Lake Chewaucan: Lake Abert, an Archaic Campsite
1997
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image/sheet: 19 × 23.8 cm (7 1/2 × 9 3/8 in.) mount: 40.6 × 50.8 cm (16 × 20 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of J. Patrick and Patricia A. Kennedy
Accession Number
2020.163.29
Art Historical Context
In Mark Ruwedel's *Lake Chewaucan: Lake Abert, an Archaic Campsite* (1997), a serene yet evocative gelatin silver print captures traces of prehistoric human life in Oregon's high desert. The title points to an Archaic-period campsite—dating back roughly 8,000 to 1,000 years—near the ancient Lake Chewaucan, now represented by the stark, alkaline Lake Abert. Ruwedel, a master of contemporary landscape photography, specializes in documenting subtle archaeological remnants, revealing how fleeting human marks endure in vast, indifferent terrain. This 19 × 23.8 cm image, mounted to 40.6 × 50.8 cm, ...
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...