Untitled (Desert Scrub) by Richard Misrach

Untitled (Desert Scrub) Possibly 1996 - 2002

photography

# 

contemporary

# 

landscape

# 

colour-field-painting

# 

photography

Richard Misrach made this photograph 'Untitled (Desert Scrub)' and in it, you can see a dense field of dry desert vegetation, a matrix of thin, tangled lines in shades of brown and beige. I imagine Misrach out there, maybe squinting in the desert sun, finding beauty in the mundane, and creating a composition out of what many would overlook. There is a tactile, almost sculptural quality to the image. The scrub isn’t flat; it has depth and volume. I can almost feel the dryness, the brittle texture of the desert plants. The surface is thick with detail and the subtle tonal variations create depth, like the layering in a painting. It has a quiet, understated quality. The composition is a field of infinite, and subtle variations. It reminds me of Vija Celmins' drawings of the desert floor or ocean surfaces. Artists who create such works are in a conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. Embracing ambiguity and uncertainty allows for multiple interpretations and meaning over fixed or definitive readings.

Show more

Comments

No comments

Be the first to comment and join the conversation on the ultimate creative platform.