The Sea Beach 2015

Robert Adams made "The Sea Beach" as an image in tones of grey; it's a photograph, so its marks are of light rather than pigment, traces of what was. I can imagine Adams out there, camera in hand, patiently waiting for the right moment to capture this serene vista. What was he thinking as he framed this shot? Was he drawn to the subtle gradations of light, or the way the waves gently caress the shore? There's something so calming about its horizontal composition, and in the way the light shimmers on the wet sand. It almost feels like a Rothko painting, with its bands of muted color and quiet simplicity. It reminds me of the work of other photographers who explore the beauty of the everyday landscape, like Stephen Shore, or even the stark, minimalist paintings of Agnes Martin. Artists are constantly in conversation, borrowing and riffing off each other's ideas, creating something new and exciting.