Julius Shulman, the Photographer of Modernism
Tatì Space
Julius Shulman Portrait, by Ebby Hawerlander, 1950
Julius Shulman
(USA 1910-2009)
Julius Shulman is one of the most famous photographers of mid-20th century architecture in America. He has defined the way we look at Modernism. Shulman photographed the new architecture that was emerging after World War II in South California, especially the metropolitan area of Los Angeles. He began his journey as an architectural photographer after meeting Richard Neutra in 1936, to whom he donated some prints from the house the architect had designed for Josef Kuhn in the Hollywood Hills. This meeting signs the beginning of a long collaboration with Richard Neutra, who recommended Shulman to other architects who were developing the International Style of Modernism in America, such as; Rudolph Schindler, Gregory Ain, John Lautner, Pierre Koenig, Raphael Soriano, and others.
Shulman is known for his strong graphic style, which highlights the features of the building, strong perspectives and light-shadow contrasts. He believed in the idealization and glorification of architecture; he often shot in infrared film to increase the drama of the scene, used artificial lighting to better illuminate the interiors, placed furniture and objects in such positions as to create pleasing compositions, and used models to make the house livable. In an interview Julius Shulman states "the photographer's responsibility is to identify the design components of the structure, to identify with the architect the purpose of the structure and of its design".
Shulman not only photographed architecture, he synthesized the essence of an era. His photographs were published in all architecture magazines and influenced the way modern architecture was perceived. His photography promoted the work of architects and made it visible to people who could not physically see it. As Richard Neutra, who had a 34-year collaboration with the photographer, said: “Film is stronger, and good glossy prints are easier to ship than brute concrete, stainless steel or even ideas”.
Some of Shulman's most important photographs are those of ‘Case Study Houses’; an initiative of Art and Architecture Magazine in 1945, initiated by John Entenza with the aim of creating a modernist, low-cost housing model for the construction industry. During its 25 years of existence, the Case Study Houses Program included the contributions of several renowned architects, including Eero Saarinen, Craig Ellwood, Charles and Ray Eames. 36 prototypes of apartments were designed, of which 24 were realized. Among them Shulman photographed 18 homes. One of his most famous photographs is the Case Study House # 22, known as Stahl Residence of architect Pierre Koenig, in which two women talk to each other in the cantilevered space of the villa, in the illuminated background of Los Angeles. The photo is one of the most published photographs of architecture, “one of those singular images that sum up an entire city at a moment in time” as architecture critic Paul Goldberger wrote in the New York Times.
Julius Shulman continued to photograph until the last years of his life, such as Frank Gehri's Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. In 2004 the Getty Research Institute bought the archive of 260,000 negatives, prints and transparencies, becoming the main owner of his photographs.
© Julius Shulman, Kuhn House, Richard Neutra architecture, 1936
© Julius Shulman, Miller House, Richard Neutra architecture, 1937
© Julius Shulman, Loewy House, Clark and Frey architecture, 1937
© Julius Shulman, Kaufmann House, Richard Neutra architecture, 1947
© Julius Shulman, Kaufmann House Palm Springs, Richard Neutra architecture, 1947
© Julius Shulman, Wurdeman and Becket, Pan Pacific Theatre LosAngeles California, 1942
© Julius Shulman, Mobile Gas Station
© Julius Shulman, Lovell Health House, Richard Neutra architecture, 1950
© Julius Shulman, Congress Building and Ministries, Oscar Neimeyer architecture, Brasilia, 1958
© Julius Shulman, Convair Astronautics, Pereira and Luckman, 1958
© Julius Shulman, University of California Irvine
© Julius Shulman, Fire Station, LosAngeles
© Julius Shulman, Theme Building LAX int
© Julius Shulman, Lovell Chuey House, Richard Neutra architecture, 1958
© Julius Shulman, Stahl House, Case Study House 22, Pierre Koenig architecture, 1960
© Julius Shulman, Stahl House, California, Pierre Koenig architecture, 1960
© Julius Shulman, Bass House, 1960
© Julius Shulman, Eames House Case Study House 8, Ray and Charles Eames architecture, 1958
© Julius Shulman, Alexander House, Palmer and Krisel, 1957
© Julius Shulman, Frey House, Albert Frey architect, 1954
© Julius Shulman, Dome House, Bernard Judge, 1962
© Julius Shulman, Coachella Valley Savings, Williams and Williams architects, 1963
© Julius Shulman, State Capitol Bank Oklahoma.
© Julius Shulman, Guggenheim Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.
© Julius Shulman, Salk Institute for Biologocal Studies, Luis Kahn architect, 1966
© Julius Shulman, Seagram Building, Mies Van Der Rohe and Philip Johnson architect, 1959
© Julius Shulman, Children’s Museum, Abraham Zabludovsky architecture, 2005
© Julius Shulman, La Estadia Development, Ricardo Legorreta architect, 1981
© Julius Shulman, Glass House, Philip-Johnson, 2006
© Julius Shulman, Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Shulman was the subject of a 2008 documentary film, ‘Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman’. The film, directed by Eric Bricker and narrated by Dustin Hoffman, explores Shulman's life and work. It discusses how Shulman's images helped to shape the careers of influential 20th-century architects, including Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra and John Lautner.The film and the related materials ate found in the website:
Selected books by Julius Shulman
