Salmagundi Library Newsletter | Winter | 2023 | 47 fifth: up close and personal
written by Anthony Bellov
Dear Club members,
This is the fifth newsletter of the Salmagundi Library, and Anthony Bellov has kindly written a brief description of his library photographic exhibition which he thought might be of interest to the membership.
I hope you will enjoy these architectural photographs showing elements of the club house building as it was originally built.
Best,
Alexander Katlan
Salmagundi Library Committee Chairman
47 Fifth: Up close and personal through photographs
Anthony Bellov – January 17 to 30, 2022
“Researching my talks – “Before Salmagundi” – in which I explore architectural clues of the past of the Salmagundi Clubhouse, involved sleuthing in the mansion – tape measure, flashlight, and iPhone in hand. I began taking images of often-overlooked aspects of the building – wanting to share the things that excite and challenge my own perceptions and assumptions of this unique structure.”
About the Photographs
All images were taken by hand with an iPhone 11, the intent was to capture an immediate “reality,” an “as-is” image, without set-up, tweaking, or doctoring of the subject, something anyone with a cell phone could capture. Minimal retouching included post-adjusting brightness and contrast, some cropping, and, naturally, desaturation of the original color image.
About the Artist
Multi-faceted Anthony Bellov is an award-winning videographer, classical pianist & tenor, singing instructor, and architectural historian with a B/Architecture from Pratt Institute and an M/Museum Leadership from Bank Street College of Education. My talks and video explorations of the historic Merchant’s House Museum in New York’s NoHo have generated great excitement. Using still images of unexpected perspectives of buildings, Anthony delights in exploring the overarching geometry of form punctuated by the exclamation point of details.
My (on-going) series of talks examining the architecture of 47 Fifth Avenue (the 1853 mansion serving as the Salmagundi Clubhouse since 1917) digs deeply into the intentions of the early designers, builders, and occupants, both original and subsequent. I seek intentionally to challenge the viewer to examine their own relationship with the building and how it informs their experience of the space.
This is my first solo photographic exhibition and the premier display of these highly personal photographs. My on-going series of illustrated talks: “Before Salmagundi: The Evolution of an 1853 Fifth Avenue Mansion” is accessible on YouTube.
