Road Italy 1973: Earth Bank, Virginia 1972 1972 - 1973

Emmet Gowin made this gelatin silver print in 1972-73, combining imagery from Virginia and Italy. Look closely at the physical substance of this picture. It is made with meticulous darkroom processes: the contrast carefully calibrated, the focus soft and yielding, and a vignette darkening the edges of the image. This romantic treatment elevates an otherwise unassuming subject: a dirt road winding around an embankment. Consider the labor embedded in the landscape itself. Roads are, of course, among the most elemental of human interventions in nature. They carve through terrain, enabling access and commerce. This one appears to be little used, however. Instead, Gowin seems to have captured a monument to thwarted aspiration, a path to nowhere. The work's quiet power emerges from the tension between the grandeur of the photographic tradition and the humbleness of the motif. It reminds us that even the simplest subjects can carry profound meaning. In the end, this image prompts us to see the world around us with greater attention and care.