Shore Acres State Park, Oregon
1959
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image: 9.4 × 11.8 cm (3 11/16 × 4 5/8 in.) mount: 25.4 × 18.9 cm (10 × 7 7/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Corcoran Collection (Gift of Sharon Keim)
Accession Number
2015.19.5078.4
Art Historical Context
In 1959, renowned American photographer Minor White captured the rugged beauty of Shore Acres State along Oregon's dramatic coastline in this intimate gelatin silver print. White, a pivotal figure in mid-20th-century photography, often transformed natural landscapes into meditative equivalents—images that evoke inner emotional states rather than mere documentation. The park's crashing waves, sheer cliffs, and misty horizons likely drew him to explore themes of nature's sublime power and transience, hallmarks of his style influenced by straight photography pioneers like Ansel Adams. Printed in...
About the Artist
Minor White
Minor White (1908–1976) was an American photographer, editor, and educator who became one of the most influential figures in postwar American art photography. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he studied botany and English at the University of Minnesota before turning to photography in the late 1930s, working for the WPA and the Portland Art Museum. After serving in World War II, White studied at C...