id: 151906 accession number: 1984.194 share license status: Copyrighted url: https://clevelandart.org/art/1984.194 updated: 2024-03-26 01:59:53.526000 Stuck, 1971. John William Cook (American, 1940–1978). Chromogenic process color print, manipulated; image: 24.4 x 19.6 cm (9 5/8 x 7 11/16 in.); matted: 50.8 x 40.6 cm (20 x 16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick L. Hollendonner 1984.194 © John William Cook title: Stuck title in original language: series: series in original language: creation date: 1971 creation date earliest: 1971 creation date latest: 1971 current location: creditline: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick L. Hollendonner copyright: © John William Cook --- culture: America, 20th century technique: chromogenic process color print, manipulated department: Photography collection: PH - American 1951-Present type: Photograph find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS * John William Cook (American, 1940–1978) - artist John William Cook American, 1940 - 1978 The images of John William Cook (born in Cleveland) reveal his interest in archetypes, alchemy, and the magic inherent in the photographic process. Using both straight and manipulated formats, he relied on chance and lack of conscious effort in creating his color and black-and-white prints. "It is possible to find one's relationship to the unconscious via one's images," he wrote. "The very moment you try to direct from the thinking mind, everything fails. The same state can be repeated in the darkroom which then becomes a laboratory for visual experimentation." This ideology reflects the influence of Minor White, with whom Cook studied at the Rochester Institute of Technology (A.A.S. in photography, 1960). He also studied with Jerry Uelsmann at the University of Florida. Cook remained in contact with White throughout his life and was instrumental in bringing the master's photography workshops to Cleveland. Leaving graduate school in 1961 for lack of funds, he worked in a photo lab and as staff photographer for an Atlanta-based advertising firm. He returned to Cleveland in 1963 and worked for five years as staff photographer for the Cleveland Museum of Art, where he met his wife, Sara Jane Pearman, the museum's slide librarian. He was a regular participant in the museum's May Shows (regional juried exhibitions) and won many awards. Cook left his post at the museum to teach at the University of Akron while continuing to pursue his own work. He died suddenly of leukemia in 1978. At the time of his death, he was nearing completion of a series of photomontages on the Book of Genesis. In Cook's memory, his widow established an endowment fund to acquire photographs for the museum's collection. A.W. --- measurements: Image: 24.4 x 19.6 cm (9 5/8 x 7 11/16 in.); Matted: 50.8 x 40.6 cm (20 x 16 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: inscription: Written in pencil on recto: "1971 Stuck John W. Cook [signed]" translation: remark: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS title: The May Show: 52nd Annual Exhibition of Works by Artists and Craftsmen of The Western Reserve opening date: 1971-05-05T04:00:00 The May Show: 52nd Annual Exhibition of Works by Artists and Craftsmen of The Western Reserve. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 5-June 13, 1971). title: Year in Review for 1984 opening date: 1985-04-03T05:00:00 Year in Review for 1984. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 3-May 5, 1985). --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS * {'description': 'CMA, April 3 - May 5, 1985: "Year in Review 1984," CMA Bulletin, 72 (April 1985), p. 201, no. 37.', 'opening_date': '1985-04-03T00:00:00'} --- PROVENANCE --- fun fact: digital description: wall description: --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS John William Cook Entry Card to 1971 May Show. Cleveland Museum of Art May Show Records, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. page number: url: https://archive.org/details/CMAMS14190 Cleveland Museum of Art, Tom E Hinson. Catalogue of Photography. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1996. page number: Reproduced: P. 130 url: --- IMAGES