*The von Aretin Family, Berlin 2020*, 2020, Inkjet print, Image: 59 7/8 x 80 1/4 in. (152 x 203.7 cm), Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery ⒸThomas Struth

Written by Federica Barrios

Edited by Jana Massoud

Renowned German photographer Thomas Struth graciously presents his work at the celebrated Marian Goodman Gallery in New York City. Across the white walls of the spacious room, the audience is able to gain perspective and gather a well-rounded understanding of the artist and their work. From painter to one of the fastest-growing, most influential artists of modern photography, Struth’s featured exhibition provides a taste of his talent and an insight into his work.

The family portrait seems to be an almost untouched choice in the context of photography in the fine arts. Through Struth’s lens, a commercialized practice meets beauty and sincerity. His prominent background in painting may have originally inspired the idea of posing a contemporary family in a modern setting, manifesting a reminiscence of renaissance portraiture. Historically, portraiture has been a luxury afforded to those in power and wealth to portray an idealized image of their importance and beauty. Even as photography developed and became widely regarded as art, portraiture was looked down upon by artists and society - not real art but a mere mechanical procedure executed by a camera. The Von Aretin family, photographed by the artist, beautiful in their own ways as any family is, is portrayed so unassumingly. A lack of visible emotion does not tell onlookers much about their lifestyles or their relationships with each other. A certain aura of mystery draws you into their home with reluctance and unease as they gaze upon their spectators.

*Retired Detector, OPAL, CERN, Meyrin 2019*, 2019, Inkjet print, Image: 66 7/8 x 92 5/8 in. (170 x 235.3 cm), Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery ⒸThomas Struth

Struth is interested in material goods in terms of the machinery that society relies on and, more specifically, the deterioration of the technology. He depicts the virtually aesthetically pleasing monuments of equipment left behind by the community for newer, better developments through his lens. The setting of Retired Detector, OPAL, CERN, Meyrin 2019, along with Ion Source, PSB, CERN, Meyrin 2019, offers a perspective to the viewer that may not have been available before, the ability to compare and contrast the possible functions and visual qualities. What makes one machine deserving of being forgotten and replaced over another? Struth’s avant-garde photos of contraptions are complex, chaotic, and full of color. Each item flawlessly interacts with the other through cable and conduit.

*Ellsworth Schist, Rockport, Maine 2021*, 2021, Silver gelatin print, Image: 47 1/4 x 35 1/2 in. (120 x 90.1 cm), Courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery ⒸThomas Struth

The famed photographer’s competence in creating a setting for the viewers of his oeuvre and immersing them in it is undeniable. Struth’s nature shots display his capability to do so impeccably. Rather than focusing on the sensations of others, as he does through his work with portraits and religious spaces, it seems as though the artist develops breathtaking images of Mother Nature based on personal enjoyment and immediate impact. The snowy branches in Hecke, Feldberger Seenlandschaft incite agitation and leave the mind wondering about the dangers behind the foggy, torn-down, niveous wall - a familiar yet eerie scene where Struth creates the ambiance and places the viewer right there next to him as he captures the picture.

Amongst other bewitching pictures, the Marian Goodman Gallery’s selection of Thomas Struth prints is bound to transport you to the artist’s many worlds and offer perspective on the mind of one of Germany’s most influential modern photographers.