Ansel Adams’ Elegance

Almost as an apology, Ansel Adams told viewers of his stunning photographs that he printed them in a manner that may have distorted reality. Adams did so to recall for himself the personal experience and emotion that he felt at the time he shot the pictures. He hoped that at least a few of those who saw his photos could experience some of the same emotion.

The response to Adams’ photos indicates that he was far too humble about the possible effect that they would have on the viewer. Especially for those who know Yosemite Valley and the Sierra Nevada, Adams’ photos are not distortions at all. They present those dazzling settings in wonderful clarity and immediacy. Even photos that Adams took 40 years ago make the scenes look just as they did during last summer’s backpacking trip.

Adams’ museum set collection of 75 prints, hand-picked by him before his death in 1984, is on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art through May 22. The exhibit, sponsored by Pacific Telesis Foundation, was shown earlier at the National Gallery in Washington and in San Diego and San Francisco. A bonus for the Los Angeles showing is a collection of about 20 desert prints that rarely are seen.

The Sierra traveler in particular can appreciate the effort that went into Adams’ work in the high country, where the sky is deep and dark, the snow is blindingly bright and the waters sparkle in the intense sunlight. Climbing the peaks in the rare air is an effort, so imagine what it was for Adams, lugging a 30-pound camera and assorted gadgets. He was enchanted by this stark landscape, and that enchantment lives on today at the county museum--as well as in the park and wilderness lands that Adams worked to preserve.

In 1932 Adams wrote in the Sierra Club Bulletin: “No matter how sophisticated you may be, a large granite mountain cannot be denied. It speaks in silence to the very core of your being.” And so do Adams’ photographs.