Our discussion about early
Adirondack paintings and folk music sparked my curiosity about other forms early
Adirondack art, such as photography. I found out that Seneca Ray Stoddard
(1844-1917) was one of the first artists to capture the majesty of the Adirondack
landscape through photography. Before his career as a photographer, Stoddard
had successfully captured Adirondack scenes through his paintings, and later
through his photographs, he was able to continue capture not only the reality of the
Adirondack environment, but also document the ever-changing landscape. Stoddard's
photographs illustrated the timeless natural beauty of the Adirondacks' along
with the changes that resulted from logging and mining, and the development of
hotels and railroads. That is, as mining and logging devastated much of the
Adirondack landscape, Stoddard successfully documented the loss of the wilderness
and used his images to foster a new ethic of responsibility for the landscape. He captured the sublime beauty of the Adirondack landscapes, often combining it with a human presence. His unique vision did much to create the market for these Adirondack views,
doing much to instill an awareness of the Adirondacks that encouraged greater
appreciation of nature.
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/virtual/exhibits/SRS/Vision/index.html#
This is so cool! I love that last photograph.
ReplyDeletelove this, especially the top photo. i imagine it wasnt that fun lugging around a huge old camera though
ReplyDeleteI think reflecting on our last class our critique of desiring art in paintings and art rather than experiencing the real thing was a bit off. I see this art as capturing a moment that we will never experience again or be able to recreate on the same level with words like a picture would. Sure going to a mountain may be more rewarding than looking at a photograph but being able to see the condition of a landscape from 100 years ago is a new level of preservation and something that I could never visit without art.
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of using art to document negative impact on the environment. Instead of ignoring what we wish to disregard as we discussed in class, I think that it is an effective approach to addressing environmental changes to see in detail what has changed over time.
ReplyDeleteCool Pics!
ReplyDelete