Ansel Adams
American, 1902–1984
Still Life, San Francisco, California
INV-1136
Ansel Adams
American, 1902–1984c. 1932
Still Life, San Francisco, California
Ansel Adams American, 1902–1984 →gelatin silver (developing-out-paper) prphotographic process
Date
c. 1932
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Image/paper: 21.3 × 15.6 cm (8 7/16 × 6 3/16 in.); Mount: 45.9 × 35.6 cm (18 1/8 × 14 1/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Katharine Kuh
Known for his depictions of a pristine and majestic American west, Ansel Adams broke from the prevalent Pictorialist techniques of the time to pursue a new direction in photography. Embracing a modern depiction of the world with the full tonal range possible in photography, he co-founded Group f/64, named for the smallest aperture on a camera lens, which secured the sharpest focus. Adams, after consciously deciding to dedicate his career to photography in 1930, had already produced some of his most iconic images of nature by the time he made this still life. Not originally intended for publication, it served as an exercise in composition and application of available light sources, and as Adams noted, ultimately acted as a “pleasant reminder of an aesthetic experience.”
Also notable
Works in the same vein
Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico
Ansel Adams American, 1902–1984
Portrait of Rosette Loewenstein
Ansel Adams American, 1902–1984
Portrait of Annette Rosenshine
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Afternoon Sun, Crater Lake National Park, Oregon, No. 8 from "Portfolio Two: The National Parks and Monuments" (1950)
Ansel Adams American, 1902–1984