A Review by Rob Dublin
of "Against Nature" a photographic exhibit by Robert A. Baron
Harrison Public Library, December 2007

(See the exhibit: HERE.)

Robert, I finally got a chance to see your impressive "Against Nature" show today. I thought the exhibit worked extraordinarily well as a whole and as a collection of individually strong images. Among the more notable images for me were the juxtaposition of the B&W Mount Rainier (L) at the end of one wall with the B&W Barry Diller building (R) on the adjacent wall. The natural, massive presence of Mt. Rainier dominating ground and sky was mirrored in the massive flowing forms of the B&W Gehry work. I also preferred seeing Rainier in B&W, which for me made its power seem more primitive, elemental.

Of course, I always admire your architectural work. The Disney Concert Hall No. 17 (L) was my favorite of that series, because of the way the surfaces reflected the colors of the surroundings and the incident light. There was a sensuality in the colors that B&W cannot replicate...I much preferred this image to any in the Lenswork* portfolio of the same subject. I also was drawn to SFMOMA (R) for its simple geometric forms and graphic lighting -- the tubes and lights forming a "V" of light holding up the central luminescent sphere. I thought the two figures on the scaffold added a nice touch of the surreal. I've seen the Guggenheim print before (L), but this is a classic...if the photograph was taken legally, I think you should sell a print to the Museum. Very few people use a fish eye well, this photo is awesome, a symphony of curvilinear forms with the silhouetted people adding a visually striking counterpoint. This image has more flow and movement than many movies I've seen.

*Lenswork, No. 72, Sept - Oct 2007. www.lenswork.com

Two images that I liked a lot but that troubled me somewhat were the "[entry portal from the Palace of Fine Arts]" No. 20 (far left) and the "Monorail Tunnel" No. 19 (near left). I really like the composition and feel of the "..Entry.." photo, as it made me feel like I was entering the past through a time-travel portal. However, the two framing columns seem to my eye bowed outward in the opposite direction from normal perspective distortion, and this bothered me. I'm not sure if this was the way it was or not, but it caught my eye and distracted me. Just my own impression. With the "Monorail Tunnel," I was similarly distracted by the blue "sky?" at the top. I loved the image with its curvilinear, metal reflecting surfaces, but for me, the blue was a distraction.

Last were the images of Crater Lake. I was attracted by their contrast with the rest of the show, the dissolution of form in the sky and the fracturing of light on the water. My favorites were Nos. 3 and 4, which are similar except for framing orientation, and which capture a primordial, indistinct primitive state of emerging ground and sky -- very biblical. I was also drawn to No. 6, which had this feeling of a vortex drawing the water and sky to a mysterious light against the distant shore.

In short, I had the place to myself and enjoyed the show tremendously. I have a question concerning your pricing -- I also had time to read most of your materials -- if you have the time to respond. I see you are selling both edition numbered and un-numbered prints. Doesn't selling both negate the value of limiting your edition by numbering it? What would the value be to a collector for spending the extra money for a numbered edition, since you can buy an un-numbered print of identical quality? Just a concern that I have that I have wrestled with myself to no satisfactory resolution.