© Center for Creative Photography, Arizona Board of Regents
Currently not on view
Dunes, Oceano,
1936
Edward Weston, 1886–1958; born Highland Park, IL; died Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
x1971-432
A leader of photographic modernism in America between the wars, Weston isolated both man-made and natural subjects, exposing their fundamental geometries and highlighting their formal similarities and spiritual affinities. By nearly cropping out the horizon and rendering all detail, regardless of distance, with maximum sharpness, Weston flattens the space and removes a sense of scale, abstracting the barren sand dunes of Oceano, California, into stacks of sensuous shapes and sinuous lines. These images suggest the endless extension of the dunes’ voluptuous forms beyond the edges of the photograph. As such, the photographs appear as much mental as natural landscapes and generate a boundless wealth of associations.
More About This Object
Information
Title
Dunes, Oceano
Dates
1936
Maker
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
19.2 × 24.1 cm (7 9/16 × 9 1/2 in.)
mount: 35.9 x 39.5 cm. (14 1/8 x 15 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of David H. McAlpin, Class of 1920
Object Number
x1971-432
Place Depicted
North America, United States, California, Oceano
Inscription
Initialed and dated in graphite on mount, below image lower right: EW 1936
Signed on mount: E W 1936
Titled, signed, and dated, verso: Edward Weston 1936 / Negative code: 31 SO
Culture
Techniques
Subject
