Exhibit Explores Local Youth Art Inspired by Peter Max

Honored portraiture photographer exhibits U.K. and U.S. landscapes

Acclaimed photographer Dmitiri Kasterine, known best for capturing notable people such as Steve Martin, Samuel Beckett, James Baldwin and Richard Gere, will exhibit his landscape photographs of England and the United States in the James W. Palmer III '90 Gallery of Vassar College's College Center, from Friday June 27 through Tuesday August 8. An opening reception for the exhibition, Landscapes 1979-2003, will be held from 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Friday June 27.

From a photographer well known for his psychologically penetrating studies of people, the deep and mysterious color harmonies and the dreamlike images in many of the exhibit's pieces — cedars sprouting incongruously from a field of yellow rapeseed, a track vanishing into the rain swept moors — are a striking contrast to Kasterine's black-and-white portraiture.

"The pictures mostly show the tranquility of the countryside. Some are vibrant, lit by early or late sunlight, others, lit by the flat light of an overcast sky, but within these components there are unexpected elements: accents made by patches of sunlight, strange land formations, or the stark placement of trees," Kasterine explains. "Others are shot at twilight, giving a somber and eerie feeling, others in the snow and mist."

For example, a close up of a gray-green stone sheep barn in Yorkshire, England has Chinese red doors that blaze forth from the somber stone. A shot of the calm North Sea in Northumberland stares at zigzag patterns in the sand that range in color from khaki to sage green. In another artistic direction for the exhibit, Kasterine has photographed two trees in Garrison, NY that resemble bare bones, and deep, shadowy craters at dawn in the South Dakota "Badlands" that make it seem a dangerous place to be once night falls.

Kasterine has been widely exhibited in the U.S. and Europe, and he has received both the Nikon/PDN award and a National Magazine Award. He has worked nearly 40 years in photography, ranging from journalistic to commercial and artistic projects.

"The uncelebrated people that I photograph are those I meet at anytime who strike me with their exceptional beauty or gesture," Kasterine observes.

Among numerous outlets, Kasterine's work has appeared in Vogue, Vanity Fair, Interview, The New York Times and The Times of London. Early in his career he shot stills for films, notably for Stanley Kubrick on Clockwork Orange, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Dr. Strangelove.

He notes, "My personal photographic work at the moment includes a report on the crumbling and overlooked city of Newburgh, NY, a continuing series of portraits of writers and artists that I began 20 years ago, and a series of 13 portraits for the Garrison (NY) Village Association.

Kasterine teaches an independent photography course at Vassar College, and has lectured at The Royal College of Art in London. On corporate and advertising assignments, he has traveled throughout Europe, Africa and the United States, for Fortune 500 companies such as AT&T, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, IBM and Metropolitan Life.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations or information on accessibility should contact Campus Activities Office at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space and/or assistance may not be available.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

This article was posted on Friday, June 27th, 2003.