Roman Vishniac and Diavik Airport: Difference between pages

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[[Image:Vishniac_reading.jpg|thumb|240px|Roman Vishniac reading, c. 1981.]]

| name = Diavik Airport

'''Roman Vishniac''' ([[International Phonetic Alphabet|vĭsh'nēăk]]), ([[August 19]], [[1897]] - [[January 22]], [[1990]]), was a renowned Russian-American [[photographer]] of poor [[Jew]]s in [[Eastern Europe|Eastern European]] ghettos in the 1930s. Roman Vishniac was also was an extremely diverse photographer, an accomplished [[biologist]] and knowledgable student and teacher of [[History of art|art history]]. Throughout his life he made significant scientific contributions to the fields of [[photography]] and [[microscopy]] and later became a [[teacher]] and collector of art and artifacts<!--. Roman Vishniac was strongly tied to his Jewish roots and was a [[Zionist]]-->{{mn|Roman|8}}.

| nativename =

| nativename-a =

| nativename-r =

| image =

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| IATA =

| ICAO = CDK2

| type = Private

| owner-oper = [[Diavik Diamond Mine]]s

| city-served =

| ___location = Diavik Diamond Mine

| elevation-f = 1,413

| elevation-m = 431

| coordinates = {{Coord|64|30|41|N|110|17|22|W|type:airport}}

| website = [http://www.diavik.ca/index.htm www.diavik.ca/]

| metric-elev =

| metric-rwy =

| r1-number = 10T/28T

| r1-length-f = 5,004

| r1-length-m = 1,525

| r1-surface = [[Gravel]]

}}

'''Diavik Airport''' {{Airport codes|||CDK2}}, is a private aerodrome in the [[Northwest Territories]], [[Canada]] that serves the [[Diavik Diamond Mine]]. It's situated in a busy area due to the closeness of [[Ekati Airport]]. Prior permission is required to land except in the case of an emergency.

Roman Vishniac was born in [[Pavlovsk]], [[Russia]], a town near [[St. Petersburg]] in the summer of 1897{{mn|Columbia|1}}{{mn|Roman|8}} and died January, 1990 in [[New York City]]{{mn|Biogs|2}}{{mn|VanishPort|4}}. Roman Vishniac's father was [[Solomon Vishniac]], a well-to-do manufacturer of umbrellas. His mother, [[Manya Vishniac|Manya]] was the daughter of affluent diamond dealers. <!--more family and legacy-->

== Biography ==

=== Early life ===

Roman Vishniac was born in his grandparent's ''[[dacha]]'' outside of St. Petersburg{{mn|BioNote|7}}, but he grew up in [[Moscow]] ([[Jews in Russia#Pogroms and the Pale of Settlement|a right granted to few Jews]]) in a brick apartment building on [[Kiselny Pereulok]]. In summer, the Vishniac family took frequent retreats to a family ''dacha'' a few miles outside of Moscow as the city was often too hot.{{mn|Roman|8}}.

==External link==

As a child Roman Vishniac was fascinated by biology and photography and his room was filled with, ''"plants, insects, fish and small animals"''{{mn|Concerns|6}}. On his 7th birthday, Vishniac got a microscope from his mother, to which he promptly hooked up a camera lens and photographed the muscles in a cockroach’s leg at 150 times magnification{{mn|Roman|8}}. Young Vishniac used this microscope to its fullest, viewing and photographing everything he could find: from dead [[insects]], to [[scale]]s, to [[pollen]] and [[protozoa]].

*[http://www.copanational.org/PlacesToFly/airport_view.php?pr_id=8&ap_id=1039 Page about this airport] on [[Canadian Owners and Pilots Association|COPA's]] ''Places to Fly'' airport directory

==References==

Beginning in [[1914]], Vishniac spent six years at [[Shanyavsky Institute]] in Moscow. While enrolled there he served in the [[Tsarist]], [[Kerensky]] and [[Soviet]] armies. Back at the university he earned a [[Doctor of Philosophy]] in [[Zoology]] and became an assistant professor of [[biology]]{{mn|Concerns|6}}. As a graduate student there, Vishniac worked with prestigious biologist [[Nikolai Koltzoff]], experimenting on the [[axolotl]]. While his experiments were a success, Dr. Vishniac was not able to publish a paper detailing his findings due to the political atmosphere. His results were independently duplicated, but this setback only motivated him to take a 3 year course in medicine sponsored by the government{{mn|Roman|8}}.

