Pittsburgh native showcases photography in South Side, pushes back her retirement

The fortitude and unique perspectives of 90-year-old Aaronel deRoy Gruber, which continue to be the driving force behind her 30-year photography career, is best illustrated by a photograph that almost did not happen; the image of antiquated smoke stacks and a defunct steel mill titled "End of an Era" was narrowly achieved.

"When I wanted to catch 'End of an Era,' the park owned the property at the time," said Gruber, a Pittsburgh native and graduate of Carnegie Institute of Technology, as she described her biggest challenge and favorite photograph. "They were about to demolish the stacks and buildings of the plant. I had my assistant divert their attention from me trying to get the shot. With seconds to spare, I got the shot."

"End of an Era" is among 57 other photographs by Gruber on display at Silver Eye Center for Photography on the 10th block of East Carson Street in the South Side. The exhibit, which is titled "The Analytical Eye," will be on display until June 27, with no charge for admission.

"The Analytical Eye" is a retrospective exhibition that features architectural photographs, panoramas of landscapes and industrial photographs that span her career. The photographs in the exhibition are not presented in chronological order but are grouped thematically.

"Our task was to take an overview of Aaronel's work in photography over some 30 years, mindful that she has been a practicing artist for more than twice that time," said Graham Shearing, exhibition co-curator and arts writer and critic, referring to Gruber's work as not only a photographer but a painter and sculptor. "We examined several thousand of her prints…we edited down to under 60 prints. But we tried to emphasize aspects of her style and technique."

Gruber's subject matter and photography techniques are varied, causing viewers to question their perception of seeing and looking.

"I think what separates Aaronel from other photographers is the way she looks at something from a different angle," said Amanda Bloomfield, acting curator at Silver Eye Center for Photography. "She doesn't photograph the obvious aspect of a structure or well-known place, she finds the unusual."

Her subjects include futuristic views of the Guggenheim Museum of Spain and the London Eye Ferris Wheel, as well as historical photographs of industrial structures. She pays homage to Pittsburgh's once titan steel industry in photographs of smoke stacks such as "Steel Temple Ruins," which seems to possess the same iconic power as images of ancient Greek ruins.

"Aaronel's work is not easy to describe because it is so varied," said Linda Benedict-Jones, co-curator with Shearing and curator of photography at the Carnegie Museum of Art. "She does, however, seem more interested in shape and form than in a conventional sense of reality. There is often something unreal, almost surreal, in her images."

The ethereal quality that is common throughout many of Gruber's photographs is achieved through "infrared photography," according to the Silver Eye Center for Photography press release about the exhibit.

Gruber said she also composes consistently different photographs by employing "the latest digital technology" to manipulate images, in addition to using outdated cameras, such as the "Widelux, a swing lens, panoramic film camera" to create a vintage feel for her photographs.

Aside from the complexities of Gruber's photography and processing technique, her work remains to be her uncanny ability to capture images that reveal unexpected perspectives to the viewer remains the central aspect of her work.

"Some of her photographs still surprise me," Bloomfield said as she stood in awe of the abstract nature of "Architectural Reflection." "I'm still trying to figure out this photograph and how she created it."

Despite being 90 years old, Gruber continues to create photographs and has no plans for retirement. Her zeal for art and the unusual can be attributed to her endless inspiration.

"I get my inspiration everywhere, at unexpected places - a shadow, trees blowing, no end to what or where," Gruber said.