The 49 States Possibly 2008 - 2013

These photographs, “The 49 States” by Matthew Jensen, capture various American landscapes, each with the sun prominently featured. Light, particularly the sun, has always been a powerful symbol. Consider its appearance in religious art, where golden light often signifies divine presence or enlightenment. Yet, here, the sun is secular, mundane even, shining on highways and fields. There's an echo of the sublime, a grandeur in nature, but domesticated, made accessible by roads. The sun, as a recurring motif, reminds us of its cyclical nature—rising and setting, day after day, mirroring life's own rhythms. Perhaps this is the artist's subconscious at play, capturing a collective longing for the infinite and the eternal in the everyday, evoking a sense of nostalgia and hope.