Altered Landscape: Six Oranges 1975

John Pfahl made this photograph, *Altered Landscape: Six Oranges*, to ask questions about how we see nature. The image suggests a tension between the natural and the artificial. Pfahl was part of a generation of American photographers in the 1970s and 80s who were very interested in how landscapes are represented, and especially how they are shaped by human activity. He’s intervening in a pre-existing image of unspoiled nature. Here the oranges are obviously out of place. Pfahl is highlighting the way that all landscape images are constructed and mediated through various cultural codes. Art historians often consult sources such as exhibition reviews, artists’ statements, and critical essays, in order to better understand the artist’s intention and the artwork’s reception. Pfahl’s image reminds us that nature is not simply “out there” but it is also something we create, something that exists in our minds.