Chuck Stewart exhibit puts eye on musical icons
Can you hear an image? Chances are, if you’re looking at photographs by Chuck Stewart, a sound springs to mind. “You can hear the music in the picture of the person,” said Kyle Eagle.
Eagle is one of the producers of “Eye of an Era,” an exhibition of Stewart’s work running at Snap! Space (open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays through July 27; 1013 E. Colonial Drive in Orlando; free; 407-286-2185; snaporlando.com).
A superstar in the jazz world without ever playing a note, Stewart photographed more than 2,000 album covers in his career covering 70 years. He died in 2017 at age of 89.
The exhibit features icons at every turn. Young Aretha Franklin breathes between recordings. Quincy Jones directs the band in the studio. Duke Ellington plays in cloud of smoke.
Stewart was a student of Yousuf Karsh, best known for his portrait of an disdainful Winston Churchill. Like Karsh, Stewart captures representative moods of his subjects, whether the photos are staged or candid.
“His process was called ‘the decisive moment,’ ” said Eagle, who became friends with Stewart in the 1990s. In particular, Eagle notes Stewart’s adeptness at shooting the pensive intensity of John Coltrane and the power of James Brown.
Many of Stewart’s photos are filled with empty black space, an effect which adds depth to dimensions to his subjects. “He would print black-and-white in a color process to get a deeper tone,” said Eagle.
Jazz and soul weren’t all Stewart shot. Comedians such as Redd Foxx, Bill Cosby and Flip Wilson also got Stewart’s sharpeyed treatment. “You used to have comedians at every show to keep the audience interested,” said Eagle. “It wasn’t uncommon for Redd Foxx to open up for someone like Lee Morgan.”
Even rock got into the frame. In 1969, Stewart took the first official portrait of Led Zeppelin in this United States.
The exhibit also includes his work as a military photographer shooting the atomic bomb tests of the 1950s. “A lot of his work was still classified at the time of his death,” said Eagle.
But Stewart’s relationship with jazz is a record that will be kept, and needs to be seen by any fan. “He always had jazz on,” said Eagle. “And he could comment on it perfectly. That was someone who really knew the music.”