Larimer County, Colorado 1977

Robert Adams took this photograph in Larimer County, Colorado. It’s monochrome, a study in greys and light and shadow that falls across this rock formation, which rises up against the backdrop of a flat landscape. I imagine Adams finding this scene, being drawn to the sheer mass and solidity of the rock. He probably spent time considering its shape, the way it dominates the horizon, and the textures of its surface. It’s such a grounded subject, this geological form that has been slowly shaped by time and the elements. I find myself wondering, what caught Adams’ eye? What did he want us to notice? I am thinking about the tiny beer bottle at the base of the rock. It makes me laugh, and it reminds me of the work of other land artists, for example Robert Smithson's 'Spiral Jetty'. Like Smithson, Adams is directing our eye and helping us to reconsider the relationship between humans and the natural world. Artists are always in conversation.