The Santa Fe 1982

Richard Misrach created this photograph, "The Santa Fe," with an eye to the vast American landscape. Misrach, born in 1949, focuses on humanity’s impact on the environment, particularly in the American West. His large-scale color photographs often depict open spaces marked by human intervention. Here, the long freight train cuts across the horizon, a stark reminder of industry bisecting the land. The Santa Fe railroad itself carries layers of history, both connecting and dividing communities. It supported economic expansion but also displaced indigenous peoples and transformed natural habitats. Misrach captures the quiet tension between nature's resilience and industrial encroachment. The muted colors evoke a sense of solitude. By emphasizing the scale of both the landscape and the human-made train, Misrach asks us to consider our relationship with the environment. The photograph doesn't offer easy answers, but invites us to reflect on the complex interplay of progress, exploitation, and the enduring beauty of the land.