The Carnegie Arts Center in Turlock is featuring an artist with a new lens on a familiar subject: the Central Valley.
Roman Loranc’s exhibit, entitled “A Retrospective,” features a number of photographs which are equal parts recognizable and eerily alien.
"Roman Loranc has photographed the Central Valley for more than 20 years,” said former Carnegie Arts Center Executive Director and Curator Rebecca Phillips Abbott. “We are familiar with the beauty he captures and appreciate it all the more."
The exhibit consists of 63 pieces with photographs from Los Banos to San Francisco. In addition to this, the gallery has three walls set up to feature Loranc’s original works from Croatia, Italy and Poland – his homeland.
Loranc has stated in the past that he believes himself to be a “regional photographer,” but that his photos retain relevance regardless of location. The stark yet quiet beauty of his photographs undoubtedly stand on their own merit, though they are of special value to those area citizens who can relate to the imagery.
Each picture is orchestrated, from beginning to end. Loranc uses a 4×5 Linhof field camera and shoots most of his photos with a 210mm Nikkor lens. He exclusively uses Kodak’s Tri-X film, which he then hand prints on multigrade fiber paper. In order to achieve the stark contrasts in his pictures, he uses a split-toning technique with sepia and selenium.
Loranc’s numerous works are best seen in person, and are available for viewing in the Carnegie Arts Center until Mar. 23. The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
