Archetypes
-
-
4.8 • 56 Ratings
-
Publisher Description
Archetypes
Description
A retrospective collection of classical black-and-white photographs by Blair Polischuk - a Canadian artist living with ALS.
With opening comments from Bryan Adams, Bruce Barnbaum Freeman Patterson, and John Sexton, Archetypes features 46 of Polischuk’s images created from 1995 to 2010 along with his introductory monologue entitled The Sound of Light.
In 2011, Polischuk lost the use of his arms and hands to the progressive and terminal neurological disease known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). His career path shifted from that of an active mid-career fine art photographer, to an artist living and working with ALS.
This book is dedicated to the hundreds of thousands of people around the world who are living with ALS, their families and caregivers, and to the men and women who are seeking a cure to this elusive and insidious disease.
Customer Reviews
Wonderful Legacy
I just heard of Blair's passing on CBC radio today. It prompted me to find his book because he spoke so passionately about it and his struggle with ALS. It is a beautiful book and wonderful legacy to leave to his family who he obviously loved very much. To his son, Max carry your Dad's passion for life and the arts forward in your music.
Every shade of gray
One hell of a sexy book containing deep luscious blacks and every possible sensual shade of gray!
Masterclass in Seeing
Blair Polischuk’s Archetypes is not simply a collection of photographs. It is a rigorous, deeply considered body of work that reflects a lifetime of disciplined looking and unwavering belief in the medium.
The images are restrained, formally precise, and psychologically resonant. Blair pursued clarity of form and tonal control with conviction. Nothing feels ornamental or accidental. The sequencing carries a measured rhythm, each photograph building quietly upon the last. There is tension and release in the pacing, a compositional sensitivity that feels almost musical.
To me, Blair was the Edward Weston of Vancouver Island and the Ansel Adams of British Columbia. Not because he imitated them, but because he shared their belief that photography can elevate the ordinary into something elemental. His work strips away distraction until only form, gesture, and presence remain.
I studied under Blair at North Island College and learned more from him than from any other professor in art school. We shared a connection through music as drummers, and that sense of rhythm, space, and restraint lives in his photographs. I’m still a photographer because of his mentorship. He insisted that craft serve meaning and that seriousness of intent matter.
Blair passed away from ALS in 2012, far too early. Archetypes endures as both a masterful monograph and a lasting testament to a teacher whose influence continues long after the classroom lights went out. Thank you for everything, my friend.