*{{CFS}}

{{Canadian Airports}}

=== Berlin ===

[[Category:Airports in the Northwest Territories]]

In [[1918]], Vishniac's immediate family moved to [[Berlin]] because of [[anti-Semitism]] spurred by the [[Third Russian Revolution]]{{mn|Greene|3}}{{mn|BioNote|7}}. The family had to stop at [[Kiev]] on their way out of [[Russia]] and rendezvous with Roman who aided in his family's emigration{{mn|Roman|8}}. <!-- DISPUTED by Mara Roman, however, did not go to Berlin until [[1920]] after he recieved [[Doctorate]] in [[Medicine]] at Shanyavsky.--> <!-- DISPUTED by Mara In order for Vishniac to sneak into Berlin, he had to masquerade as a soldier and sneak into the [[Latvia|Latvian]] city of [[Reschitza]]. There he was aided by a friend who helped him get a Latvian [[passport]]. With this, Roman traveled to Berlin to meet his parents. In this process, Roman became a Latvian citizen, something which he remained until he became a [[United States of America|U.S.]] citizen.--> After this, Roman Vishniac joined his family in Berlin.

{{NorthwestTerritories-airport-stub}}

During most of his 19 year stay in Berlin, Vishniac lived with his parents. Under these circumstances, he married Luta (Leah) Bagg who gave birth to two children, Mara and [[Wolf V. Vishniac|Wolf]]{{mn|Roman|8}}{{mn|Photographer|12}}. Roman began to support not only his own budding family but his parents as well. In order to do this, young Roman had to take various and menial jobs but he never gave up on his true interests. In his free time he completed a doctoral study of Far Eastern Art at the [[University of Berlin]] but was denied the doctorate because he was Jewish. Also, Vishniac did research in [[endocrinology]] and [[optics]] and took up [[portraiture]] and [[photojournalism]]. In Berlin, Roman Vishniac also initiated his [[public speaking]] career by joining the [[Salamander Club]] where he often gave lectures on [[naturalism]] {{mn|Roman|8}}.

[[lmo:Diavik Airport]]

Before leaving Europe, Roman Vishniac was arrested and interned by the [[Pétain]] police at the [[concentration camp]] [[Camp du Richard]] in [[Clichy]], [[France]]. After 3 months he was released as the result of his wife's efforts{{mn|Roman|8}}{{mn|Jewish|13}}{{mn|MoCP|14}}{{mn|UFJ|15}}.

[[pms:Diavik Airport]]

=== New York ===

In [[1940]], the Vishniac family moved to [[New York City]] via [[Libon]] and [[Cuba]]{{mn|BioNote|7}}, (Roman was released from the camp after his family procured a [[visa]] for him). The family unknowingly arrived on [[New Year's Eve]] and there was some confusion as to why the city was closed. Vishniac tried for days to get a job but failed. ''"For me, it was a time of distraction and fear,"''{{mn|Roman|8}}.

Of the 16,000 photographs taken in Eastern Europe by Vishniac only 2,000 reached America{{mn|AbsArts|10}}{{mn|UCSB|11}}. These negatives were carefully hidden by Roman and his family. In his own words, ''“I sewed some of the negatives into my clothing when I came to the United States in 1940. Most of them were left with my father in Clermont-Ferrand, a small city in central France. He survived there, hidden. He concealed the negatives under floorboards and behind picture frames.”''{{mn|UCSB|11}}.

Roman Vishniac struggled to get a job, but he could speak no English and thus had a difficult time. He managed to do some portraiture work with mostly foreign clients, however business was poor. It was during this time that Roman took one of his most famous portraits, that of [[Albert Einstein]], in 1942, by simply showing up at his home in [[Princeton]], New Jersey. Around 1950, Roman Vishniac gave up being a portrait photographer and went on to do freelance work{{mn|Roman|8}}.

Once in the [[United States]], Roman Vishniac tried desperately to earn sympathy for the improverished jews in Eastern Europe. When his work was exhibited at [[Teachers College of Columbia University]], Roman Vishniac wrote to [[Eleanor Roosevelt]] ([[First Lady]] at the time), imploring her to visit the exhibit, but she did not do so. Vishniac also sent some of his photographs to the president, for which he was graciously thanked{{mn|Children|9}}{{mn|AbsArts|10}}.

=== Later life ===

In the [[1970s]] he also received Honorary Doctoral degree from [[Rhode Island school of Design]], [[Columbia College of Art]] and the [[California College of Art]]{{mn|VanishPort|4}}.

