5 Items in this Learning Collection

Copyright
All Rights Reserved ()

Mt. Williamson, Sierra Nevada, from Manzanar, California

Accession Number
1981/2.161

Title
Mt. Williamson, Sierra Nevada, from Manzanar, California

Artist(s)
Ansel Adams

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1944; printed 1980-1981

Medium & Support
gelatin silver print on paper

Dimensions
22 1/4 in x 28 1/8 in (56.52 cm x 71.44 cm);26 3/16 in x 32 1/4 in (66.52 cm x 81.92 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Harry H. Lunn, Jr.

Subject matter
This photograph depicts a boulder-strewn valley and a wall of jagged mountain peaks on the far horizon. Centrally composed, two nearly symmetrical mountains form a v-shaped swath of negative space. Through this gap, the peak of Mount Williamson towers in the distance, swept with vaporous cloud banks. The flatland leading to the base of the mountains is covered with a vast expanse of tightly clustered boulders and stones. Centered in the foreground, a particularly large, rounded boulder echoes both the gap in the mountains beyond, and the shape of Mount Williamson above. Small desert plants huddle around the bases of these stones. The sharp focus of the photograph renders the scintillating desert light in opulent splendor, the sun’s rays raking across the distant haze. The juxtaposition of the boulders and the mountains emphasize the immensity of the scene, and lends a sublime majesty to the image.

Physical Description
This photograph depicts a flat, boulder-strewn valley leading up to a range of cloud-swept mountains in the distance. 

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
clouds
modern and contemporary art
mountain ranges
mountains
natural landscapes
nature photography
peaks (landforms)
rock (inorganic material)
rocky deserts
valleys (landforms)

& Author Notes

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