“Photographer Frank Stewart’s Retrospective Exhibition Explores Black Life, Music, and Culture in America”
Renowned photographer Frank Stewart’s career retrospective, “Frank Stewart’s Nexus: An American Photographer’s Journey, 1960s to the Present,” is currently on display at the Brandywine Museum of Art in Chadds Ford, Pa. The exhibition showcases Stewart’s decades of documenting Black life in America and exploring African and Caribbean cultures.
One of the striking photographs featured in the exhibition is Stewart’s haunting image of a New Orleans church organ ravaged by the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina. The photo, which initially appears to depict a war-torn cemetery, reveals that the coffins and tombstones are actually parts of a keyboard, with words like “vibrato” and “third harmonic” inscribed on them.
Stewart’s deep connection to music is evident throughout his work, as he was the long-time photographer for the Savannah Music Festival and spent 30 years as the senior staff photographer for Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. His exhibition includes a powerful photograph of Grammy-winning musician Wynton Marsalis leading his orchestra off the stage during a world tour of his Pulitzer Prize-winning jazz oratorio “Blood on the Fields.”
Born in the South and inspired by photographers like Ernest Cole and Roy DeCarava, Stewart’s work delves into the cultural influences of the Black church and the devastation faced by communities like post-Katrina New Orleans. Through his artistic approach to photography, Stewart combines pattern, color, tone, and space to create visually appealing images that convey powerful messages about the world around us.
As visitors explore Stewart’s retrospective, they are invited to reflect on the evolving language of his work, from early black-and-white photographs to more recent prints featuring vibrant colors. Stewart’s unique perspective on the relationship between reality and photography challenges viewers to consider the complexities of perception and representation in the art world.