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From the Archive: Peter Schjeldahl: The Story of the Image

This talk by long-time art critic for The New Yorker Peter Schjeldahl was presented on April 7, 2005, as part of SFMOMA’s Phyllis Wattis Distinguished Lecture Series in conjunction with the exhibition Robert Bechtle: A Retrospective. Reflecting on Bechtle’s use of photographs as the basis for his paintings, Schjeldahl remarks: “He takes something that has absolutely no intention — the light that hits a piece of film — and makes it be on purpose, specifies it and takes it visually to a level that you can’t get to in a photo.” Schjeldahl also offers poetic meditations on the implications of photorealism, parallels between Bechtle’s work and that of American realist painter Edward Hopper, and the place of painting in the history of narrative.

From the Archive: Talks and Conversations
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