Wonder Valley
2008
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image/sheet: 18.8 × 24.1 cm (7 3/8 × 9 1/2 in.) mount: 40.6 × 50.6 cm (16 × 19 15/16 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of John Divola
Accession Number
2015.128.7
Art Historical Context
Mark Ruwedel's *Wonder Valley* (2008) is a poignant gelatin silver print that captures the stark beauty of abandoned desert landscapes in California's Wonder Valley, near Joshua Tree. This 7 3/8 × 9 1/2-inch image, mounted on a larger 16 × 19 15/16-inch sheet, exemplifies Ruwedel's signature style of documentary photography. He meticulously records traces of human intervention in the American West—ruined homestead cabins from the 1930s homesteading boom, left to decay amid vast sands. These relics speak to dreams of self-sufficiency thwarted by harsh realities, evoking a sense of quiet melanch...
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...