A huge congratulations to Catherine Couturier Gallery (formerly John Cleary Gallery) artist, Anne Berry, for her Behind Glass series' inclusion in Photolucida's Critical Mass Top 50 of 2012.
The Couturier Gallery was pleased to add Anne to our roster of fine art photographers at the beginning of the 2012-2013 season and have received much interest in her intimate primate portraits. According to Anne:
Behind Glass refers both to the glass or boundaries of an enclosure and to the glass of the camera lens. Often I find myself gazing into the eyes of a monkey, his hand touching the glass wall that separates our worlds. The animal’s candid stare, the reflection of glass, and the frame of a window are all elements that speak to issues of nature and captivity. My photographs are about the beauty of animals but, more importantly, about their plight. The pictorial quality of these images softens the shock, but the punch is there in the eyes and melancholy expressions of the animals. Primates especially are able to remind people of the undeniable connection between man and animal, and this feeling evokes a memory of a time when man was part of nature. Sometimes I feel like Tennyson’s Lady of Shalott, watching a separate world through a glass lens, creating but not participating. I, too, am “half sick of shadows;” I feel a responsibility to take part, to contribute. These photographs should be a voice for the animals. I assist animal non-profits in three ways: by making photo books for them to use as they wish, by licensing images at no cost, and by producing awareness raising gallery exhibits and blog essays.
Additionally, Anne's Behind Glass series was featured on today's CNN Photography Blog, which includes portions of an interview with the photographer.
For more of Anne's images, as well as available information regarding sizes, prices and editions, please visit her artist page on our website here or stop by the gallery and see them up close!