Clouds and Landscape, Hawaii

In contrast to his tightly cropped formal studies, many of Weston’s landscapes instead present sweeping vistas. Despite this difference in scale and viewpoint, the bold contrasts and deep shadows of the landscapes provide continuity with Weston’s more abstracted compositions.

The variety of landscapes photographed by Weston reflects the breadth of his travels. In 1947, Weston received funding from the Eastman Kodak Company to photograph along the East and West coasts, providing him an opportunity to capture climates ranging from forest to desert. Without access to a darkroom on the road, Weston sealed off the windows of his car to process film in the back seat. Subsequent travels took him to Japan, Alaska, and various locations across Europe and Latin America. Weston spent his last years in Hawaii, where he was inspired by yet another type of landscape.

Weston spent the latter part of his life in Hawaii, where his photographs focused on the natural landscape of the islands. While many of Weston’s landscapes remain consistent with the conventions of the genre and possess a clear foreground, middle ground, and background (such as Mono Lake, California, on view nearby), Clouds and Landscape diverges from this standard composition. More akin to his formal studies, Weston focuses on the shape of the mountain and deep contrasts of light and shadow.