Tom Baril

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Tom Baril
Born1952 (age 72–73)
Putnam, Connecticut, U.S.
Education School of Visual Arts (BFA, 1980)
Known forPhotography
Website tombaril.net

Tom Baril (born 1952) [1] is an American photographer known for his photographs of flowers, landscapes, and architecture. [2] [3] Based in New York, he creates work characterized by textural detail and soft focus, often using a handmade pinhole camera. [3]

Contents

He worked for a decade as Robert Mapplethorpe's printer, developing technical printing skills, before establishing himself as an independent artist. [4] [5]

Early life and education

Baril was born in Putnam, Connecticut [1] and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York City in 1980. [2] [3]

Career

In 1979, while still a student at the School of Visual Arts, Baril turned to printing to support his photography career and was hired as Robert Mapplethorpe's printer. [4] [6] The working relationship lasted 10 years and was characterized by significant tension. [4] Mapplethorpe confined Baril to the darkroom and communicated with him through third parties. [4] Despite the difficult working conditions and often delayed payment, Baril continued the professional relationship. [7] During this period, Baril's own photography was overshadowed by Mapplethorpe's, and he essentially paused his career. [8]

Baril's technical skill was widely recognized,[ citation needed ] and Mapplethorpe was praised for the quality of the printing. [5] Mapplethorpe's aesthetic demands were specific: he wanted "everything to look beautiful", whether flowers, faces, or figure studies. [4] Baril and Mapplethorpe connected over their shared appreciation of classical tradition. [6]

After leaving Mapplethorpe's employ, Baril concentrated on his own photography, [3] but continued to print in Mapplethorpe's original darkroom, later part of the Mapplethorpe Foundation. [6]

Gallerist David Fahey introduced 4AD owner Ivo Watts-Russell to Baril's work, [6] which led to 4AD's publishing Baril's first monograph in 1997. The initial printing of 2,500 copies sold out immediately, [9] and instantly boosted Baril's career. [10] Despite its popularity, the book was not financially successful due to its expensive hand-binding and specialized printing process. [11]

In 1998, Baril was described as "one of the hottest contemporary fine-art photographers". [6]

Work

Baril primarily photographs three subjects: flowers, landscapes, and architecture, [2] [3] [12] including such industrial subjects as the Brooklyn Bridge, [13] the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, [14] and steel mills. [15] His work has been described as "quietly contemplative" in contrast to Mapplethorpe's "loudly transgressive" images. [8]

In 1994, Baril began working with pinhole photography, using a 4×5 view camera and Polaroid Type 55 film, [6] which creates both a print and a reusable negative. [16]

Baril's printing technique uses selenium toner, followed by a tea bath, to give the prints warmer, deeper tones. [6] [8] [16] He specifically uses Lipton tea. [16] He often leaves the raw marks from Polaroid separation around the edges of his prints. [8] [16] Baril also uses solarization, exposing film to light while still developing. [16] This process creates bubbles and streaks that he uses to advantage, giving his prints "an occasional painterliness". [16]

Collections

Baril's work is held in the following public collections:

Publications

References

Citations
  1. 1 2 "Tom Baril". Winston Wachter.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Contributors". Western American Literature . 36 (2). University of Nebraska Press: 202–203. Summer 2001. doi:10.1353/wal.2001.0029. JSTOR   43025026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Aston 2013, p. 484.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Morrisroe 1997, p. 239.
  5. 1 2 Morrisroe 1997, p. 289.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hart, Russell (January–February 1998). "Tom Baril: Fine-Art Photography's Phenom Brings Consummate Craft to Classical Tradition". American Photo. pp. 94–96.
  7. ↑ Morrisroe 1997, pp. 250, 289.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Loke, Margarett (November 28, 1997). "Photography Review: From a Printer to an Artist on His Own". The New York Times . p. E42.
  9. 1 2 Aston 2013, pp. 528–529.
  10. ↑ Aston 2013, pp. 530.
  11. ↑ Aston 2013, p. 529.
  12. ↑ Hart, Russell (May–June 1998). "Tom Baril, Artist". American Photo. p. 84.
  13. ↑ Haw, Richard (2008). Art of the Brooklyn Bridge: A Visual History. New York, NY: Routledge. p. 247. ISBN   978-0-415-95386-3.
  14. ↑ Hagen, Charles (January 19, 1996). "Art in Review: Tom Baril and Rocky Schenck". The New York Times . p. C18.
  15. ↑ Bossen, Howard; Freedman, Eric; Mianecki, Julie (March 2013). "Hot Metal, Cold Reality: Photographers' Access to Steel Mills". Visual Communication Quarterly . 20: 4–19. doi:10.1080/15551393.2013.765775.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 McQuaid, Cate (August 7, 1997). "Baril's Bold Images Are No Wallflowers". The Boston Globe . pp. E1, E6 . Retrieved September 15, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Flora: Collection Highlights". David Winton Bell Gallery. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Taughannock Falls". Benton Museum of Art. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Le goût de la photographie dans la collection Jérôme Prochiantz". Bibliothèque nationale de France. October 22, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Olympia Diner". Brooklyn Museum. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  21. ↑ "In Focus: Photographing Plants". Delaware Art Museum. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Factory". Harvard Art Museums. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Dead Poppies". Harvard Art Museums. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  24. ↑ "Cobaea Pods". Philadelphia Museum of Art. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
Works cited
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