Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Biography
Scope and Content of Collection
Related Collections
Contributing Institution:
University of California, Santa Cruz
Title: Wynn Bullock papers
source:
Bullock, Wynn
Creator:
Bullock, Wynn
source:
Bullock, Edna
Identifier/Call Number: MS.010
Physical Description:
61 Linear Feet
8 boxes, 47 framed items
Date (inclusive): 1929-1972
Date (bulk): 1940-1972
Abstract: This collection includes some
biographical material including a small amount of correspondence, writings, teaching
materials, clippings and printed appearences. Also included is a selection of gelatin silver
photographs and a color photograph.
Physical Location: Stored in Special Collections &
Archives: Advance notice is required for access.
Language of Material:
English
Access
Collection open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright for the photographs in this collection is owned by the Bullock-Wilson Photography
Trust (www.wynnbullockphotography.com). Reproduction or distribution of any work protected
by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the copyright owner.
It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether a use is fair use, and to obtain
any necessary permissions. For more information see UCSC Special Collections and Archives
policy on Reproduction and Use.
Preferred Citation
Wynn Bullock papers. MS 10. Special Collections and Archives, University Library,
University of California, Santa Cruz.
Biography
Wynn Bullock (April 18, 1902-November 16, 1975) was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in
Pasadena, California. As a boy, his passions were singing and athletics. After high school
graduation he moved to New York to pursue a musical career and was hired as a chorus member
in Irving Berlin's
Music Box Review. During the mid-1920's he traveled to
Europe, studying voice and giving concerts in France, Germany, and Italy.
In Paris, he discovered the work of Man Ray and Lazlo Moholy-Nagy. He realized photography
as an art form could be a vehicle through which he could engage with the world. He moved
back to Southern California and became a student of photography at Art Center School.
From 1938 to 1940, Wynn became involved in exploring alternative processes such as
solarization and bas relief. After graduation from Art Center, his experimental work was
exhibited in a solo exhibition at the L.A. County Museum. He worked as a commercial
photographer and enlisted in the U.S. Army where he was employed by Lockheed, and
Connors-Joyce until the end of the war.
In 1945-1946, Wynn traveled throughout California with his family producing and selling
postcard pictures. He worked developing a way to control the line effect of solarization for
which he was awarded two patents. He settled in Monterey where he obtained a photographic
concession at Ford Ord military base until 1959.
A major turning point in Wynn's life as a creative photographer occurred in 1948 when he
met Edward Weston. In the mid-1950's, Edward Steichen chose two of Bullock's photographs to
include in the 1955 "Family of Man" exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art.
During the early 1960's, Wynn produced his "Color Light Abstractions". These photographs
represented an in-depth exploration of light, manifesting a belief that light is, "perhaps
the most profound force in the universe."
Throughout his career, Wynn was an active learner, workshop leader, and teacher. His work
is found in over 90 major institutions world-wide, and he is one of five artists whose
archives established the University of Arizona's Center for Creative Photography.
In the mid 1960's until his death, he returned to black and white alternative processes.
Wynn noted, "Searching is everything - going beyond what you know. And the test of the
search is really in the things themselves, the things you seek to understand. What is
important is not what you think about them, but how they enlarge you."
[Biography excerpted from
The Bullock-Wilson Trust Photography Archive]
Scope and Content of Collection
This collection includes some biographical material including a small amount of
correspondence, writings, teaching materials, clippings & printed appearences. Also
included is a selection of gelatin silver photographs and a color photograph.
Related Collections
MS 325 Edna Bullock Photographs
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Photography, Artistic
Bullock, Wynn
Bullock, Edna