Toshio Shibata vs Robert Adams
When it comes to contrasting Toshio Shibata and Robert Adams, there are inherent differences between their work. Before outlining how their photography differentiates, it is first important to understand how their individual background and photographic journey varies.
Born in Tokyo in 1949, Toshio Shibata is best-known for his Large Format 8x10 photographs that exhibit the traditional aesthetic of Japanese painting. After completing an extensive education in painting and printmaking in Japan and Belgium, he eventually progressed towards photography as a medium of expression (Barker 2013). After viewing the American West exhibit, specifically works by Edward Weston, he definitively chose photography as
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his preferred medium. He found photography the most accurate tool of expression because of the “simplicity and directness of the process compared to the difficulty of painting accurate figurative images” (Barker 2013). While many art forms require consistent practice in order to create an accurate representation of an idea, Shibata says that “With photography, if you want a picture of a particular thing, you just have to take it” (Tucker 1997). Born in New Jersey in 1937, Robert Adams is best-known for his Large Format 4x5 photographs aimed at the changing landscape of the American West (Mirakhor 2013).
Although technically he was born on the East coast, he grew up in Colorado, and moved to Southern California in 1956 to attend the University of Redlands, where he received a Ph.D. in English in 1965 (Chuang 2009). When Adams returned to Colorado to begin an anticipated career as an English Teacher, he was in shock by the changes he saw in the landscape. Due to the increase of migration into the ‘wild west’, the once familiar wilderness was becoming inundated with industrial development and sub-urban cities. Shortly after returning to Colorado, he bought a 35-mm camera, taught himself the fundamentals of photography, and began making pictures with a passion for the geography of his ‘home’ state (Lippard 2011).
Toshio Shibatas and Robert Adams work isn’t entirely different from each other’s, though. They both combine organic landscapes with manmade structures, highlight the interaction between humans and their natural environment, and have both photographed during times of economic growth, industrialization, and exponential population expansion. Aside from similar timeframes, visual qualities, and photographic techniques, the greatest differences between their photography exists behind their artistic purposes and personal
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intent. Adams is distinctly an American landscape photographer who aims to give his viewer a vivid sense of time and place (O’Hagan 2012). Contrarily, Shibata highlights this sense of place compositionally by extracting it altogether and focusing on design principles such as tonality, texture, line, form and scale. While Adams images are traditionally and loosely composed to allow contextual clues, Shibata’s style has been described as abstract imagery due to his unique compositions and narrowed perspectives (Sandeed 2009). Adams images of the vast, vulnerable, and ecologically fragile American West are perceived as warnings against capitalism, exponential commercial growth and an invasion of pristine territory. Adams exhibits a pro-environmental message throughout his imagery by placing emphasis on the human interactions within the environment by including human elements within the frame. Adams leaves the viewer not knowing an exact location within America, only that the place is distinctly American (O’Hagan 2012). On the other hand, Shibata has defended himself against the idea that he is a landscape photographer who focuses on humans environmental impact as a political issue (Workman 2007). Although many viewers have found a pro-environmental message in Shibatas work, he seeks a balanced and neutral stance on the issue. Rather, Shibata focuses his imagery on basic design elements, structural engineering, and minimal human presence in the frame. He stated that “It is not the photographic technique that defines a photographer, but rather their ability to find a new subject in a familiar location.” Most of the imagery created by Shibata is often taken in places that are accessible to anyone, therefore, his personal vision is what makes his work unique. (Barker 2013). Robert Adams and Toshio Shibata’s photographs communicate their individual perspectives similarly and effectively.
However, I find that their work is also inherently opposite due to their backgrounds, ideas, and intentions. The style in which both photographers pre-visualize their concepts arrange their compositions allows their viewer to experience their work uniquely. What they choose to capture within their frame and the style in why they do it, are in direct contrast to one
another. Rerefences: Barker, Kyle. "Toshio Shibata, Constructed Landscapes." Architecture Boston 16.3 (2013): 14. Art Source. Web. 15 Sept. 2015. Chuang, Joshua. "Robert Adams: Summer Nights, Walking." Aperture 197 (2009): 52-59. Art Source. Web. 15 Sept. 2015. Lippard, Lucy, et al. "The Altered Landscape: Photographs of a Changing Environment." (2011). Mirakhor, Leah. "Resisting The Temptation To Give Up: James Baldwin Robert Adams, And The Disavowal Of The American Way Of Life." African American Review 46.4 (2013): 653-670. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Sept. 2015. O'Hagan, Sean (16 February 2012). "Robert Adams: a photographer with a profound sense of place". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 August 2014. Sandeen, Eric. "Robert Adams And Colorado's Cultural Landscapes: Picturing Tradition And Development In The New West." Buildings & Landscapes 16.1 (2009): 97-116. Art Source. Web. 16 Sept. 2015. Tucker, Anne W. "Toshio Shibata." European Photography 18.(1997): 14-19. Art Source. Web. 16 Sept. 2015. Workman, James G. "How To Fix Our Dam Problems." Issues In Science & Technology 24.1 (2007): 31-42. Academic Search Complete. Web. 15 Sept. 2015.
...ssionism and the work they display are different. The texture, balance, and the use of color are unique to their own personality and experiences.
Born in Home, Pennsylvania in 1927, Abbey worked as a forest ranger and fire look-out for the National Forest Service after graduating from the University of New Mexico. An author of numerous essays and novels, he died in 1989 leaving behind a legacy of popular environmental literature. His credibility as a forest ranger, fire look- out, and graduate of the University of New Mexico lend credibility to his knowledge of America’s wilderness and deserts. Readers develop the sense that Abbey has invested both time and emotion in the vast deserts of America.
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