ANSEL ADAMS (1902–1984)

Adams happened upon this grove of aspens while on a color photography assignment for Kodak a year prior. ‘We were in the shadow of the mountains… the light was cool and quiet and no wind was stirring. The aspen trunks were slightly greenish and the leaves were a vibrant yellow… I made the horizontal image first, then moved to the left and made the vertical image at about the same distance… The majority of viewers of the horizontal image think it was a sunlit scene’ (Ansel Adams: 400 Photographs, p. 427).

While the hauntingly luminous tree trunks do indeed radiate against the darkened forest, the source of their illumination is unclear, as is the time of day. This is because the light quality was dictated by Adams in the darkroom, who masterfully enhanced the scene’s highlights and shadows to create a timeless, still scene. The haunting results of his skillful, careful manipulation are dramatic and mesmerizing–a testament to the artist’s instinctive visual sense and unrivaled printing skill. This is one of Adams’ more modern and abstract compositions, with light and form being the dominant focus.