I was recently reminded, at the end of a long day spent exploring art galleries in the city, of why I admire Thaddeus Holownia’s work so much. It was, until the very end, a depressing experience - everything from tired, claustrophobic corporate realism to a succession of pretentious modernisms, including large–format colour photographs apparently designed to capitalize on the contemporary need for a “Wow!” factor. And then, a chance encounter with some prints from Holownia’s Walden Pond series: small and unassuming works that are timeless, peaceful, and profoundly inspiring.

Great photographers seem to forge strikingly distinctive paths in pursuit of their life’s work. No prescribed training ground really exists to develop the eye required. However, certain personal traits seem common to many of the best. First, a restless sense of curiosity sometimes bordering on obsession. Second, some mechanical or scientific aptitude. And third, an innately aesthetic vision - a way of seeing that is automatically selective: recognizing, framing, discerning. Thaddeus Holownia certainly embodies all three of these characteristics to an extraordinary degree, and his work underlines for me the spiritually uplifting power of art.

Essay by David Blackwood