A distinguished scholar, the former U91原创 faculty member lectured and taught workshops at more than 100 institutions in 33 states.
Carl Chiarenza, an artist-in-residence and a professor emeritus in the at the 91原创, is being remembered as a notable American photographer and an erudite scholar.
Chiarenza, who died in May at the age of 90, was the Fanny Knapp Allen Professor of Art and Art History from 1986 until he retired in 1998. After retirement, he was named artist-in-residence and remained available for critiques and classroom visits.
Internationally known as a photographer specializing in abstract imagery, Chiarenza created photographs featured in more than 90 one-person and more than 280 group exhibitions since 1957. He authored numerous monographs and essays, as well as a seminal biography of American photographer Aaron Siskind called Aaron Siskind: Pleasures and Terrors聽(Little, Brown and Company, 1982).
Beyond his contributions to photography and scholarship, Chiarenza was widely admired for his generosity and warmth.
鈥淭he multitude of things that distinguish Carl as a scholar and as an artist are all secondary to the fact that he was a fine human and a generous citizen,鈥� says , a professor of art and the chair of the Department of Art and Art History. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 remember many of the countless topics we covered over breakfast at the Frog Pond or Highland Diner in 91原创, but the warmth and wholly uncommon generosity of spirit is something I still embrace from every one of those times鈥攖hey live with me.鈥�
A trailblazer in photographic scholarship
Chiarenza earned an AAS in 1955 and a BFA in 1957 from 91原创 Institute of Technology. He went on to earn an MS in 1959 and an AM in 1964 from Boston University.
In 1973, he became the first person to earn an art history PhD in photography from Harvard University.
鈥淐arl ruffled feathers there by intending to write a dissertation not only on a living 聽artist, but on a photographer鈥攖wo categories that had never before been found worthy in that department,鈥� recalls , a professor emerita of art history at U91原创. 鈥淚t is a tribute to his talent, and the force of his will, that he was allowed to proceed.鈥�
Chiarenza lectured and conducted workshops at more than 100 institutions in 33 states during his academic career.
Before his tenure at U91原创, Chiarenza was a professor of art history at Boston University, where he served in the roles of chairman and director of graduate studies. He also taught at Smith College and Cornell University.
鈥淗e enjoyed teaching his lectures on the history of photography by starting with a cave painting,鈥� says artist and landscape designer Heidi Katz, Chiarenza鈥檚 wife of 48 years. 鈥淗e loved his smaller engaging seminars, some co-taught with colleagues from other disciplines. But finally, he loved being artist-in-residence with his own studio space on the University campus for several years after he retired.鈥�
Finding mystery in the ordinary
Described by colleagues as a prolific and tenacious artist, Chiarenza worked predominantly in black and white, producing photography of collages made from materials such as torn paper and various foils.
His creative process often included the other art form about which he was passionate: music. 鈥淗e never worked in the darkroom or studio without music being a part of it,鈥� says Katz, adding that Chiarenza was a singer and musician who played the saxophone and clarinet.
Chiarenza鈥檚 works鈥攆rom collages to single and multiple large format prints鈥攁re collected on , and catalogues include Journey into the Unknown, which accompanied a at the Eastman House in 2021.
An Eastman House description of the retrospective noted, 鈥淩ather than create straightforward records of the cast-off materials that appear before his camera, Chiarenza photographically transforms them into new and provocative images. [鈥 His photographs often bear little resemblance to their actual subjects and instead suggest mysterious worlds that viewers are invited to explore.鈥�
A legacy in art and education
Chiarenza鈥檚 academic and artistic contributions leave a legacy in the worlds of art, photography, and research. The archive of his artwork is housed at the in Richmond, Virginia, and his papers are at Harvard University.
Along with his artistry. Chiarenza鈥檚 legacy includes the artists, students, and scholars he mentored throughout his career.
鈥淲hen I turn the key to my studio, I bring with me an audience of three,鈥� says Topolski, adding that Chiarenza was a friend and mentor for 30 years. 鈥淎long with my father, who gives me confidence and checks the standard of my craft, and my mentor from grad school who taught me how to embed meaning into process, Carl is there to remind me that what I do is wholly important as long as it is wholly genuine. And being genuine in my studio is respecting it relative to what envelops it鈥攌inship and family.鈥�
Chiarenza is survived by his wife and three adult children, Jonah, Gabriella, and Suzanne.
