Along the South St. Vrain Creek, Boulder County, Colorado 1977

Robert Adams made this photograph, along the South St. Vrain Creek in Boulder County, Colorado, using a camera and black and white film. It’s a process of light and time. Look at the way the light is distributed. It’s not dramatic or contrasty, but soft. The land seems almost to flatten out and everything is on the surface. My eye is drawn to the darker band that runs across the bottom half of the image – is it a road? There's something about this horizontal division that makes the landscape feel like a stage, like it's been constructed, arranged. The lines are gentle and subtle; Adams isn’t shouting or drawing attention to himself. There's a quietness to the scene. It reminds me of some of the photographic work of Ed Ruscha; both artists bring a certain deadpan sensibility to their work. Ultimately, I think there are more questions here than answers, and that's okay. Art can be a mirror.