From the South Jetty, Clatsop County, Oregon B 1990

Editor: We're looking at Robert Adams' gelatin-silver print, "From the South Jetty, Clatsop County, Oregon B," created in 1990. It's overwhelmingly atmospheric; the ocean blends right into the sky with very little contrast. What do you make of its minimalism? Curator: It whispers more than it shouts, doesn't it? The limited tonal range, the silvery light... for me, it's an invitation to slow down, to meditate on the vastness and ambiguity of the horizon. Do you get a sense of quietude, or something else? Editor: Quiet, definitely, but maybe also a little melancholic? It feels like looking out into the unknown, almost daunting. Curator: Exactly! It echoes the romantic landscape tradition but with a distinctly modern unease. Think of Turner, but drained of bombast. Adams photographed extensively in the American West, often exploring the intersection of nature and human intervention. What do you think he is trying to say in his photographs of landscape, in this work? Editor: I guess I’m not sure; at first I just thought it was the ocean but maybe it's also about something larger? Curator: Possibly the relationship between the landscape and industrialisation? Look closely. The beauty and the impact. The photo leaves us with this delicate tension of hope and caution, to let it sit within the lens. Editor: I see it, thanks. I'll definitely look at Adams' work differently now. Curator: Good! Maybe next time we can talk about how landscape interacts with humans.