Siesta Lake, Yosemite National Park, California
c. 1958, printed 1981
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
overall: 49.2 x 39.9 cm (19 3/8 x 15 11/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Virginia B. Adams
Accession Number
1986.3.33
Art Historical Context
Ansel Adams captured the essence of Siesta Lake in Yosemite National Park around 1958, a subject that defined much of his career. Renowned for his black-and-white landscape photography, Adams belonged to the Group f/64 movement, which championed sharp focus and precise detail to celebrate the natural world. His images of Yosemite helped shape public appreciation for America’s wilderness areas during a time of growing environmental awareness. This gelatin silver print highlights Adams’ technical expertise in controlling light, contrast, and composition. The medium, known for its rich tonal ran...
About the Artist
Ansel Adams
Ansel Adams, born on February 20, 1902, in San Francisco, California, grew up as the only child of Charles Hitchcock Adams, a businessman and astronomy enthusiast who tutored him at home, and Olive Bray, with whom he had a distant relationship. A hyperactive child prone to illness, Adams struggled in formal schooling and was educated by private tutors and his father until graduating from eighth gr...