These photos have reminded me of the works of Adams through his visionary concept of the ever changing landscape in co-relation with human interaction. "Adams’s art is devoted to the belief that all land, no matter what has been done to it, retains an enduring significance best expressed through a straightforward approach." I have chosen this set of photos because they all capture what Adams values most, the landscape and the emotional impact it creates thus describing a single picture in a thousand words. In addition, little or nothing has been done to these images mainly focusing on the simplicity of what a still frame can contribute.
Spanning left to right, the first photograph represents a mixture of urban development, if you will; it's almost like taking the basic foundation of an area and forming it into work of non-imaginary outcomes. The second photograph highlights the significance of social classes and the recognition of real life and commercial activity; I believe that there is a degree of an oxymoron being portrayed between that of the rich and the poor. The third photograph observes the change in lifestyle with the idea that beauty can be in the 'backyard' of one's home. The fourth photograph includes a person looking out into what was once the location of the Twin Towers. This photograph captures both aspects of Adam's work. Simply describing this photo as Ground Zero may be an understatement. Attached with significant importance, this photo represents the whole New York and its citizens despite the events of 9/11; the city still possesses its authentic nature through its signature 'concrete jungle'. Finally the fifth photo captures the beauty within the urban scene where most may see it as an industrial property; some may view it as architecture at its best. The theme is almost recapturing the historical presence of the city's life.
In conclusion, I feel that Adams wanted to let people figure out that simple things should not be neglected or be taken advantage of. Adams collection includes a scenic widescreen of the American West landscapes hand in hand with the shifts and changes in societal environments. The images presented above have similarities that lie in the meaningfulness of each event given the value of the landscape and through Adam’s way of approaching each of his photographs would have potentially been impacted:
“His work was included in an exhibition titled New Topographics: Photographs of Man-Altered Landscape, curated by William Jenkins for the International Museum of Photography, Rochester, New York in 1975. The exhibition ushered in the new era of landscape photography and it showcased the ideals of the new approach: landscape could not be artificially separated from cultural and social counterparts, and landscape photography had to abandon the hollow sense of style it had inherited from the previous half century. The exhibit was a milestone for a new generation of landscape photographers and it drew attention to the novel idea of a social landscape.” Works Cited
"Robert Adams The Place We Live ." A Retrospective Selection of Photographs. Yale University Art Gallery, 2010. Web. 3 Dec 2010. <http://artgallery.yale.edu/adams/>.
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