The camera artists in Landscape in Photographs (Getty Publications, $24.95, Hardcover) approach the subject in diverse and imaginative ways, taking full advantage of changing artistic movements and technical advancements in the art of photography.
Until the 19th century, landscape was seen merely as a backdrop to a main subject, but with the rise of industrialization, natural settings became increasingly rare in urban life and, therefore, more valued and frequently represented. Plein air photographers recorded landscapes near and far, while Pictorialists, such as Edward Steichen and Imogen Cunningham, added emotional resonance to the scenery with their painterly style.
During the 20th century, the lenses of Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, and Minor White discovered lines, shades, and textures, and the landscape became a creation of rich tones and graphic compositions. Artists such as Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind went further and cropped nature into purely abstract images.
Landscape in Photographs accompanies the exhibition In Focus: Depth of Field, on view at the Getty Center from May 22 through October 27, 2012.
About the Authors
Karen Hellman is assistant curator in the Department of Photographs at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
Brett Abbott is curator of photography at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and the author of Engaged Observers: Documentary Photography Since the Sixties (Getty Publications, 2010).
Publication Information
Landscape in Photographs
Karen Hellman and Brett Abbott
J. Paul Getty Museum
112 pages, 7 ¼ x 8 5/8 inches, hardcover
81 color illustrations
ISBN 978-1-60606-103-9
$24.95 [UK £16.95]
Publication Date: June 5, 2012