Tag: Michael Knapstein

This past September, I had the good fortune to be asked to juror Photo Midwest and attend the Photo Midwest Festival in Madison, Wisconsin. I met so many wonderful people, spent time with old friends, and saw a mother-lode of fantastic work. Included in that bounty were photographs by Michael Knapstein. His project, Midwest Memior, follows the tradition of Group f/64 aesthetics. Taking his inspiration from mid-century artists who captured the midwest landscape with a certain formality, Knapstein brings an elegance and way of seeing that is timeless. The subjects could be from any era; he uses light and architecture to elevate the ghosts of these classic landscapes.

Somewhere near Stoughton, Wisconsin, there’s a white townhouse on top of a hill. It’s alone up there, surrounded by sky. Years ago, it survived a tornado that ravaged much of the landscape. Middleton photographer Michael Knapstein doesn’t know who lives in the house, and that’s alright with him. “I can picture what the owners look like, even though I have never met them,” he tells me.