The Great Julius Shulman

This is a repost of a comment I left at Atomic Indy about the Great Julius Shulman who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 98:

As an architect and photographer, I have always admired Shulman's work. I have seen him speak a few times and spoke to him briefly after a lecture in Houston. What a gem.

He half-jokingly referred to himself in lectures as "The Great Julius Shulman," a moniker I'm sure he picked up by hearing himself referred to as such. But he was actually an enormously down-to-earth, hardworking artist who was one of the first to share the vision of the early modern California architects. The Case Study House Program owes a great deal of success to Shulman's vision of modern living.

What I remember most about his lectures and what inspires me most today is the complete dedication to getting the shots and getting the work done regardless of itchy business realities such as whether he would be paid or not. He did this casually, cheerfully, and jokingly, and he knew how important it was to represent California modernism so ideally in pictures. Philosophically, he knew that success would come if he just continued to do good work. And he was right. Shulman came to the site, he spent the time, he waited for the moment, he got the shots. The amazing shots.

What is lost in our hindsight and reverence for the Case Study House Program is the fact that it was groundbreaking, difficult and financially stressed. Yet Shulman brought his best because he believed in the art.

Not only that, but he continued working well into his eighties (maybe later?). Lugging view camera equipment around and staging shots is not for the meek, even with assistants.

I don't feel that he will be missed the way I often do when people pass. For Shulman, I feel that his amazing legacy will continue to be revered after a long and fruitful life. What more could a person want?

I'm looking forward to seeing this film about Shulman... it would be great to see it screened in the Toby at the IMA (hint, hint).