Harry Callahan: Morocco

One of the foremost American photographers of the twentieth century, Harry Callahan explored the expressive possibilities of both color and black-and-white photography from the outset of his career in 1938. Following his retirement from teaching at the Rhode Island School of Design in 1977, however, he decided to dedicate his practice exclusively to the color medium and pursue travel to foreign locales.

The twenty-three photographs in this publication, taken in Morocco in 1981, are the product of CallahanÆs shift to a strictly chromatic palette and demonstrate his continued interest in the visual intrigue of the everyday urban landscape and the passersby who occupy it. Depicting his familiar subjects of architectural facades, random patterns of street activity, and isolated figures lost in thought, the images transcend MoroccoÆs exoticism by exploring the formal and pictorial potential of the countryÆs environment.

The photographs that excite me are photographs that say something