Lisette Model at the New School. He spent many hours pouring over the writing and images of Edward Weston, then Harry Callahan, and Aaron Siskind. In college, he worked in the shadow of Minor White’s influence at Rochester, and learned traditional large format photography. He became a physician, but continued photographing, moving to color and the abstract. While practicing medicine, in 1979, he was accepted into the Polaroid collection and for several years worked with SX-70 and 4×5 Polaroid materials. One of his photographs was published in Barbara Hitchcock’s book, The Polaroid Collection. He has exhibited at the Mass Art Auction for the last four years, and currently runs a studio at 450 Harrison Avenue in Boston’s South End. His work in the last years has focused on graffiti, manikins, reflections of the urban scene, and self-portraits. Now moving towards work retirement, his focus is increasingly directed on developing his photographic vision and technique.
http://elliotschildkroutphotography.com
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