Lucerne Valley
2005
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image/sheet: 18.7 × 23.8 cm (7 3/8 × 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
2020.163.74
Art Historical Context
Mark Ruwedel's *Lucerne Valley*2005) invites visitors into the stark beauty of the American desert through a meticulous gelatin silver print, a traditional darkroom medium prized for its rich tonal gradations and luminous blacks. Measuring 18.7 × 23.8 cm on a larger 40.6 × 50.8 cm mount, this yet expansive photograph captures the essence of Lucerne Valley in California's Mojave Desert—a rugged expanse shaped by natural forces and subtle human traces. Now part of the National Gallery of Art's collection (gift of J. Patrick and Patricia A. Kennedy, CPH Department), it exemplifies Ruwedel's maste...
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...