The Yellowstone from Pompey's Pillar c. 1906

Laton Alton Huffman made this gelatin silver print, The Yellowstone from Pompey's Pillar. Look at how the horizon is cut by a flat expansive plane. It’s not a painting, I know, but it almost feels like one. There’s this kind of dreaminess to it; the eye glides across the landscape, searching for focus. Did he stand there on that pillar and squint, trying to make out shapes and forms from the light? He’s looking at the landscape, yes, but he’s also creating a mood. The tonal range is narrow, and the light is soft. I’m guessing he printed it himself in the darkroom, coaxing this feeling from the chemistry. It’s quiet, but kind of epic, too. He must have considered the composition, trying to balance the emptiness with the details below. It’s a conversation between the near and far. It kind of reminds me of Gustave Caillebotte’s landscapes. The photographic image becomes a form of embodied expression; so much is implied beyond what it represents.