PHOTOGRAPHS
Mertin, Roger
U.S. (1942 - 2001)
Rochester, New York
1973
Gelatin silver print
9 5/16 x 12 3/4 in. (23.6 x 32.4 cm) image size;10 15/16 x 13 15/16 in. (27.8 x 35.4 cm) sheet size
Joseph and Elaine Monsen Photography Collection
FA 2001.129

In the late 1960s, Roger Mertin achieved acclaim for the "snapshot aesthetic" by intentionally using incorrect exposure times, unusual cropping, and other typically amateur oversights. For instance, Mertin often adds electronic flash to ample daylight illumination so that objects in the foreground glow or cast unexpected shadows. The objects alone are quite ordinary, like a tree or field of grass, yet through these techniques their relationship to their environment becomes ambiguous.

Roger Mertin’s black-and-white photographs were taken in Rochester, NY, ranging from neighborhood lawns to billboard signs and window fronts. “He was interested in local environments wherever they happened to be,” said close friend and photographer Carl Chiarenza. “He wasn’t looking for the exotic or the different; he was always looking for the American vernacular. Those were the kind of things that drew him.” -- Label copy for 150 Works of Art, October 1, 2005 to February 26, 2006.