Buffalo Rising Online

Aug 16th 2007, 12:26pm By Laura Sargent

Bob Schulman is a portrait of endurance, much like the buildings he photographs. Bob has witnessed the evolution of Buffalo, for better or worse, and yet his love for the Queen City has survived. His photographs capture the vignettes of vintage structures that are often overlooked, giving new life to hidden treasures.

“"These images become compositions that resonate melancholy and up-beat moods with a jazz-like harmonious and dissonant essence,” Schulman says. “I put together images from the local environment and they become constructions of abstract images that have artistic and visual value--somewhat poetic. It may be a window, chunk of metal or contents of a dumpster, but there is so much loveliness in Victorian and (similarly) well-crafted structures. The quality of building craftsmanship has perhaps deteriorated but hasn't been lost; for example, the Franklin Building; it is a little bit lamentable. It feels tragic."

His commitment to all things industrial has also incited a theme of abandonment as well. Most of the architecture found within his work has been forgotten by the community, which lends the structures an air of loneliness. The other portion of his photographs are buildings that are part of Buffalo's valued history. Whether old and decrepit or modern and relativly intact, newfound beauty emerges when certain features are highlighted.

Bob is a pediatrician by day and photographer by night. He claims that his artistic side was an inherent trait. His first camera, which he acquired in 1978, had a clip meter that allowed him to compose and create--a lesson in itself. Flash forward twenty some years, Bob accidentally flipped the panoramic switch on his new camera and found an interesting setting that created a photograph entirely unique. A technique that he now claims is his “home format”.

Panorama is a wide veiw of any typical space, but I would not consider Schulman's work typical. Minute details of rust, neglect and oxidized surface are portrayed and the panoramic format displays them in a rare fashion. Certainly though, Schulman's view of the urban landscape has broadened; he has looked beyond the obivous, towards the ambiguous and connected with the surviving soul of each individual structure. He continues to work with film and refuses the technological advancements made in the digital field. "Film is a nice way to go, and the quality of colors in Fuji 4oo (35mm film) just keeps pleasing me,” says Schulman. “I've always seen something good in that film.”

Bob Schulman considers himself a “lucky artist”. It took no time at all for galleries, restaraunts and residents to receive his portraits with open arms. “The art community here is very receptive, and artists here can get into it. Now Artspace is opening up and more artists are being encouraged. Perhaps the eyes of the government are opening up to the value of art commerce. It would serve the community well to realize how many jobs and value there is in supporting the arts locally.”

Schulman's optimistic attitude carries over to his stance on Buffalo's future. "Development that does the right thing for the city is wonderful. I look forward to seeing the city come back, if done right. I support any effort to curtail the advance of a harmful entity...I'm against the political dummy and for progressive people.”

Look for Schulman's photographs in and around Buffalo at both Globe Markets, Chateau Buffalo and the Albright Knox Collector's Gallery. He is currently a member of CEPA, Western New York Artists group and the Buffalo Society of Artists.