Albert J. Winn

Albert Joseph Winn 

July 9, 1947 - May 20, 2014, 2:43 pm

Yahrzeit:  20 Iyar 5774

photo by Scott

Al passed away this afternoon. The photo above is the last time I saw him. May 1st in Portland, Oregon for his solo exhibition at Blue Sky Gallery. The work was a bittersweet monument to Al's life. He was a master printer of black and white photography when the art of printing was starting to fade into oblivion. I'm still processing the news of his loss.

Please take a look at his work. It is beautiful. 

My deepest condolences to Scott Portnoff. Al's husband of many years.

www.albertjwinn.com

Allan Sekula

Goodbye, Allan 

Rio and I use to joke about how much of an art star you were. We would wait and wait for you to show up to class. Sometimes we gave up, but most of the time, we'd stay knowing that it would be worth it. I was always intimidated by you, and in shock that you are not around to challenge me. Challenge the way I think about photography. I will always remember what you said before my thesis (the smallest detail would have made a difference). Back then, I was afraid, but I will do things differently now. 

allan, rio & the san pedro harbor (2003?)

source

More on Allan's passing here.

Annie Hall

In my last entry, I wrote a bit about relationships.  One of my favorite films about relationships..... truly, one of my favorite films, period, is Woody Allen's Annie Hall.  I was happy to be introduced to Allen's comedic brilliance my senior year of high school.  It was in Mr. Zameroski's "film as literature" class.  It was the best class ever.  We watched films, and wrote a page about them.  I was exposed to some of the great classics:  East of Eden, On the Waterfront, Badlands, Run Lola Run, Raging Bull, Annie Hall, Cinema Paradiso, and many others.  We weren't aloud to watch Taxi Driver in class, but Mr. Z recommended that we watch it on our own time!  He was the coolest!!

After Annie Hall, I fell in love with Woody Allen and had to see all his films.  My mother is a New Yorker, and so I think his films spoke naturally to me because of this.  For my mother, his films ring true in a lot of ways. The style, the neurosis, and the mannerisms/expressions.... Manhattan, Hannah & Her Sisters, Love & Death, Sleeper....they are all wonderful, but I always go back to Annie Hall.  I strongly believe that it is his masterpiece.  Diane Keaton was perfect, and he wasn't tainted yet, by that scandal.  Pshhhh..... yeah, you know, it's pretty unforgettable...wikipedia it, if you dare!   

Annie Hall was him at his best.  His golden moment in time.  I am happy to announce that I finally get to see it on the big screen!  Tomorrow, the 11th, it's playing at the silent movie theater on Fairfax.  You can purchase tickets here.