Carson and Colorado
1997
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image/sheet: 19 × 24.1 cm (7 1/2 × 9 1/2 in.) mount: 40.64 × 50.8 cm (16 × 20 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Dan and Jeanne Fauci
Accession Number
2012.112.1
Art Historical Context
Mark Ruwedel's *Carson and Colorado*1997) captures the haunting remnants of the American West's rail history. This gelatin silver print likely depicts traces of the historic Carson and Colorado Railroad, narrow-gauge line that once snaked through Nevada and California's remote deserts in the late 19th century, ore and freight before falling into disuse. Ruwedel, a master of large-format black-and-white photography, is renowned for his meticulous documentation of abandoned railroads, evoking the passage of time, human ambition, and nature's quiet reclamation. Printed in the traditional gelatin...
About the Artist
Mark Ruwedel
Mark Ruwedel, born on June 11, 1954, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, initially pursued painting, earning a BFA from Kutztown State College in 1978. He transitioned to photography during this time, later obtaining an MFA from Concordia University in Montreal in 1983. Working as a custom printer in Pennsylvania from 1979 to 1980 honed his technical skills before he relocated to Canada, where he taught a...