Old road west from Cañon City, Colorado
1977
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image: 28 × 22.7 cm (11 × 8 15/16 in.) sheet: 35.3 × 27.7 cm (13 7/8 × 10 7/8 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Lou and Di Stovall
Accession Number
2018.194.11
Art Historical Context
Robert Adams's *Old Road West from Cañon City,* (1977) captures a quiet moment on the rugged Western landscape, inviting viewers to contemplate the interplay between nature and human passage. Printed as a gelatin silver print—a classic black-and-white photographic process prized for its rich tonal gradations and fine detail—this 28 × 22.7 cm image exemplifies Adams's mastery of subtle light and shadow to evoke vastness and transience. A pivotal figure in American landscape, Adams documented the transformation of the West during the late 20th century, often highlighting suburban sprawl and env...
About the Artist
Robert Adams · 1900–1900
Robert Adams, born Robert Hickman Adams on May 8, 1937, in Orange, New Jersey, grew up amid frequent relocations that shaped his deep affinity for the American landscape—from New Jersey to Madison, Wisconsin, and finally to Wheat Ridge, Colorado, in 1952.) Contracting polio at age 12, he recovered but retained a sensitivity to the environment that fueled his later work. After earning a B.A. in Eng...