Spanning more than 150 years, The Photographic Reflex celebrates a transformative gift to the Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University: more than one hundred works by eighty artists, generously donated by Lee Marks and John C. DePrez Jr. This exhibition features photographs dating from 1856 to 2017 and highlights the medium’s extraordinary range, both as a tool for documentation and as a vehicle for artistic exploration.
From Alfred Stieglitz’s delicate studies of grass to Richard Misrach’s vast images of the cosmos, photographers have long found inspiration in the natural world. The built environment has also served as a compelling subject, and the exhibition includes Berenice Abbott’s striking views of 1920s New York City as well as Edward Burtynsky’s sweeping industrial landscapes.
Photography has played a central role in witnessing conflict, from Timothy H. O’Sullivan’s Civil War battlefield to iconic images from World War II, Vietnam, and beyond. While often associated with straightforward depictions of reality, photography also allows artists to experiment with light, exposure, and process to construct imaginative scenes and images beyond human sight.
The Photographic Reflex: The Lee Marks and John C. DePrez Jr. Collection reveals photography’s power to reflect and shape our perception of the world around us across time, space, and vision.
