About Jeffrey Curto's Photographs

The Work
ISince 1989, I have been photographing the architectural landscape of Italy,
exploring the visual splendor of its religious, public and vernacular structures.
These objects are the evidence of patient application of hands on stone, allowing extraordinary things to be created from ordinary materials. Over time, layers of the past and present combine to create something that will
remain to be seen in the future.

My photographs are my response to this subtle layering of the ancient
and the contemporary in Italian architecture. For me, the buildings, their
materials and the light that plays on them not only describe the passage
of time but also the sense of proportion, beauty and attention to minute
details of life and living for which Italy is justly famous. Though the hands
of the men and women who crafted these structures are always visible, I
eliminate the physical presence of people in the photographs to place the
emphasis on the objects themselves. In this, I am following the documentary
tradition in photography, though my objective is to give the images a sense of
timelessness, much like the structures themselves possess.

I work with a large format camera for its ability to express nuances of tone
and detail as well as for the deliberate actions which the camera requires
and which I enjoy. While the camera and the fi lm inside of it are “old”
technology, my prints are inkjet. The film is scanned and the images are
printed with pigment inks on rag paper, so the 16 by 20 inch prints, like their
subjects, exhibit a respectful mixture of the past and the present, with an eye
to the future.

The Photographer
I was awarded a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1981 and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Bennington College in Vermont in 1983. Additionally, I attended Ansel Adams’ last workshop in Carmel, California in 1983.

I am Professor of Photography at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, where I have taught since 1984.

Publications, Exhibitions, Awards & Interviews

• Download complete résumé here (pdf) - Highlights below

• I will be showing my work at The Artist Project in Chicago's iconic Merchandise Mart April 24 to 28, 2008. More information.

• An exhibition of my work was at the Fermilab Gallery of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory January 5 to March 14, 2008. More information.

• A solo exhibition of my work was at the Irene Carlson Gallery of Photography at the University of La Verne in La Verne California from September 4 through October 13, 2007. More information.

• I was awarded Honorable Mention for the 2007 Patron Saint of Photography/Teacher of the Year Award by Center in Santa Fe, NM

• A portfolio of my photographs of Italy was published in LensWork magazine in the spring of 2005. (PDF sample of LensWork #58)

• In August of 2006, my work was chosen as one of eighty-seven works by fifty-one U.S. and international artists for an exhibition at the Photomedia Center in Erie, Pennsylvania.

• View a streaming video of an interview with Jeff Curto

• Listen to an audio interview with Jeff Curto

Other Resources
Podcasts, Class Resources, etc