Kurt Markus (April 6, 1947 – June 12, 2022) was an American photographer, cinematographer and screenwriter. Born in rural

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

and

self-taught Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning, self-study and self-teaching) is the practice of education without the guidance of schoolmasters (i.e., teachers, professors, institutions). Overview Autodi ...

, Markus was a nationally and internationally published photographer of "unique vision'."Kurt Markus." HEREINMYHEAD.COM. 1996. HEREINMYHEAD.COM. 11 Apr 2009 . He won major awards for his editorial, advertising, and personal work. His photographs demonstrate "extraordinary vision and focus" and are critically renowned."Kurt Markus Sets Mellencamp Documentary Project." Mellencamp.com vol28 Jun 2009 none. Web.6 Jul 2009

Early life

Kurt Michael Markus was born the eldest child of Raymond Markus and Juanita (Johnson) Markus in

Whitefish, Montana Whitefish (Montana Salish, Salish: epɫx̣ʷy̓u, "has whitefish") is a city in Flathead County, Montana, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, there were 7,751 people in the city. History Archaeological records indicate th ...

, on April 6, 1947.

Career

Markus's personal work began with a focus on

American West The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is census regions United States Census Bureau As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the mea ...

cowboys, which is perhaps his most-acclaimed subject to this day. "His timeless photographs explore the rugged yet romantic spirit of the cowboy...Markus reveals an era that is all but forgotten today. In his photography, Markus documents a life style of solitude and difficulty, yet to the viewers, a sense of romance; a hard life of plain food, plain surroundings, horses, and exposure to the elements, and yet a simple life free of inherent stress...

e is E, or e, is the fifth letter and the second vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''e'' (pronounced ); plu ...

a truly amazing photographer of the fashion and travel industry"."Kurt Markus Buckaroo Exhibit Archive." Hockaday Museum of Art. 10 May 2005. Hockaday Museum of Art. 15 Apr 2009 . Since then, he lived various lives as a photographer, making his mark in landscape, figure study, celebrity, fashion, sports, travel, and more. "Whatever the theme, he is most known for his sense of realism and his decidedly direct and not the least bit artificial approach"."Index of Artists." XIT Rosa Olivares & Associates, S.L. 15 Jun 200

Although most of his career was devoted to photography, he also created music videos and films. In 1994, Markus was one of five photographers to participate in a special 25th-anniversary edition of ''

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. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine presenting the living legends of rock-n-roll. In 1999, Markus won a ''

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

'' magazine Alfred Eisenstaedt Photography Award for his ''Rolling Stone'' "Sports Hall of Fame" shots of

triathlete A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the ...

Peter Kotland. In 2003, Markus filmed a

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

and photographed the

album art An album cover (also referred to as album art) is the front packaging art of a commercially released studio album or other audio recordings. The term can refer to: * the printed paperboard covers typically used to package: ** sets of and 78 ...

for

Tori Amos Tori Amos (born Myra Ellen Amos; August 22, 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She is a classically trained musician with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Having already begun composing instrumental pieces on piano, Amos won a full ...

's ''

Scarlet's Walk ''Scarlet's Walk'' is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter and pianist Tori Amos. It was released on October 28, 2002 in the UK and October 29 in the US on Epic Records, making it her first release on the label after her split w ...

''. "Tori felt that Kurt's love for America went hand-in-hand with the theme." In 2006, Markus filmed Jewel's music video ''

Goodbye Alice in Wonderland ''Goodbye Alice in Wonderland'' is the sixth studio album by singer-songwriter Jewel, released on May 2, 2006, through Atlantic Records. The album marks a return to her musical roots after ''0304'', and trying to write an autobiographical album l ...