Even when he grew older, Vishniac lead a very full life. In his 70s and 80s, Roman Vishniac became ''Chevron Professor of Creativity'' at [[Pratt Institute]] and lived on the west side of [[Manhattan]], teaching, photographing, reading and collecting artifacts{{mn|Roman|8}}{{mn|Mitgang|20}}.

== Photography ==

Roman Vishniac won international acclaim for his photography. His pictures from the ''stetlekh'' made him famous, but his images of microscopic biology, too, are well known in the field. His photos have "regularly appeared in [[Life magazine]]"{{mn|Stories|19}}.

=== In Eastern Europe ===

Roman Vishniac is best known for his candid photographs of Jews (of which he took over 16,000) in cities and [[shtetl|shtetlach]] in [[Eastern Europe]]. It is a little known fact that he was actually commissioned to take these pictures initially by the [[American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee]] as part of a fund raising initiative. Eventually, Vishniac took a personal interest in the photography, traveling back and forth from Berlin to develop the photographs he took{{mn|BioNote|7}}. Specifically he photographed the ghettos of Russia, [[Poland]], [[Romania]], [[Czechoslovakia]] and [[Lithuania]].

Vishniac posed as a traveling fabric salesperson, living with whoever would take him in. During his touring of Eastern Europe ([[1935]]?-[[1939]]) Vishniac was often arrested (and jailed 11 times) for taking these pictures, sometimes because he was thought to be photographing military bases{{mn|UCSB|11}}. Such work has made Vishniac popular enough for his work to have been showcased at one-man-shows at the [[Louvre]], [[Columbia University]], the [[Jewish Museum]] and the [[Witkin Gallery]].

The way in which Roman Vishniac took these photos is rather interesting. Vishniac has stated every photo of his from this period was a candid shot{{mn|Polish|16}}. With a concealed [[Leica]] wrapped to his forehead for indoor shots or a [[Rolleiflex]] peeking out of his coat for outdoor photographs{{mn|Roman|8}}, Vishniac captured tens of thousands of impovrished Jews on film in order, ''"...to preserve – in pictures, at least – a world that might soon cease to exist."''{{mn|Mendoza|5}}

=== Photomicroscopy ===

In addition to the candid photgraphy for which he is best-known, Vishniac worked heavily in the field of [[photomicroscopy]], specifically [[electron microscopy]], [[interference microscopy]], [[cinemicroscopy]]. Roman Vishniac specialized in photographing ''live'' subjects, rather than the usual dead ones. He had a knack for arranging the moving specimens in ''"just the right poses"'', according to [[Philipee Halsman]], former president of the [[American Society of Magazine Photographers]]. On the subject of Vishniac's skill in photomicroscopy, Halsman said he was, ''"a special kind of genius"''{{mn|Roman|8}}. One of his most common subjects was [[protozoa]].

A few of Roman Vishniac's most famous endeavors in the field of photomicroscopy include revolutionary photographs depicting the world as a [[firefly]] sees it, behind forty-six hundred tiny [[ommatidia]] complexly arranged. Also there were the images taken at the medical school of [[Boston University]] of the ''circulating'' [[blood]] inside a [[hamster]]'s [[cheek]] pouch{{mn|Roman|8}}.

=== Other photography ===

On the macroscopic scale, too, Vishniac photographed in myraid ways and for myriad purposes. Vishniac is notable for his photographs of [[insect]]s mating, [[sea bass]] feasting and other living creatures in full animation{{mn|Roman|8}}. Roman employed interesting techniques to do this. With skill and patience Vishniac would stalk insects or other such creatures for hours in the [[suburb]]s around New York. Before beginning the hunt, he would lie for over an hour in the grass, rubbing himself with grass so as to make himself smell less artificial. Vishniac would then gracefully swoop close to his prey and patiently frame the scene with his [[SLR]] camera equipped with an [[extention tube]] for [[macro photography]]. Vishniac had trained himself to hold his breath for up to two minutes, so that he could take his time with the shot and not disturb the slowly exposing image{{mn|Roman|8}}.

Roman Vishniac did not just work with non-humans. At times he would focus on [[portraiture]] and [[photojournalism]], doing famous portraits of [[Albert Einstein]] and [[Marc Chagall]]. Roman Vishniac also did some pioneering work in the area of [[time-lapse|time-lapse photography]].

== Biology ==

As a biologist and philosopher, Roman Vishniac hypothesized [[polyphyletic origin]]. A theory that life arose from multiple, independant biochemical reactions, spawning multicellular life.

