Jack Delano, nee Jacob Ovcharov, is a legendary American photographer who captured the image of America during the Great Depression. Delano created images of ordinary working people, elevating them to the image of heroes of the 20th century, and also made an invaluable contribution to the development of the art of Puerto Rico.
Biography and early years
Jack Delano, nee Yakov Ovcharov, was born on August 1, 1914 in the village of Voroshilovka, Ukraine. His family moved from their home country to the United States when the boy was 8 years old. He "collected" his pseudonym in his last year of university from the name of the famous boxer Jack Dempsey and the surname of one of his classmates.
The family settled in Philadelphia. Jack initially studied music and art at the Settlement Music School, intending to become a professional cellist in the future. But his natural talent for photography quickly made itself felt, and Jack began to think about a career as a photographer. Four years later, Jack was offered a scholarship to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where he continued his education until 1932. Then he bought his first camera and discovered a passion for documentary photography.
Photography career
Delano's early work captured the working conditions of miners in Pennsylvania. These photographs piqued the interest of Roy Stryker, who invited Jack Delano to participate in the Farm Security Administration Photography program. By participating in this project, Delano found his vocation in the world of photography - creating the image of modern working people. Together with eight other fellow photographers, including the legendary Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans and Arthur Rothstein, he visually documented the destruction of the Great Depression in which America was plunged at the time.
In 1943-1946, Delano worked for the American army, after which he was tasked with capturing the life and working conditions of people living on the east coast of Puerto Rico. It is there that the famous photographer remains to live, falling in love with the local flavor and lifestyle of the inhabitants.
In his works, Delano created the image of a simple working man, elevating him to the status of a hero of our time. In the 40s, in his photographs, he often played with light, giving special depth, as well as increasing their size, going beyond the ordinary parameters, to further dramatize the topic. Delano managed to create her work not only using portraits of ordinary people, but also by referring to the culture of the country, the landscape of the area and social events. This vision set his work apart from the work of other photographers of the time. His attempts to embrace color photography in the early 40s led to unusual but colorful experiments that underscore his prowess.
Contribution to world art
For 50 years of his career, Jack Delano has worked as an illustrator, photographer and even a composer. Delano also directed Los Peloteros, a film about poor rural children and their love of baseball. The film is considered a classic of Puerto Rican cinema.
Jack Delano's musical compositions included works of all types: orchestral (many written for the Puerto Rican Symphony Orchestra), ballets (written for the ballet Infantil de Gilda Navarra and Ballet de San Juan), chamber, choral and solo parts. His vocal music was often inspired by Puerto Rican poetry, especially by his friend and collaborator Thomas Blanco.
Blanco, Delano and his wife Irene also took part in the work on books for children. Their collaborations are considered Puerto Rican classics: A Present for a Child: A Tale of the Twelfth Night by Thomas Blanco, illustrated by Irene Delano and cameo music (written in the margin) by Jack Delano.
Most of Delano's works, written after his move to Puerto Rico, were created using folklore material, clothed in a classical form.
In 1957, Delano helped found Puerto Rico's first publicly funded educational television station, where he also served as a producer, composer and director.
Awards and achievements
In 1987, Jack Delano received an honorary doctorate of arts from the University of the Sacred Heart in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In addition, he also received such awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Fellowship, among other awards.
His work has been featured around the world in international exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Documenta 6 in Germany, Amerikafotografie in Switzerland and the Dallas Museum of Art in Texas.
Delano's works, in addition to multiple publications in collections and magazines, were also released as separate books. Two of these books have been published by the Smithsonian Press, including his autobiography, Photographic Memories. Delano's photographs are also very popular with private collectors. His work is on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Puerto Rico Museum of Art, and the Library of Congress International Center for Photography and Achievement.
Personal life and family
Jack Delano met his future wife, Irene Esser, a graphic illustrator while working as a war photographer in the United States. Irene was the cousin of one of his fellow journalists. They got married in 1940.
He worked with his wife in the Public Section of the Department of Public Education, making films and composing music.
In the family, the couple had two children: son Pablo and daughter Laura Duncan.
After the death of his wife in 1982, Jack Delano was mainly involved in travel, attending the opening of his exhibitions.
Jack Delano passed away on August 12, 1997 at the age of 83 in a Puerto Rico hospital from kidney failure.