'' spontaneously, after a photo shoot at her Texas ranch. "The homegrown clip beautifully reflects both the song's organic, intimate sound and its powerfully autobiographical story." Markus shot the video entirely with a classic Super 8 camera. ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' magazine praised Markus's photographs in the Staley-Wise exhibition ''America the Beautiful'' (March 6 – May 9, 2009). "If anyone steals the show, it's Kurt Markus, whose six photographs (many of cowboys) are quietly, unfailingly artful". In 2009, David Roberts published ''The Last of His Kind'', a biography about mountaineer

Bradford Washburn Henry Bradford Washburn Jr. (June 7, 1910 – January 10, 2007) was an American explorer, mountaineer, photographer, and cartographer. He established the Boston Museum of Science, served as its director from 1939–1980, and from 1985 until his ...

. The biography features Markus's portrait of Washburn at age 93. Roberts says, "Kurt Markus's deft profile of Brad in 'Outside' remains the definitive assessment of Washburn as a master photographer."Roberts, David. "The Last of His Kind". New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 2009. 333. Print. On July 2, 2009, Markus again set out with the classic Super 8 camera. This time with his son, Ian Markus, to create a

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

John Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrumentation ...

's 2009 summer tour and recording called '' It's About You''. While Kurt shot in 8mm, his son and assisting cameraman, Ian Markus, filmed digitally and captured sound. The film is undergoing production. Markus's approach will "capture the unrefined truth of his experience with Mellencamp." In 2010, Markus wrote a screenplay, ''Deep Six''. It won the Los Angeles Cinema Awards' "Merit Award" and the Los Angeles Movie Awards' "Honorable Mention". In his book ''Buckaroo'', Markus reflects on himself and his profession, saying this.

I was not born to ranching. I was born a daydreamer, and I know of no slot for one of those on any ranch. At times I am saddened that I am not what I photograph. Always the observer, seldom the participant, what I am made of remains unanswered. My distance protects me, physically and emotionally; from getting as busted up as I ought to sometimes. Which is why you're not going to get the whole truth from me. I have entered into an unspoken, unwritten and generally inscrutable pact with the people I have photographed and lived among: if I promise not to tell all I know about them, they will do the same for me. In most cases, I have more to hide. My consolation is a simple-heartedness I would not exchange. The greenest cowboy alive has my respect, and I have no problem whatsoever photographing people who are possessed with the determination to do what I cannot. The awful truth is that I love all of cowboying, even when everything has gone wrong and it's not looking to get any better. Sometimes I especially like it that way.

"When asked his idea of beauty, Markus says, 'A two-page spread, either in a magazine or in a book. On one page, great writing, presented in a beautiful typeface, classically designed, on the opposite, a memorable photograph. It doesn't get any more beautiful than that.' About his work, Markus says, 'I have been lucky in my work. I consider it a gift to have found photography and made my life in it. If I reflect for a moment on the people I've met and the places I've been, the memory gives me both satisfaction and energy. More than ever I am eager to do the work I love.

Personal life

His first marriage to Debra Jean Spencer, with whom he had a daughter, Jade, ended in 1980. Markus lived in

Kalispell, Montana Kalispell (, Salish-Spokane-Kalispel language, Montana Salish: Ql̓ispé, Kutenai language: Kqayaqawakⱡuʔnam) is a city in Montana and the county seat of Flathead County, Montana, United States. The 2020 census put Kalispell's population at ...

, with his wife Maria Donoghue whom he married in 1983. His sons, Weston and Ian, have both assisted him on major shoots and are continuing along their own paths in film and photography.

Death

He died at his home in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents, Santa Fe is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fourt ...

, on June 12, 2022, at the age of 75. He suffered from

Parkinson’s disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a neurodegenerative disease primarily of the central nervous system, affecting both motor and non-motor systems. Symptoms typically develop gradually and non-motor issues become more prevalen ...

and

Lewy body dementia Lewy body dementia (LBD) is an umbrella term for two similar and common subtypes of dementia: dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD). Both are characterized by changes in thinking, movement, behavior, and mood. The ...

prior to his death.

References

External links

* , the official Kurt Markus website * *
Kurt Markus Sets Mellencamp Documentary Project

one of Markus's past exhibitions at the Staley-Wise Gallery, as well as the review clipping from ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...