Begonia Leaf

It is a vertical leaf with a Krilian effect.

Metaflora Series

Walter Landon Chappell (June 8, 1925 – August 8, 2000) is known for intensely provocative photographs of the human body, landscapes, and his Metaflora photographs of the auras of plant and spiritual objects.

There are many stories written and told about Walter’s unique life style and chosen approaches to living. But beyond all the related narratives, it must be said that Walter stands out as one of the 20th century’s important photographers. From his innovative and ground breaking works dealing with the human form in the 50’s through the spiritually charged Metaflora images, Walter was always pushing the boundaries of photographic “seeing”.

It is said that one of the definitions of great art is that it can both transcend time and subject matter. This was true for Walter’s work. Photographs as varied as nudes, water studies, rock abstractions, and Metaflora’s hung seamlessly irrespective of dates or subjects. His vision, like his life, is both unique and transcendent.

From 1957-1958, he studied with Minor White in Rochester, New York, and introduced White to the teachings of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky. Together they published a series of articles in Aperture on reading the hidden meaning of things through photographs. Chappell was curator of exhibitions and prints at the George Eastman House from 1957-1961 and helped establish the Association of Heliographers, a cooperative photography gallery on Madison Avenue.

Walter Chappell lived in New Mexico at various times in his life: the 60’s, the 80’s and then back again in the 90’s where he lived in his wonderful home in El Rito, New Mexico until his death in 2000.