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Printer-Friendly ModeRetired professor Rayfield lends presence at Art Gallery
September 26, 2005 —
After retiring last spring with 35 years of teaching in both philosophy and photography at SVSU, Dr. David Rayfield once again made an impression on the SVSU community with the display of his portfolio titled "A Temporary Retrospective."
Most recently his work was on display at the SVSU University Art Gallery, where it was displayed from Aug. 29 until Saturday.
An experienced photographer, Rayfield has had his work displayed throughout the country.
"In Michigan, my work has been displayed by the Traverse City Area Art Council, the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Association, and the Holland Art Council," he says. "It has also been in exhibits around the country including in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kansas, North Carolina, and Maryland."
While he considers having his work exhibited across the country a great accomplishment, Rayfield is also pleased that his photographs could bring enjoyment and education to the SVSU community.
"I always like having my work up on show because that's the purpose of the work, for people to see it," he says. "Some of the photographs are ten years old or so and it was nice to see all the work in one place, spread out."
SVSU was able to utilize the pieces, as well.
"I was especially glad it was up now because (art professor) Hideki (Kihata) has a class with advanced students who were able to critique the work," Rayfield explains. "Also, they're working with a camera that is new to them, called a view camera. It has larger four inch by five inch negatives, and many of my photographs were taken with this type of camera. I think it was helpful for them to see what can be done with this style of camera instead of being in the dark with their own work."
Though current students find Rayfield's recent exhibit valuable, this was not the first time his work has been displayed on campus.
"There used to be a volunteer organization within the art department called Latent Image that displayed artists' work," he says. "My work was in two or three of their exhibits at the Gallery. My portfolio was also displayed sometime in the Board (of Control) room in the early '90s."
His work in "A Temporary Retrospective" was composed of black and white photography depicting images of both city life and the nude human form. Within the portfolio was a collection entitled "American Streets," with photography from the Badlands, Chicago, Hendersonville, New Orleans, New York City, Rancho de Taos, Rapid City, Sante Fe, and Old St. Louis, and various images such as a woman in a subway, a streetlight, and the intricacies of a clay wall in the Badlands.
Another collection within the portfolio, "the Nudes," made up a majority of the photographs within Rayfield's work in the exhibit.
These works ranged from full body portraits to intimate portrayals of select portions of body-on-body images.
Rayfield points to the image on paper and not the subject of the human form itself as the reason behind the nude photographs.
"I'm not trying to do the impossible, to represent the body, to idealize it, to reveal its essence, to deconstruct it, to propagandize it," he says. "I'm simply trying to make pictures. My concern is with lines, shapes and masses, tonal ranges and juxtapositions, contrasts, composition - I am, in short, a formalist, perhaps by nature."
Amee Schmidt, a 23-year-old senior from Pinconning and former student of Rayfield, has a different take on his art.
"David claims that his photographs aren't really about anything but that his concentration is on the form/functionality of the piece," she says. "But I think his photographs are about David Rayfield. They are his eye and his mind and how those two components see life."
Howard James Miller III, a 28-year-old senior from West Branch who has taken one of Rayfield's photography classes, comments on Rayfield's ability to blend philosophy and photography.
"What I like about his photography is that, as a philosopher, he has a revisionist historical take with some of the subject matter in his work," Miller says. "For example, he has a few works that are themed around Christ's crucifixion, but he portrays Christ as a woman in these photos."
Although many could draw philosophical meaning from Rayfield's work, his main concern is on the art of photography.
"When present at all, and my point is that it needn't be present, a photograph's reference to its "subject" is for the most part merely coincidental," he explains.
As for the near future, Rayfield says he will continue to work on his photography.
"I'll be working with photography," he says. "As of now I don't really have any definite travel plans, but I want to get back out West."
