Divided Landscape (Ansel Adams)

Ansel Adams was born in 1902. He was withdrawn from school by his parents at the age of 12 and educated by tutors and private teachers dividing time between standard academics and intensive musical education. His early dream was to be a concert pianist and he alternated between this passion and photography which began with a gift of a Brownie box camera before a trip to Yosemite when he was 14. His intense interest in photography began after seeing the negatives of the East Coast photographer, Paul Strand. From an early age he was profoundly influenced by the late 19th century English philosopher, Edward Carpenter author of “Towards Democracy” who’s poetic text from the section “To become a Creator” I have chosen to use in this sculpture portrait.

A lifelong environmentalist he joined the Sierra Club at 17 years old and eventually served as a director for 37 years.

In the early 1930’s after he finally gave up the idea of a music career (although he always said that music created the discipline, patience, and perseverance needed in photography) he along with Imogen Cunningham and Edward Weston formed the group f/64 dedicated to unaltered prints or “straight photography” His black and white prints primarily of Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada are still some of America’s best known photo images.

The bronze landscape in this sculpture is based on the photograph “Autumn Moon, the High Sierra from Glacier Point” taken 15 September 1948.