SHULMAN: BUILDING A CAREER ON BUILDINGS.Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer The house hung high upon a Hollywood hilltop, a modern tribute to glass, steel - and the eye of Julius Shulman Julius Shulman, (born October 10, 1910) is an American architectural photographer best known for his photograph "Case Study House #22, Los Angeles, 1960. Pierre Koenig, Architect." The house is also known as The Stahl House. . For no photographer has seemed keener to capture the modern dream of California and promote it through nearly 70 years of glossy spreads. ``This is God here,'' proclaimed Shulman, 94, pointing to the promise - and meticulous composition - contained in his sunny 1960 photo of Case Study House No. 22, now the most famous home in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . ``I am God. Ich bin Gott.'' Modern architecture - with its bold lines and sleek surfaces - is once again hot. And Shulman, considered to be the cream of architectural photographers, is now being celebrated in three new books, a pending documentary and an upcoming exhibit at the J. Paul Getty Jean Paul Getty (December 15, 1892 – June 6, 1976) was an American industrialist and founder of the Getty Oil Company. Biography Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, into a family already in the petroleum business, he was one of the first people in the world with a Museum. ``He's amazing - he's incredible,'' said Wim DeWit, architectural curator for the Getty Research Institute, which recently announced it had bought the Shulman archive of 260,000 photographs of work by such modern legends Richard Neutra Richard Joseph Neutra (April 8, 1892 – April 16, 1970) is considered one of modernism's most important architects. Neutra was born in Vienna, Austria in 1892. He studied under Adolf Loos, was influenced by Otto Wagner, and worked for a time in Germany in the studio of , Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright, Jr. (March 30,1890, Oak Park, Illinois – May 31, 1978, Santa Monica, California), commonly known as Lloyd Wright, was an American architect who did most of his work in Southern California. and Raphael Soriano. ``I think he was trying to tell the world, 'Look, there is high culture, there is great architecture in Los Angeles.' He made modern architecture appreciated and understood outside California.'' The Shulman archive, to be available for public research in April, will be the showcase of an October exhibit to commemorate the photographer's 95th birthday (he was born on 10/10/10). The collection - a cornucopia cornucopia (kôr'ny  kō`pēə), in Greek mythology, magnificent horn that filled itself with whatever meat or drink its owner requested. of famous and unfamous homes, apartments, stores and factories of Los Angeles - will also assist the Getty in its citywide survey of historic resources. A documentary by Valley Village filmmaker Eric Bricker is expected to be finished for the Sundance, Cannes and other film festivals next year. Three new books - including a $1,500 ``My Odyssey'' limited edition retrospective and a volume on Malibu - are expected to be released this year. And no one feels more blessed than the feisty cameraman who commanded calls from New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of to Tokyo from his Soriano-drafted house of glass and Hollywood Hills ``jungle.'' The Brooklyn native known as ``One-shot Shulman'' for his sure-shot lens sat under a sign, ``Old Age & Treachery Will Overcome Youth & Skill'' - talking about cats. Pictures of poor cats. Fat cats. Lazy cats. Busy cats. And cats, literally, on a hot tin roof - subjects of a high school lecture series he's putting together in conjunction with his Julius Shulman Institute at Woodbury University. ``In my life, I think I represent the ideal cat,'' said Shulman, a short man with steely hair, stubby stub·by adj. stub·bi·er, stub·bi·est 1. a. Having the nature of or suggesting a stub, as in shortness, broadness, or thickness: stubby fingers and toes. b. mustache and piercing slate-blue eyes. ``Every picture I've ever taken in 68 years, plus three years as an amateur, have all come out. ``No failures.'' Born of Russian parents, Shulman, along with his family, farmed in Connecticut before moving to East Los Angeles East Los Angeles, uninc. city (1990 pop. 126,379), Los Angeles co., S Calif., a residential suburb of Los Angeles, in an industrial area. It has a large Mexican-American population. There is a performing arts center and a cultural center. A junior college is there. to open a dry goods store dry goods store n (US) → mercería dry goods store n (US) → magasin m de nouveautés dry goods store n (US . After attending classes at UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX , he received a Kodak Vest Pocket Camera for his 23rd birthday and set off for Berkeley, where he peddled photos of campus buildings. In 1936, he motored back home in his red-spoked De Soto and got his break: an encounter with Neutra that resulted in six perfect photos of the radical International style better known as Modern. More than 8,000 buildings later, Shulman is recognized for his dramatic lighting, elegant compositions, views from lush yards to living rooms and a warmth that helped market the austere style through magazines round the world. ``He was trying to capture the ideal fantasy, the perfect American life,'' said Mary-Margaret Stratton, a member of the Modern Committee of the Los Angeles Conservancy The Los Angeles Conservancy is the preeminent historic preservation organization in Los Angeles, California. It works to document, rescue and revitalize historic buildings, places and neighborhoods in the city. . ``He took real buildings and turned them into legends.'' ``He's like the hub of the wheel of all the great 20th-century architects,'' added Chris Nichols, assistant editor of Los Angeles magazine and a past president of the committee. ``He's dramatized all their work.'' Bricker, who shot more than 70 hours of interviews with Shulman, said it's his humanity that sets him apart. During a recent lecture before architecture students in Mexico, the photographer highlighted a photo of two poor girls by a fountain. ``In your studies, don't set your sights Set Your Sights was the last single to be released by Adequate Seven from Here on Earth. It was download only. Track listing
From a studio crammed with a nearly a century of modern memorabilia, Shulman takes a pre-lunch nip from a Gehry-designed vodka bottle. He huffs at the need for computers. He harrumphs at the tide of digital photography. He brushes aside light meters. He even chastises a New York Times photographer for snapping too many pictures. He berates post-modern and other architects who design for glory - not the needs of their clients. His thoughts range toward the future. ``You have a choice,'' he recently told high school students in Palm Springs. ``You can be any one of these cats - you can be a lazy, rich or alley cat.'' But not, he said, a cat who walks the fence. ``You can't be two-faced. You've gotta make a decision.'' Dana Bartholomew, (818) 713-3730 dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) Architectural photographer Julius Shulman's career, which began with this Kodak camera, above, was built on images such as his 1936 shot of the Neutra house, and his 1958 shot, left, of the Eames House in Pacific Palisades Palisades, cliffs along the west bank of the Hudson River, NE N.J. and SE N.Y., extending from N of Jersey City, N.J., to the vicinity of Piermont, N.Y., with a general altitude of from 350 ft to 550 ft (107–168 m). . David Sprague/Staff Photographer Julius Shulman |
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