| FEATURE |
Through Julius Shulman’s Eyes BY JACQUELINE BULL Photos by Julius Shulman from © J. Paul Getty Trust, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10)
C
urator Keith York knew renowned photographer Julius Shulman in the early 2000’s. Keith went through his archive, thumbing through hand-written index cards in his home studio office. He was trying to see all that he had photographed of San Diego. Even having spent this personal time with Julius, in his home, Keith York couldn’t confidently tell me much about who Julius, the man, was. A quick sojourn into Google or Wikipedia could tell you that he lived from 19102009, had two long marriages that left 30 SDJewishJournal.com | November 2019
him a widower twice, one daughter, and if you scroll all the way to the bottom of the Wikipedia article to the categories section, among “20th century American photographers” and “Artists from Los Angeles,” you will find the tag “American Jews.” “It was never about him until the very end when he was talking about his photography. I think even then when people would ask personal questions, it was about the work. I’m sure there is some story there. I’m sure there was some heartbreak and tragedy and love and joy as we all enjoy. It was starkly
removed from his public comments. I spent a lot of time with him … I saw little bits of humanity or how you might get intimate with a friend, but 99% of it was ‘When I was there and the architect hired me and I took that photo.’... Most people have focused on his work [rather] than him,” Keith said. And the body of work is massive. The Getty Research Institute has an archive that contains over “260,000 vintage and modern prints, negatives, and transparencies.” “He documented the rise of U.S. architecture after WWII which is a pretty amazing