Julius Shulman: 1910-2009

Case Study House No. 22, Pierre Koenig, 1960/photo: Julius Shulman, 1960

The great architectural photographer Julius Shulman has died. Shulman did for L.A. Modernism what George Hurrell did for Rita Hayworth, gave it luster. He understood the beauty of the plane and void combinations of architects like Richard Neutra and Pierre Koenig, and he made their elegant wood and glass boxes seem natural byproducts of the SoCal landscape. The material Utopia those pictures promised was always just a dream, but he produced its definitive picture. He was the Watteau of a certain kind of L.A. fantasy land.

A couple of years ago I helped prepare a Time.com slideshow of his work, including work he did in other parts of the U.S. You can find it here.