These were the words adorning the large mural at the entrance to the International Museum of Surgical Science. The Latin words roughly translating to "Life, Work, Study, Charity, and Death" gave the visitor a pretty clear emphasis on what they could expect to learn about in a surgical museum. Having never been to such a museum myself, it was definitely an interesting experience and a distinct departure from the "universal survey" museums we have encountered in the past. Aside from it's single-pointedness on a specific topic, the IMSS differed in that it's layout was far less rigorously planned than those, for example, at the Art Institute. Not to say there was no rhyme or reason to the layout of the exhibits, but there was a certain element of it being less like a formal museum and more like an eccentric collectors manor.
Despite being an informative visit, I would not go so far as to say the emphasis was particularly artistic or photographically slated. There was some consideration given to the fact that x-ray photography was utilized in novel and semi-artistic realms before it was absorbed into the medical field. However I do wish there was at least a little reference to modern artists/photographers/scientists who have used radiology in unique and surprising ways (though that opinion is coming from a photography student, so my interests are naturally slated towards that aspect). The IMSS is definitely a scholars museum, dedicated to physicians and those interested in medicine; perhaps even the occasional tourist. None the less, it was an interesting experience.
Changing gears entirely, I found the documentary on architectural photographer Julius Schulman pleasantly entertaining. In all honesty, I wasn't sure how to feel about such a dry subject matter, but once I started getting into the story of Schulman reflecting on his life's work, I was able to in some ways empathize with him. I kept thinking of how easy it would be to equate Schulman with a grandfather or great uncle - it's easy to like the opinionated old man. But what was even easier to like was his artwork. I could definitely see why there were so many people invested studying the man's life and his work, and why he had so many admirers. He did for modernist photography what Frank Lloyd Wright did for modernist architecture (and it's no coincidence they were both colleagues). Modernism itself was very much a product of the early 20th century philosophy that "form follows function" along with a small but growing sect of individuals who rejected the industrial age and wanted to preserve natural simplicity in a way which did not disturb the environment. Schulman's photography essentially performed the same function not only in what he photographed, but how he photographed it. Modernism is probably most recognizable for it's strict linear geometry and almost zen-like placement of furniture and room layout. Schulman used those concepts as themes in his work which he would further emphasize by wide angles and the perspective control of his view camera. By using his architectural eye and the abilities of the camera, Schulman was able to see the buildings as idealized versions of what they really were. As one scholar said, Schulman's photographs of the buildings was often more grand than the buildings themselves. In many ways I feel that Schulman did not originally set out to be an artist, or even an architectural photographer in specific. He simply wanted to treasure and preserve the things which he held most dear, and one of those things happened to be the modernist sensibility. By just being involved with that world, he was assimilated into it and became a staple in the architectural community, for whom he did most of his work. Occasionally a collector or art critic would praise his work, but by and large his work was kept confined to architectural periodicals and private collections. That is, until his work hit the mainstream and took everyone by surprise. What started out as a hobby ended up causing a major shift in the public's perception of photography. Instead of seeing the usual fine art or street photography which was popular in the day, Schulman's photographs effectively established architecture as a well respected sub-genre of photography. And it is that which I believe was Julius Schulman's greatest accompishment.
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