California, North Coast
1950s
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image/sheet: 34.5 × 27.2 cm (13 9/16 × 10 11/16 in.) mount: 45.7 × 38.1 cm (18 × 15 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift from the Christian Keesee Collection
Accession Number
2023.156.12
Art Historical Context
Brett Weston's *California, North Coast*1950s) captures the raw power of the Pacific shoreline in a stunning gelatin silver print, a celebrated for its rich tonal range and sharp detail. As the son of pioneering photographer Edward Weston, Brett carried forward the straight photography tradition of the modernist era, emphasizing pure form, texture, and light manipulation. Printed in the 1950s, this reflects post-World War America's fascination with the sublime American landscape, where West lens transformed rugged cliffs and crashing waves into abstract compositions of dramatic contrast and el...