Ansel Adams in Color
By: Ansel Adams, Andrea G. Stillman, John P. Schaefer
Edited by: Andrea G. Stillman, John P. Schaefer
Published: October 21, 2009
Format: Hardcover, 168 pages
ISBN: 9780316056410
Publisher: Little, Brown, & Company
"However, were I starting all over again, I am sure I would be deeply concerned with color. The medium will create its own esthetic, its own standards of craft and application. The artist, in the end, always controls the medium", wrote legendary photographer and environmentalist Ansel Adams in an essay captured in the breathtaking and beautiful tribute to his often overlooked color photography Ansel Adams in Color. While Ansel Adams was best known for his black and white photography, his color landscape photographs are stunning examples of the master at work.
Ansel Adams (1902 - 1984) was an artist with a camera. His often ambivalent feelings toward the use of color film were based on a lack of technological quality in color film, on the viewers' perceptions of the reality of the subject, and on the vision of the artist as expressed through the medium. In the case of the technological shortcomings of the color photographic medium, they had been increasingly solved during the latter part of Adams' lifetime. Because of these advances in science, Ansel Adams was able to reconcile his preference for black and white photography, with the potential of the color medium. At the same time, however, Adams remained concerned that the color processing and printing technology would not provide an accurate portrayal of the subject matter. This book dispels those concerns, in the beauty, power, and unique vision seen in the photographs.
Ansel Adams (photo left) was a visionary artist. He recognized the importance of color photography as an art form, yet expressed concern that the colors seen in the finished product would not be accurate representations of that art. He was also concerned that a color photograph would give a false impression of reality to the viewer. In a black and white picture, the artist could express vision, without it being accepted as objective reality. That fear that vision would be subordinated to perceived reality haunted Ansel Adams, but as the book demonstrates, his art and his vision are clearly on display. Adams was a genius with a camera, and his art is undeniable, in the color plates shown in this wonderful collection.
For me, the ethereal photographs selected by the editors are breathtaking in their composition, and in their capturing of the essence of the landscape. The power of an artist, at the height of his powers, is evident on every page. Ansel Adams loved the environment and the natural beauty of nature, and conveys that sense of wonder to the viewer. His concern that someone looking for complete reality in the photographs is answered by the poetry of his camera angles, and his portrayal of his vision of nature as an esthetic experience. The photographs draw the viewer into the art, and share his vision for all to see, and to understand.
I highly recommend the important and essential guide to the color photography of Ansel Adams on display in Ansel Adams in Color to anyone seeking a better understanding of the art, vision, and philosophy of Ansel Adams. As a photographic artist, his color portraits have been tragically underrated up until now. This indispensable introduction to the color photography of Ansel Adams provides a glimpse into the mind of a master artist at work.
Read the important and and landmark book Ansel Adams in Color by Ansel Adams, and edited by Andrea G. Stillman and John P. Schaefer, and discover the majestic world envisioned by Ansel Adams. This is a book you will treasure for a lifetime, and return to over and over again, as you reexamine your own perspective on the artistic brilliance of a true artistic genius.
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