A Constructed View: The Architectural Photography of Julius Shulman

Julius Shulman one of the great master of architectural photography is the preeminent recoreder of early California modernism. By 1927 when he was sixteen Shulman was already using the family Brownie box camera to document his Southern Californis surroundings and experiences; in 1936 his professional career was launched when he sent Richard Neutra some uncommissioned photographs of the architects Kun House. Shulman went on to document the famous Case Study House Program (architects included Charles and Ray Eames Pierre Koenig and Eero Saarinen) and also the architecure of the 1930s through the 1980s especially that of Southern California but also country and worldwide. His subjects included the buildings of R.M. Schindler John Lautner Raphael Soriano Frank Lloyd Wright Mies van der Rohe Oscar Niemeyer among many others. Through his work Shulman defined the image of Los Angeles and framed the architecture of the time for a global audience. In addition to an overview of Shulmans career and photographic oevre this book emphasizes Shulmans method of "constructing" photographic views. These contructions which complemented his innate ability to compose striking photographs often transcends reality to capture the spirit time and place of a work of architecture. An analysis of architectures visual presentation examines not only the media of the era--John Entenzas Arts & Architecture for instance--but also the work of Shulmans photographic contemporaries.