Introduction

Inspired by the work of photographers such as Edward Weston and Aaron Siskind, Jonathan Morse came to Rochester, New York in 1971 and on the strength of a small black and white portfolio, was accepted into what was know as the Workshop Program. After attending traditional black and white photography workshops and classes relating to the zone system as applied to 35mm photography, Morse began working with Syl Labrot studying silk screen printing on the second floor of the small Elton Street workshop.

In 1972, on a visit to Rochester’s Memorial Art Gallery, Morse saw his very first Robert Rauschenberg print and was blown away by how Rauschenberg combined color, photography and drawing. “At that point in time, color really took me by storm and I haven’t worked in black and white since,” Morse says.

During his remaining years at the Visual Studies Workshop, Morse worked closely with both Syl Labrot and Joan Lyons, studying theory and color while experimenting with the traditions of photography and the art of printmaking.

Morse has been quoted as saying that “our lives are collages of textures and impressions, input from here and from there…they are not linear paths nor are the images that I make.” It is this philosophy about the art of photography and printmaking that has made his work as contextually layered as it is visually stunning.

Although these prints represent the entirety of his collection housed in the Visual Studies Workshop Archive, they are uniquely descriptive of Morse’s vision and growth as both an artist and printmaker in the early stages of his career. Morse’s style has been said to be a unique “blend of abstract and representational genres that echo painting.” His bold use of color and collage confidently entice the viewer to engage the image intellectually while blurring the line between what is thought of as traditional photography.

-Michael Bartolotta