Swide Magazine by Dolce&Gabbana

Black and white landscapes that reminds us of an untouched Nature: the solemnity of Adams’ photography is on show in Modena.

Solitude, pure perfection, sobriety: those are the first three things that come to my mind every time I look at Ansel Adams's photography.

There is no mystic element in his images: nature is always, definitely, the protagonist, but never acquires a Sublime meaning. There is no Turner or Friedrich soul in the pictures, the only religion of Adams is technique.

 Ansel Adams, Canyon De Chelly National Monument, Arizona, 1947 ca. (printed 1952 ca.) © 2011 The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust, courtesy of the Andrew Smith Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

Born in San Francisco (1902-1984) when his mother was nearly 40, an only child, Adams grew up with a sense of shyness and introspection combined with a curious and creative mind. So much so that - like many other geniuses - he was not successful in the various schools he was sent by his parents and ended up being tutored by his father at home. At twelve he taught himself to play piano and read music and - by taking lessons - he quickly became an excellent pianist. 

 Ansel Adams, Snow In Orchard, Yosemite Valley, 1948 ca. (printed 1960 ca.) © 2011 The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust, courtesy of the Andrew Smith Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

He nurtured his solitude by walking alone in the middle of nature, which comforted him. At the age of 14 he visited Yosemite National Park and started to take pictures with his first camera, a Kodak Brownie that his father (who always supported his creativity) gave him. From then on, it's fair to say that the Yosemite Park and Nature in general became an obsession for him, a constant research for the perfect photograph. In 1930 he met Paul Strand, who had a powerful impact on Adams's art and helped him to move away from the pictorial style he was following earlier on. In 1932 he founded the movement f/64 with other pure photography artists like Imogen Cunningham and Edward Weston, promoting a new language in photography that praised purity (with no manipulation in the dark room) and essentiality.

Ansel Adams, Fallen Tree, Kern River Canyon, Sequoia National Park, California, silver gelatin print, © 2011 The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust, courtesy of the Andrew Smith Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

At the age of 24, between the musical and the photographic career, he picked the second one and he handled it as he did with music: not only he became an incredible photographer, but he followed scrupulously the printing process to make sure his message comes across to the viewer in the right way: Nature is the incarnation of perfection. 

Ansel Adams, Maroon Bells, Near Aspen, Colorado, 1951 (printed 1974) © 2011 The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust, courtesy of the Andrew Smith Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

In the same was as a musician seeks to compose unadulterated music which speaks straight to the audience, Adams looked for perfection in his photography in terms of emotion. He wanted the right light, the right frame, the right moment: his spiritual gain, then, is not finding God, but finding perfection in art, clearly echoing Stieglitz's works and poetry. Being American, his reference is United States’ Nature (among many, Yosemite Park, Merced River and Monument Valley) and these subjects, today, acquire even more meaning: Ansel Adams restores an idea of United States still virgin, still untouched, land of hopes and beauty.

Ansel Adams, Moon and Half Dome, Yosemite Valley, 1960 © 2011 The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust, courtesy of the National Museum of Modern Art

The use of black and white gives the photos austerity: Adams stressed many times how difficult it was for him to work with white, no matter how strong the contrast of black was: he needed to find hues of white in the snow or in the sky in order to give complexity to the image, to give it life.

The use of black and white is also a solemn declaration of love that reminds us we are only viewers and don't own nature: Adams was a convinced environmentalist whose aim was to preserve wilderness.

Ansel Adams, Snow Hummocks, Valley View, 1960 ca. (printed 1962 ca.) © 2011 The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust, courtesy of the Andrew Smith Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

"Ansel Adams. Nature is my Kingdom." (Ansel Adams. La Natura è il mio regno.), on show in Modena until January 29th at  Ex Ospedale Sant'Agostino (Largo Porta Sant'Agostino 228) is the first retrospective dedicated to him in Italy and one of the most important ones ever in Europe. 80 original vintage prints on display, most of them unpublished in Italy, give a chance to appreciate the beauty and the modernity of Adam's photography.

Because great art, exactly like great music, never ages.  

 Ansel Adams, Tree, Stump and Mist, Northern Cascades, Washington, 1958 (printed 1976 ca.) © 2011 The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust, courtesy of the Andrew Smith Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

Written by Elisa della Barba

Cover Credits: Ansel Adams, Mt. Williamson, Sierra Nevada, from Manzanar, California, 1944 (printed 1952 ca.) © 2011 The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust, courtesy of the Andrew Smith Gallery, Santa Fe, NM and Ansel Adams, Self Portrait, Monument Valley, Utah, 1958 © 2011 The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust, courtesy of the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto

Gallery Credits: © 2011 The Ansel Adams Publishing Rights Trust, courtesy of the Andrew Smith Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

 

 

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