God's Lighthouse
1973
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image/sheet: 21.8 × 30.9 cm (8 9/16 × 12 3/16 in.) mount: 43.2 × 35.5 cm (17 × 14 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Alfred H. Moses and Fern M. Schad Fund
Accession Number
2022.21.5
Art Historical Context
Adger Cowans's *God's Lighthouse* (1973) is a captivating gelatin silver print, a classic black-and-white photographic process that was at the height of its refinement in the mid-20th century. This medium allowed photographers like Cowans to achieve exceptional tonal range and subtle gradations of light and shadow, capturing ethereal moments with remarkable clarity. Measuring 21.8 × 30.9 cm on a larger 43.2 × 35.5 cm mount, the work invites intimate contemplation, evoking a sense of divine illumination through its poetic title. The evocative name *God's Lighthouse* suggests a meditation on li...