== Philosophy and Religion ==

Roman Vishniac always had strong ties with his ancestry, especially the [[Jewdaism|Jewish]] aspect of it, "''From earliest childhood, my main interest was my ancestors''". He was a Zionist and a strong sympathizer with Jews who had suffered because of anti-Semintism, especially during [[the Holocaust]], "''Oh yes, I could be a professor of anti-Semitism''", also stating then that he had one hundred and one relatives who died during the Holocaust{{mn|Mitgang|20}}.

==Publications==

{| class="wikitable" width=90%

|- bgcolor="#efefef

! width="6%" | Year

! width="27%" | Title

! width="45%" | Notes

! width="4%" | Source

|- valign=top

|'''1947'''

|''Polish Jews: A Pictorial Record''

|''Polish Jews'' showcased 30 spiritual or religious images; First publication of work in Eastern Europe. Essay by [[Abraham Joshua Heschel]].

|{{mn|Roman|8}}{{mn|Polish|16}}

|-

|'''1947'''

|''Die Farshvundene Velt: Idishe shtet, Idishe mentshn. The Vanished World: Jewish Cities , Jewish People''

|Edited by [[Rafeal Abramovitch]]; title, text and captions in [[English]] and [[Yiddish]]; includes photgraphs by R. Vishniac, A. Kacyzna, M. Kipnis and others.

|[http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/fishstein/search/fullrecord.php?id=2090][http://www.farbersrarities.com/prod02.htm]

|-

|'''1955'''

|''Spider, Egg and Microcosm: Three Men and Three Worlds of Science''

|Published by [[Eugene Kinkead]]; The three men were [[Petrunkevitch]], [[Romanoff]] and Vishniac

|{{mn|Roman|8}}

|-

|'''1957'''

|''Mushrooms (Nature Program)''

|Prepared with the cooperation of the National Audubon Society; Published by [[N. Doubleday]]; Library of Congress Control #: 57003046 and 66006050

|[http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007EE29E/qid=1133713725/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/103-0233606-3648629?n=507846&s=books&v=glance]

|-

|'''1959'''

|''Living earth''

|Drawings by [[Louise Katz]]; Subject: [[Soil biology]]; Library of Congress Control #:79000366

|[http://catalog.loc.gov/]

|-

|'''1969'''

|''A Day of Pleasure : Stories of a Boy Growing Up in Warsaw''

|Written by [[Isaac Bashevis Singer]]

|[http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/wcpa/servlet/DetailDisplay?query=no%3A59403&sessionid=0DE8CB574539908639598BB8D0876BD9.one&recno=1&tab=holdings]

|-

|'''1971'''

|''Building Blocks of Life: Proteins, Vitamins, and Hormones Seen Through the Microscope''

|Published by [[Charles Scribner's Sons]]

|{{mn|Roman|8}}

|-

|'''1972'''

|''The Concerned Photographer 2''

|[[Grossman Publishers]]; Edited by [[Cornell Capa]], text by [[Michael Edelson]]; In cooperation with [[International Center of Photography|ICP]]

|{{mn|Roman|8}}

|-

|'''1974'''

|''Roman Vishniac''

|of the [[International Center of Photography|ICP Library of Photographers]]

|{{mn|Roman|8}}

|-

|'''1983'''

|''A Vanished World''

|Foreword by [[Elie Wiesel]];

|{{mn|Vanish|17}}

|-

|'''1985'''

|''Roman Vishniac''

|by [[Darilyn Rowan]], published at [[Arizona State University]] School of Art.

|[http://www.cahanbooks.com/cgi-bin/cahan/25209.html]

|-

|'''1993'''

|''To Give them Light: The Legacy of Roman Vishniac''

|Biographical note by Mara Vishniac Kohn

|{{mn|BioNote|7}}

|-

|'''1999'''

|''Children of a Vanished World''

|Edited by Mara Vishniac Kohn and Hartman Flacks

|{{mn|Children|9}}

|}

:''For a complete list of publications by and about Roman Vishniac, see the back of ''Roman Vishniac'' published by [[International Center of Photography|ICP]]{{mn|Roman|8}}'', and the Library of Congress archive.

== References ==

{{mnb|Columbia|1}} The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia (2003). [http://reference.allrefer.com/encyclopedia/V/Vishniac.html Roman Vishniac, (Photography, Biography)]. Retrieved October 18, 2005.

