Arnold Doren (1935–2003) was an American photographer.Who's Who in American Art, 1989-90, R. R. Bowker, New York, 1990
Youth Arnold T. Dorenfeld, known as Doren, was born in Chicago, July 29, 1935, to Hy and Rose Dorenfeld.DeCwikiel-Kane, Dawn, "A Legacy on Film, Arnold Doren 1935-2003", News and Record, Greensboro, NC, September 26, 2003 page D1 He grew up on the west side of Chicago, attending Howland Elementary School and Farragut High School (now Farragut Career Academy) (per classmate and friend Howard N. Allen, M.D.). An encounter with a Graflex camera while working on the high school newspaper (The Scroll) led to a dedicated life in photography. After joining the Navy in 1953, he was stationed at San Diego, CA and worked as a submariner running missions to Acapulco. News with Views was the name of the Navy newsletter which published his photographs.
Education A turning point occurred when he enrolled at Rochester Institute of Technology in 1957 where his philosophy and purpose in life were clarified by Minor White, one of the legendary professors.Pettit, Robert F., "His Photos Images of Peace", News and Record, Greensboro, NC March 18, 1979, page G 7 It was the deeply spiritual nature of Minor White along with his knowledge of poetry and Eastern philosophy that affected Doren. Minor put an emphasis on feeling as a way of knowing and realizing a multitude of meanings."Minor White, A Living Remembrance", by the editors of Aperture, Silver Mountain Foundation, Millerton, NY, 1984, , see page 71 A quote by Peter Layton describes Minor's teaching. " He created an atmosphere for constantly questioning ideas or responses." With careful observation, the students of Minor White were shown how to seek an emotional equivalence to the scene in front of them. Minor White was inspired by Alfred Stieglitz's theory (Equivalents) from the 1920s. It was under Minor's influence that Doren began to photograph what he called Americana Faces which was a documentation of the land and its people from 1960 to 2003.Pettit, Robert F., "His Photos Images of Peace", News and Record, Greensboro, NC, March 18, 1979, page G7 A "face" was not just a human face but included everything in the land and sky. He photographed throughout the US and returned frequently to the southwest. While working on the Americana Faces, he produced other documentary series during extended visits to Italy, Greece, Scotland and China.Arnold Doren Archive, Special Collections, Walter Jackson Library, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC Related to Doren's documentary photographs were experimental works, including a series on "light", that was inspired by Minor White and by another influential teacher, Ralph Hattersley.Hattersley, Ralph, "Discover Yourself Through Photography", Morgan and Morgan Inc., October 1979.
New York City 1960-1978 During Doren's NYC years, he worked as a commercial photographer for Alan Vogel, Arnold T. Rosenberg, Irving Penn and Erwin BlumenthalBiographical Files (Vertical files) on faculty, University Archives, Walter Jackson Library, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC while living in a one-room apartment and frequenting jazz clubs, poetry readings and art openings.Arnold Doren Archive, Special Collections, Walter Jackson Library, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC Doren wrote extensively about his years in NYC with and without his first wife, Elizabeth Knox, a painter. He committed to several personal projects such as photographing the same NYC street for one hour per day for several years. The NYC street project was partly inspired by his neighbor, Berenice Abbott.Arnold Doren Archive - in the letters there is mention of correspondence with Berenice Abbott and record of a purchase made of a Eugene Atget print from Abbott Doren's series on the Woodstock Festival resulted in his well-known photograph of Jimi Hendrix.DeCwikiel-Kane, Dawn, "A Legacy on Film Arnold Doren 1935-2003, News and Record, Greensboro, NC, September 26, 2003
1978-2003
After accepting a teaching position in 1978 at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Doren helped to shape the growing respect for photography as art.Coraddi, UNCG's magazine for the arts, inaugural issue of 1978, Article on Arnold Doren, archived in University Archives, UNCG, Greensboro, NC He educated thousands of students, participated in numerous exhibitions, operated a photography gallery and gained national and international recognition for his work.Biographical files on faculty, University Archives, Walter Jackson Library, UNCG, Greensboro, NC Often he introduced himself on the first day of class with My name is Doren and photography is my life.DeCwikiel-Kane, Dawn, "A Legacy on Film, Arnold Doren 1935-2003" news and Record, Greensboro, NC, September 26, 2003, page D 1 Doren's second wife, Caroline Cornish, 1924–2008,"Caroline Laws Cornish", News and Record, Greensboro, NC, April 17, 2008, page B 4 was a noted photographer"Blue Pitcher" Southern issue, summer 1987, Editors Steven Lautermilch, Sarah Lindsay, Jeffrey Miles, Greensboro, NC, ISSN 0886-4187, "Caroline Cornish" feature artist, pages 32-40 who possessed organizational skills that provided stability for both of them while allowing Doren extra freedom to pursue a fine arts career.
Publications
"The Photographer Collector's Guide" Lee Witkin and B. London, NY Graphic Society, 1982 "An Index to American Collections" The George Eastman House of Photography, G. K. Hall and Co. Publishing, Boston, 1983 "Who is Who in American Art" R. R. Bowker Publishers, NY, 1989–90, 1991–91, 1995–96 "Aperture" 10–3, 1962 "Photographing Children", Time Life Library of Photography, 1971 Octave to Prayer "Aperture", 1974 "Italy Observed in Photography and Literature", Rizzoli Publishing, NY, 1989 "Exploring Color Photography" by Robert Hirsh, W. B. Brown Publishing, 1991
Selected collections
George Eastman House, Rochester, NY Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts Museum of the Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX Grey Gallery of Art New York University, NYC Phillip Morris Collection, Cabarrus County, NC Dillard Collection, "Weatherspoon Art Gallery", University of North Carolina at Greensboro Meridian Museum of Art, Meridian, Mississippi Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis, Indiana
References
External links UNCG Special Collections & University Archives past exhibits: Arnold Doren