Capitol Reef, Utah
1961
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image: 9.6 × 11.9 cm (3 3/4 × 4 11/16 in.) mount: 25.45 × 19.1 cm (10 × 7 1/2 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Gift of Sharon Keim)
Accession Number
2015.19.5078.23
Art Historical Context
In 1961, renowned photographer Minor White captured the beauty of Capitol Reef, Utah, in this intimate gelatin silver print. Measuring just 9.6 × 11.9 cm on its image, the work distills the national park's dramatic red rock formations and vast desert expanses into a meditative composition. White, a pivotal figure in mid-20th-century American photography, often transformed natural landscapes into symbols of inner experience, drawing from his philosophy of "equivalence"— external scenes evoke personal emotions and spiritual insights. Printed on a modest 25.45 × 19.1 cm mount, this gelatin silve...
About the Artist
Minor White
Minor White (1908–1976) was an American photographer, editor, and educator who became one of the most influential figures in postwar American art photography. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he studied botany and English at the University of Minnesota before turning to photography in the late 1930s, working for the WPA and the Portland Art Museum. After serving in World War II, White studied at C...