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How the west was won

Imagine mountains so distinct, caverns so resonant, deserts so desolate that they seem separated from Rugby Road only by a thin windowpane. That artistry, the ability to witness thousands of miles of landscape in a single glance, is what defines the work displayed in the Fralin Museum’s breathtaking exhibit, “Looking at the New West”.

Since early June, the museum has showcased the works of six contemporary photographers whose creativity transforms the wild west of John Wayne movies into domesticated pieces fit to hang on the walls of your living room. Each photographer utilizes a signature medium or focus, telling a different story about the awe-inspiring landscape of America.

Intimate views of natural formations are Lois Conner’s primary subjects. The photos in her collection encapsulate defining features of four Navajo reservations. “Bluff, Utah, Navajo Reservation” is an exotic demonstration of a familiar photographic strategy. This work is comprised of four photos stitched together with nearly imperceptible seams. Though the subject of the photo is simple — a broad rock face blemished only by an ancient marking (the likeness of an inverted comb, presumably a Navajo symbol) — the mastery behind its construction is impressive.

Joni Sternbach introduces a glimpse of civilization in her photographs of the terrain surrounding the Great Salt Lake. Her photos “Tracks, Looking the Other Direction” and “Lucien Lost Train” capture the role of railroads in the salt mining process. Both prints are developed on steel — a creative process the photographer uses to convey the “fascinating and melancholy intersection” of artificial and natural circumstances. Her other works, such as “Observation Rock” (an aluminum print), explore the powerful contrast between man and the natural world, as a man dwarfed by a hulking rock formation next to him offers a chance for introspection — promising some sort of moral hidden within the 8’’x9’’ frame.

Michael Lundgren’s work proved somewhat more perplexing. His panoramic views, “Basin” and “Untitled (Water),” are ironically named as neither photo contains water. The first silver gelatin print is a panoramic view of a wide river basin, completely bare save for thousands of withered tufts of grass. The second conveyed an even more barren scene: cracked, dry earth as part of a shockingly white landscape.

While most of the artists chose scenes capturing inherent aspects of the western geography, Mike Osborne transported viewers to another world entirely with an impressive illusion. His “Vertellus” series involves black backgrounds behind moon-like edifices. What at first appear to be photographs taken from an astronomy textbook are in fact American valleys and peaks.

Mark Ruwedel’s prints return casual observers back to earth. These photos taken between 1997 and 2005 are all part of his series, “Westward the Course of Empire.” Playing with parallels and lines of symmetry, his photos of undeveloped roads and natural ridges create almost mirror images as if one could fold the photo neatly in half.

Finally, the work of Robert Adams is far removed from the uncultivated subjects of his counterparts. His images of street corners and hardware stores (“Unnamed” and “Alkali Lake, Albany Country, Wyoming”) play no obvious role in the exhibit. They contrasted tremendously with his photos of Colorado mountaintops, but this was perhaps intentional. Like Sternbach, Adams encourages his viewers to question their role as humans in a naturally wild world.

So next time you’re adventuring into the wilds of Rugby Rd., consider stopping for the Fralin’s latest cultural experience.

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