Tenaya Creek, Dogwood, Rain, Yosemite Valley, California

Accession Number
1985/2.96

Title
Tenaya Creek, Dogwood, Rain, Yosemite Valley, California

Artist(s)
Ansel Adams

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1948; printed 1980

Medium & Support
gelatin silver print on paper

Dimensions
15 5/16 in x 19 9/16 in (38.89 cm x 49.69 cm);22 3/16 in x 28 1/8 in (56.36 cm x 71.44 cm);26 1/4 in x 32 1/4 in (66.68 cm x 81.92 cm)

Credit Line
Gift in Honor of Mr. and Mrs. Harry H. Lunn, Sr.

Subject matter
This photograph depicts a view of a creek bed with a rocky shore running through a thickly forested scene. In the top left of the composition, the features of a steep cliffside are evident through a break in the trees. Photographed with remarkably sharp focus, the diversity of natural textures in the photograph shine forth with rich clarity. The wall of foliage flanking the creek can be discerned as myriad patterns of overlapping leaves, twigs, branches and bark. This focus, paired with the light rainfall lends the scene an almost-crystalline intricacy. Dappled in wispy clusters, the white blossoms of young dogwood trees glisten throughout the image. The slightly long exposure of the photograph is evident through the blur of the creek’s flow, which offers a smooth, ambient contrast to the crisp clarity of the forest above. Shimmering with vitality, the scene offers a mediation on the stillness of the trees and the perpetual movement of the creek, and exudes a sense of atmospheric tranquility.

Physical Description
This photograph depicts a creek as it flows through a thickly forested scene. Trees with small white flowers bloom on either side of the creek. 

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
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Keywords
California
Yosemite Valley
brooks
creeks (bodies of water)
dogwood (wood)
flowers (plant components)
forests (plant communities)
modern and contemporary art
mountains
natural landscapes
nature photography
rain
streams
trees

& Author Notes

Web Use Permitted