Robert Mark Altman (October 10, 1944 – September 24, 2021) was an American

photographer A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographers As in oth ...

. Altman attended

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools. It also admin ...

at the

City University of New York The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the public university system of New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven senior colleges, seven community colleges and seven pro ...

and studied psychology and anthropology. Initially he had no intention of becoming a photographer, and said that the camera he wore around his neck was essentially just a prop to "meet girls". However, after graduation, he opened a shop called the Electric Lotus and displayed some of his photographs on a notice board here. The reaction here was so positive that

Ansel Adams Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was an American landscape photographer and environmentalist known for his Monochrome photography, black-and-white images of the American West. He helped found Group f/64, an association ...

ended up taking him on as a photography apprentice. He was soon hired as a photojournalist by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' magazine. Here he was able to capture shots of the Rolling Stones while in the recording studio, and also captured shots of artists such as Joni Mitchell and Iggy Pop at music festivals. He found that being a photographer opened doors to places where others were not allowed, and he was able to closely follow the stars and capture images that immortalised the 1960s culture. Following his early success as chief staff photographer for ''Rolling Stone'' he expanded into fashion photography and

fine art In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwor ...

. He became a television producer/director for KEMO-TV, an independent station in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area G ...

. For a decade beginning in the mid-1990s, Altman taught web design and photoshop as adjunct professor for several institutions including

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (commonly referred to as San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a public research university in San Francisco. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers 118 different ...

and the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant un ...

Background

"Robert Altman's photography was instrumental in portraying the look and feeling and vitality of the Sixties." —Jann Wenner, Founder and Publisher of Rolling Stone Magazine Altman has exhibited at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music ...

in London, The Beat Museum in San Francisco, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the

Newseum The Newseum was an American museum dedicated to news and journalism that promoted free expression and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, while tracing the evolution of communication. The purpose of the museum, funded by the ...

in New York City, the

Georgia Historical Society The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is a statewide historical society in Georgia. Headquartered in Savannah, Georgia, GHS is one of the oldest historical organizations in the United States. Since 1839, the society has collected, examined, and tau ...

. Altman has been published in dozens of books, magazines and newspapers and his work is a part of the permanent collections of The San Francisco Public Library,

The Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

in Washington DC,

The Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music an ...

, and the Kodak Rock Photography Collection. During the summer of 2009, Altman collaborated with

Macy's Herald Square Macy's Herald Square (originally named the R. H. Macy and Company Store) is the flagship of Macy's department store, as well as the Macy's, Inc. corporate headquarters, on Herald Square in Manhattan, New York City. The building's , which includ ...

in New York and filled most of the store's 49 windows with 175 images of his work as part of their "Art Under Glass" series. In May 2010, he was presented with a Doctor of Arts, ''Honoris Causa'', from

Digital Media Arts College Digital Media Arts College (DMAC) was a private for-profit art and design college in Boca Raton, Florida. DMAC was founded in 2002 to offer bachelor's degrees in 3D animation and graphic design. It was acquired by Lynn University in 2017 and ...

Work

"The Sixties: Photographs" is a point of reference for Acid culture, Summer of Love, Rock, and Flower Power generation. This collection of photographs portrays iconic musicians, celebrities, rock stars and fans together. Altman's work captures the free flow atmosphere of this 1960's time period. His exploration in this collection book compliments

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aq ...

, and all the unique, emotion that it consisted of. Such photographs are of documented live footage of audiences explorations of themselves and being free-spirited individuals. The themes of summer love are heavily implied through the "oneness" each individual feels. The connections between fans to their favourite performer illustrates the significance of Woodstock as a milestone in history. Altman's work consists of presenting what is bare, raw, and natural to the viewer. The 1960s was a decade filled with

protest A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooper ...

, revolutionary ideologies, and freedom. His style of work presents experience. The livelihood of the

Hippie Movement The hippie subculture began its development as a youth movement in the United States during the early 1960s and then developed around the world. Its origins may be traced to European social movements in the 19th and early 20th century such as B ...

displayed simply through the photographic

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

that Altman has learned from Ansel Adams. The most prominent rule of composition that defines Robert Altman's art in photography is his perspective. The angles that are staged to capture moments are what signifies Altman's work and influence as successful.

Personal views

When asked to compare today's society with the 1960s, Altman replied: Altman suffered from esophageal cancer and died on September 24, 2021. A cause of death is pending.

Publications

''The Sixties: Photographs by Robert Altman''. Santa Monica Press (2007)

References

External links

Robert Altman's official site

{{DEFAULTSORT:Altman, Robert 1944 births 2021 deaths Commercial photographers Concert photographers Fashion photographers American portrait photographers Photography academics Photographers from California Artists from New York City Hunter College alumni San Francisco State University faculty Place of birth missing University of California, Berkeley staff 20th-century American photographers 21st-century American photographers