ansel adams

1087 Words3 Pages

Ansel Adams photographer and artist
Until the 19th century most artwork was created in a two or three-dimensional media. In England, William Fox discovered a technique that allowed camera images to be captured on paper. This medium has evolved since Fox’s discovery in 1839 to a serious and viable form of art today. Photography allows the artist to capture what he sees. The image produced is reality to the artists eye, it can only be manipulated with light and angles.
The photograph is a very powerful medium. The French painter Paul Delaroche exclaimed upon seeing an early photograph “from now on, painting is dead!” (Sayre, 2000). Many critics did not take photography seriously as a legitimate art form until the 20th century. With the advances in technology, the equipment and techniques had evolved to the point that the artist could capture, on paper, the beauty or horrors of their environment. Photography allowed the artist to explore the fourth dimension – time (Sayre, 2000). Ansel Adams as an environmental activist brought a greater public awareness to the art of photography.
Ansel Adams grew up in San Francisco where he was born in 1902 and remained an only child. He was interested in the traditional arts of music and painting. Adams also was fascinated with science and even collected insects. (Adams & Alinder, 1985). During a family vacation to the Yosemite Valley when he was fourteen, Adams discovered the beauty of nature and photography. His father gave him a No. 1 Brownie Box camera (Jacobs, 1999) and a photographer was born.
Adams struggled with formal education. He despised the regimentation of the education system and was removed from school by his father when he was fifteen. His father purchased a pass to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition being held in San Francisco and required that Adams spend part of each day there as a substitute for school (Adams & Alinder, 1985). Adams also continued his studies of music and literature at home.
Adams was determined to be a concert pianist. In 1930, after viewing negatives made by East Coast photographer Paul Strand, Adams chose a career in photography (Adams & Alinder, 1985). Adams decision to be a full time photographer changed the photographic visions of the west. He spent his time in National parks photographing the immense beauty of nature in these national treasures.
Adams forme...

... middle of paper ...

... and education on environmental issues has made him a lasting figure in our hearts and minds.

References
Adams, A. & Alinder, M.S. (1985). Ansel Adams: An Autobiography. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
Capa, C. (1986). The Encyclopedia of Photography. Retrieved January 23, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://www.zpub.com/sf/history/adams.html Gray, A. (1994). Ansel Adams: The National Park Service Photographs. New York: Abbeville Press.
Jacobs, M. (1999). Educator’s Guide: Intimate Nature, Photographs from the Ansel Adams Archive. Retrieved January 23, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://dizzy.library.arizona.edu/branches/ccp/aaguide/aabio.htm Kennerly, D.H. (1999). Ansel Adams: An American Icon. Retrieved January 23, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://enn.com/features/1999/11/110299/ansel_5302.asp Sayre, H. M. (2000). A World of Art. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall.
Schaefer, J. P. (1992). An Ansel Adams Guide: Basic Techniques of Photography. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

More about ansel adams

Open Document