Yangshuo, Guangxi, China

1985

Lois Conner

(American, b. 1951)

Culture

America

Medium

platinum palladium print

Measurements

Image: 15.6 x 42 cm (6 1/8 x 16 9/16 in.); Paper: 19.8 x 46.8 cm (7 13/16 x 18 7/16 in.); Matted: 35.6 x 66 cm (14 x 26 in.)

Credit Line

John L. Severance Fund 1999.32

This artwork is known to be under copyright.

Location

Not on view

Description

The exceptional beauty of the Chinese landscape that inspired generations of ink-and-brush painters has also influenced the work of New York-based photographer Lois Conner. This lovely view was made on her initial trip to China (October 1984–April 1985), when she traveled around the country by bicycle laden with some 40 pounds of gear. Conner used an antique view camera with special cut film to create an approximate 7-x-17-inch negative. It produced a strong horizontal composition emphasizing the site’s geological formation, natural vegetation, and distinctive qualities of light and atmosphere. On closer inspection, the transformation of this ancient landscape by industrialization becomes apparent with the presence of buildings, roads, and telephone wires. The hand-coated platinum/palladium paper provides a wide range of warmer tones and is ideal for rendering the special atmospheric qualities of Conner’s chosen subject matter.