Surf, North Coast
1937
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image/sheet: 19.4 × 24.3 cm (7 5/8 × 9 9/16 in.) mount: 35.6 × 39.4 cm (14 × 15 1/2 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Stephen G. Stein
Accession Number
2020.29.80
Art Historical Context
Edward Weston's *Surf, North Coast*1937) captures the raw power of the Pacific Ocean along California's rugged northern shoreline in a stunning gelatin silver print. This medium, popular in the early 20th century, allowed for exceptional clarity, rich tonal gradations, and intricate detail—hallmarks of Weston's precisionist approach. Printed to an intimate 19.4 × 24.3 cm image size on a larger mount, it invites close contemplation of nature's drama. A leading figure in modernist photography and co-founder of Group f/64, Weston championed "straight photography," rejecting pictorialist softness...