Untitled (Desert Scrub) Possibly 1996 - 2002

Richard Misrach made this large-scale photograph, of what seems to be desert scrub, sometime in his career. The tones are muted, like a minimalist painting, but it's all tangled up like late de Kooning. The texture is everything here. The image feels almost tactile, you can practically feel the dry, brittle strands under your fingertips. Look closely, and you’ll see the subtle variations in color. Light tans, browns, and creams weave together, creating depth and movement. There is a sort of optical illusion, the way the composition, like a Jackson Pollock, appears to continue beyond the frame. It’s easy to get lost in the details, like finding shapes in clouds. Misrach's photographs often capture the stark beauty of the desert landscape, like some of the New Topographics photographers. Like them, he finds drama in the mundane, elevating it to something sublime. It’s not about capturing a perfect scene, it's about finding poetry in the everyday.