After over thirty-five years of photographing still lifes,
Strand purchased a house with its own garden.
Some of the garden was kept in a certain state of decay. His home, La Briardiere, became a place of
peace for the retirement of Strand and his wife. Although they created the perfect home, neither
Strand nor his wife was able to simply sit at home. They travelled and took photographic
expeditions. In 1968, their trips came
to an end and Strand began to use nature to stimulate his imagination in spite
of his failing health.* His new home and
restricted range allowed for an appreciation for his own feelings and allowed
for self reflection. The Apple That
Fell, the Garden of Eden, and Things Past on the Way to Oblivion were
metaphoric titles for the final seasonal cycles of his garden as he
photographed them with urgency. Each of
Strand’s works bore larger meanings, but his garden photos were meant to be
differentiated from the others.
In his final years, Strand created “the Garden Book” which was
his final work.** In this book he wanted
to link nature with culture, but his idea attracted too many publishers. This book was a reflection of Strand’s own
state of mind, which was an change from capturing other subject’s
emotions. The book was never finished
and Strand’s strength began to fade as he died.
The book was left in pieces. Many
believe that Strand’s book was purposely left unfinished to represent his “open
future”. Connectivity and expression is
what Strand used to capture his subjects.
Later, self-reflection and imagination fueled his photographs and many
people are still captured by them.
* Stange, Maren. Paul Strand: Essays on his life and work. New york: Aperture, 1990.
** Travis, David. “Paul Strand’s ‘Fall in
Movement’.” Art Institute of Chicago
Museum Studies, Vol. 19, Issue 2 (January 1, 1993): 187-207.
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