Adams’ photographs are haunting, mystical images which capture beautifully the essence of the landscapes in Yosemite and New Mexico, communicating a calmness and silence in nature. Yosemite is awe-inspiring in the flesh but the monochrome images of Adams find an underlying peace in the place. He was clearly unafraid of focusing on a certain aspect of nature, such as a rose, almost to the point of abstraction.
Adams was also willing to travel to the other end of the spectrum and take photographs which surveyed the vast and impressive landscape of California. There are other images in the collection of the people and churches of New Mexico. Whilst these were sensitive portrayals of life in New Mexico, I found them to be less successful (and certainly more mundane) than the visions of the Grand Canyon.
Something to bear in mind when you see this exhibition is that these photographs were taken from the late 1920s to the early ’60s. Adams was ahead of his time and made great advances in the technology of photography, much of which is standard practice today. Many images in this exhibition could easily appear to be standard dining room posters or the stuff of coffee table picture books. However, one image in particular could never be accused of such a position; Moonrise is an exquisite vision of Hernandez, New Mexico. A cemetery stands in the foreground, the mountains stretch out behind with smooth, flowing clouds above them. Beyond their peaks is the moon, appearing in a dark sky as if it is a completely different world. If I was ever going to believe in a parallel universe I would use this as evidence.
I recommend this exhibition to you wholeheartedly.
