An aside, then: my grandfather (with only an eighth grade formal education, in parochial school) was, most agree, a quite accomplished artist -- in the avocation then known as black and white photography and printing -- in the earlier half of the 20th century . So much so, that some of his freelance work appeared in newspapers of record, about events of the day, in both Denver and New York. But his landscapes of the Sawatch range, many at night, under moonlight -- are small painterly wonders to behold. [His second son, and my sister (and some of my brothers) also have this same gift of chemistry and composition. I on the other hand can lay no such claim.]
So it is that I hold a very fond place in my heart for the image at right (taken in the same years my grandfather was doing much the same), along those same majestic Rockies, but further south, and by a man whose name would become synonymous with the natural beauty of the American West, in the mid-century. All rendered in muscular half-tone grays. It was 76 years ago tonight that he shot perhaps his most iconic -- and certainly his most financially rewarding -- image (per Wikipedia):
. . . .On a trip in New Mexico in 1941, Adams shot a scene of the Moon rising above a modest village with snow-covered mountains in the background, under a dominating black sky. The photograph became one of the most famous black and white prints in history, and is named "Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico."
Adams's description in his later books of how it was made probably enhanced the photograph's fame: the light on the crosses in the foreground was rapidly fading, and he could not find his exposure meter; however, he remembered the luminance of the Moon and used it to calculate the proper exposure. . . .
The initial publication of Moonrise was in U.S. Camera 1943 annual, after being selected by the "photo judge" for U.S. Camera, Edward Steichen. This gave Moonrise an audience before its first formal exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in 1944. Over nearly 40 years, Adams re-interpreted the image, his most popular by far, using the latest darkroom equipment at his disposal, making over 1,300 unique prints, most in 16″ by 20″ format. Many of the prints were made in the 1970s, finally giving Adams financial independence from commercial projects. The total value of these original prints exceeds $25,000,000; the highest price paid for a single print of Moonrise reached $609,600 at Sotheby's New York auction in 2006. . . .
Now you know. Onward, on a very gray scaled November morning here in the city of big shoulders. . . but with a smile facing in a southerly and easterly direction. Court this afternoon. Grin.
नमस्ते
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