About James Fitzgerald
With a background in fine arts, James Fitzgerald approaches photography the way he would approach a painting. He comes from a family of artists – his father an amateur photographer, and his mother and uncle painters. He went to school for painting at duCret School of Art and The Art Students League in New York. He started off painting landscapes, but also has pieces of musicians and abstract works. Fitzgerald enjoys and is inspired by various artists and movements. He has a preference for French Impressionism and the softer, romantic look that comes with those style of paintings – which can be seen in works by Degas, for example. He also likes street photography and modern Pictorialism, which could be seen as a cousin to Impressionism, on the photography level, as artists in this style emphasize beauty, tonality, and composition rather than documenting directly what they seen in front of them.
New Brunswick Art Salon 2020 – Photography: “Moments of Focus”
Inspired by Impressionism and Pictorialism, Fitzgerald is interested in atmospheric landscapes, and the changes that can come with weather, the time of day, season, and other natural disturbances. Such is evident in his piece “Fall Morning,” where orange autumn leaves and a path emerge through the fog. Rather than a documentation of reality, Fitzgerald thinks the details that are not seen are more interesting, and he wishes for viewers to find a story in his work.
Email: Jerseyfoto@gmail.com
Artist Statement
James Fitzgerald believes that a good painting or a good photograph should have a story. Rather than showing hyper-realistic details, he believes that what isn’t seen could be more interesting. When it comes to taking photographs, he is interested in atmosphere and the changes in the landscape, such as weather conditions and changes in the view throughout the day and the seasons. The photographs Fitzgerald shared in the gallery are of scenes of the Delaware Raritan Canal and Watchung Reserve. He made his own customized frames for his photos.