THOUGHT PIECES

In the early 1970s, Lew Thomas decided to revolutionize photography San Francisco. Tired of the mystical thinking and emotionalism that characterized Bay Area photography since the 1940s, Thomas has followed a practice photographic based on ideas gleaned from conceptual art and structuralist philosophy. A whole group of other photographers, including Donna-Lee Phillips and Hal Fischer, embraced Thomas' mission, aligning themselves with his sides in what became the “Photography and Language” movement, named after a book and a group exhibition of the same title produced by Thomas in 1976. Thomas, Phillips and Fischer were all extremely active from mid to late 1970s. In addition to their own artwork, they published essays, write reviews and organize exhibitions. Under the name NFS Press, Thomas has published a number of books designed by Phillips, including Structural(ism) and Photography (1978), which featured Thomas's work; Eros and Photography (1977), which was edited by Phillips, and two books by Fischer's work: Gay Semiotics (1978) and 18th Near Castro Street x 24 (1979). Published as part of an exhibition of photographs by these three artists who will be presented at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art from January 4 As of August 9, 2020, this book reviews their work, their relationship with each other with others and their place in the history of photography of the years 1970.