{{mnb|Biogs|2}} Biogs.com [http://www.biogs.com/famous/vishniac.html Biography of Roman Vishniac]. Retrieved October 18, 2005.

{{mnb|Greene|3}} Kendra, Greene. http://www.mocp.org/collections/permanent/vishniac_roman.php

{{mnb|VanishPort|4}} Ciano, Bob. ''The Vanished World: A limited edition portfolio''. Witkin-Berley Ltd. Roslyn Heights, Ny. May 1977.

{{mnb|Mendoza|5}} Mendoza, Bernard (2003). [http://www.nmajh.org/exhibitions/mendoza/statement.htm A Photo-Documentary on Orthodox Jewish Communities living in America]. Accessed September 3, 2005.

{{mnb|Concerns|6}} Vishniac, Roman. ''The Concerns of Roman Vishhniac: Man, Nature and Science''.

{{mnb|BioNote|7}} Kohn, Mara Vishniac (1992). ''To Give them Light: The Legacy of Roman Vishniac'', Biographical Note. Simon & Schuster. New York, New York 10020. 1993. ISBN 0671638726.

{{mnb|Roman|8}} ICP Library of Photographers. ''Roman Vishniac''. Grossman Publishers, New York. 1974.

{{mnb|Children|9}} Edited by Kohn, Mara Vishniac and Flacks, Miriam Hartman. ''Roman Vishniac: Children of a Vanished World''. University of California Press. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California. 1999. ISBN 0520221877

{{mnb|AbsArts|10}} absolutearts.com [http://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/2001/02/01/28027.html Vishniac Photographs Breathe Life into Memories of Children from a Vanished World]. Retrieved October 18, 2005.

{{mnb|UCSB|11}} UCSB Arts & Lectures (2000). [http://www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu/archive/1999-2000/pr/vishniac.htm Work of photographer Roman Vishniac remembered in special illustrated program at UCSB]. Retrieved October 18, 2005.

{{mnb|Photographer|12}} Vishniac, Mara. [http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=1&url=http%3A//www.hias.org/Who_We_Are/120stories/59vishniac.pdf&ei=co5uQ7_SEp30acPHoJkK&sig2=zMIKVoNQGSA5z_uF1Evi0w A photographer of a vanished world and his family]. Accessed November 6, 2005.

{{mnb|Jewish|13}} Jewish Museum Berlin (2005). [http://www.juedisches-museum-berlin.de/site/EN/01-Exhibitions/02-Special-Exhibitions/Vishniac/vishniac.php Special Exhibition: Roman Vishniac's Berlin]. Accessed November 25, 2005.

{{mnb|MoCP|14}} Greene, Kendra (2005). [http://www.mocp.org/collections/permanent/vishniac_roman.php Roman Vishniac]. Accessed November 25, 2005.

{{mnb|UFJ|15}} Union for Reform Judaism (2004). [http://www.reformjudaismmag.net/04summer/jewisheyes.shtml Roman Vishniac--The Supreme Witness]. Accessed November 25, 2005

{{mnb|Polish|16}} Roman Vishniac. ''Polish Jews: A Pictoral Record''. Schoken Books Inc. New York. 1976.

{{mnb|Vanish|17}} Roman Vishniac. ''A Vanished World''. Penguin Books Ltd. London. 1983. ISBN 0713916354

{{mnb|Kodak|18}} Vogt, Richard. [http://zebra.biol.sc.edu/vishniac/rv.html Dr. Vishniac and the Beauty of the Real]. Accessed December 9, 2005. ''According to the site, the text originally "appeared in Kodak International Review - No. 9".''

{{mnb|Stories|19}} Darwin, Kim. [http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/8818/interview.html The Stories behind ''Children of a Vanished World'']. Accessed December 9, 2005.

{{mnb|Mitgang|20}} Mitgang, Herbert (Oct. 2, 1983). "Testament to a Lost People". [[New York Times Magazine]]. pg 47.

== See also ==

* [[Wolf V. Vishniac]] -- son of Roman's, eminent [[microbiologist]], died in 1973 during an [[Antarctica|Antarctic]] expedition.

{{wikiquote}}

== External links ==

* [http://www.vishniac.com/ephraim/vishniac.html Every Vishniac] -- webpage of Ephraim Vishniac, Roman's grandson, detailing the family tree of the Vishniacs.

[[Category:1897 births|Vishniac, Roman]]

[[Category:1990 deaths|Vishniac, Roman]]

[[Category:Russian-Americans|Vishniac, Roman]]

[[Category:Russian photographers|Vishniac, Roman]]