Early 20th Century Photography

Ansel Adams (1902-1984)

       The early 20th century marked the dawning of a new era in artistic expression. Initially, the general consensus in the art community was that of rejection towards photography being considered an acceptable form of art. The idea of a camera being used to capture a moment in real time was deemed inadequate of properly conveying the true feelings and emotions of an artist. A sole image of a subject was simply not enough to encapsulate the vision of a traditional work of art, or so they thought. As time progressed, photography became more widely accepted in the artistic community as it developed into a medium used to symbolically communicate with the masses through the lens. There were no longer any claims of it not being able to fully capture the expression of the photographer’s vision behind his/her work. It also championed the pursuit of bringing awareness to certain political, ideological, economic, or societal issues. One artist utilized this medium to preserve the conservation of the American wilderness. His name was Ansel Adams. He was “an important activist in the work of several conservation groups and personally lobbied congressman, cabinet officers, and presidents on behalf of wilderness values.” Adam’s inspirational legacy of art merits his pertitnent significance as an avid environmentalist. To Adams the wilderness was always “a mystique: a valid, intangible, non-materialistic experience.” His extensive collective body of work fervently emphasized the importance of preserving the last remaining American wilderness lands. The photograph shown above is called Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico taken on November 1, 1941. It was taken in the late afternoon right after sundown, as a twilight glow danced upon the distant peaks and clouds. The average light values of the foreground and the values of the moon and distant peaks further accentuated the pitch black backdrop of the darkening evening sky. A style later trademarked by Adams use of black-and-white to capture his landscape scenes.