With its proximity to the cultural hub of New York City and its quieter suburban and rural landscapes, Connecticut was fertile ground for artists and writers in the period of Modernist movements between 1913 and 1979. Many of these cultural figures are well known through biographical and critical studies. Creative Places seeks to show how place played a significant role in creative work, and how in turn the artists and writers influenced communities in Connecticut.
Rollie McKenna
Photography
1918 – 2003
American photographer Rollie McKenna did more to create the image of Dylan Thomas than anybody except Thomas himself. She took portraits of many poets and artists of the 1950s and 60, and was associated with James Merrill’s circle in Stonington.
- Biography/Description of Work
Born in Houston, Texas, the young Rosalie Thorne acquired the nickname Rollie from her parents, who separated when she was three. She lived with various relatives, one of whom taught her how to use a camera. She studied American history at Vassar College 1938-1940, and later earned an MA in art history there in 1948. In the interim, she served in the US naval reserve and, in 1945, married Henry Dickson McKenna; they divorced in 1950. Rollie furthered her art history studies, taking photographs of architecture along the way, in Rome and Florence, where she eventually met and photographed Truman Capote, her first literary subject. She found a niche, and specialized in portrait of literary figures. “The Modern Poets: An American-British Anthology (1963) featured her photographs of 80 subjects, including Thom Gunn, Seamus Heaney, Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath. In 1965, she produced a 21-minute film, “The Days Of Dylan Thomas,” and a book of the same name. She also contributed to Time magazine, America Illustrated, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, People, Mademoiselle and the Observer.
- Sources view
- Obituary in The Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/jul/21/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries1
- Associated Resource(s)