Natural Drainages Outlined by Cultivation, Dry Land Wheat Farming near Hermiston, Oregon 1991

Editor: So, this is Emmet Gowin's "Natural Drainages Outlined by Cultivation, Dry Land Wheat Farming near Hermiston, Oregon" from 1991. It's a black and white photograph that gives almost an aerial view. It feels simultaneously abstract and very real... what do you see in this piece? Curator: This photograph is intriguing because it uses a relatively neutral perspective – high above, almost detached – to reveal a powerful cultural imprint. Do you notice how the 'natural drainages,' as the title tells us, appear almost like veins or capillaries branching across the landscape? Editor: Yes, they're quite prominent! The darker lines really stand out against the cultivated fields. Curator: Exactly. They function as symbolic reminders. They are lifelines etched into the earth by the relentless human endeavor of agriculture. Think about how water, the very essence of life, is being both directed and depleted here. Editor: That makes me think about the tension between nature and human intervention... is it supposed to feel unsettling? Curator: Perhaps. The seemingly ordered patterns of cultivation sit in stark contrast with the more chaotic, organic shapes of the natural drainages. Does this visual contrast not also suggest an attempt to control or dominate the natural world? What kind of symbols are evoked by landscape art for you? Editor: I suppose it reminds us of our complex relationship with nature. We need it to survive, but our efforts to tame it also leave a mark. Thinking about it symbolically adds a whole new layer. Curator: Precisely. Landscape isn't just scenery, but a complex stage upon which we play out our cultural narratives. Looking at it this way makes me rethink how photographs carry the cultural memory. Editor: Absolutely, it makes this piece much more potent than a simple landscape photo!