Accession Number
1985/1.153

Title
Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona

Artist(s)
Ansel Adams

Artist Nationality
American (North American)

Object Creation Date
1942; printed 1981

Medium & Support
gelatin silver print on paper

Dimensions
15 9/16 in x 19 1/2 in (39.53 cm x 49.53 cm);26 1/4 in x 32 1/4 in (66.68 cm x 81.92 cm);22 1/8 in x 28 1/8 in (56.2 cm x 71.44 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Harry H. Lunn, Jr.

Subject matter
This photograph depicts a view looking down into a winding desert canyon, from atop a high ridge. The rocky ledge from which the photograph was taken occupies the bottom left corner of the foreground of the composition. The photograph’s sharp focus reveals the intricacy of the stratified rock face; slowly molded by eons of erosion, the ledge appears almost to be melting and is composed of sinuous, undulating slopes and ridges striated with horizontal lines. At the bottom of the canyon, a dry riverbed curves around a steep plateau, its arid banks populated by desert shrubs. The sky above the scene is full of cumulus clouds, which cast raking shadows across the landscape. The crisp opulence of the photograph lends the image a radiant clarity, and emphasizes the immensity of the canyon vista.

Physical Description
Photographed from atop a high ridge, this photograph depicts a view looking down into a winding desert canyon.

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
canyons
cliffs
clouds
desert climate
modern and contemporary art
national monuments
natural landscapes
nature photography
ravines
river beds
rivers
rocky deserts
siliceous rock