The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 13, 2026

A square-oriented black-and-white photograph depicts a dense woodland. In the foreground, a mesh of thin branches and broad, lobed leaves creates a textured screen. To the right, a leaf-strewn bank slopes down toward a still body of water on the left. Slender tree trunks extend vertically from the bank against a bright, hazy sky. In the distance, a soft-focus thicket of trees and foliage fills the background.

France

1989

Ray K. Metzker

(American, 1931–2014)
America
gelatin silver print
Image: 34.5 x 34.1 cm (13 9/16 x 13 7/16 in.); Paper: 50.7 x 40.4 cm (19 15/16 x 15 7/8 in.); Matted: 61 x 50.8 cm (24 x 20 in.)
Gift of the Artist 1991.213
© Ray K. Metzker, Courtesy Laurence Miller Gallery, New York
Location: Not on view

Description

In 1985 Metzker began to concentrate on the natural landscape, a new subject for him, commencing a dramatic break from his previous dark and primarily urban work. A distinctive feature of this light-filled close-up photograph is his deliberate positioning of the camera so that the nearest elements are rendered out of focus, blurring spatial distinctions while increasing the photograph’s overall sensation of ambiguity. Additionally, Metzker avoided the hierarchy of a typical landscape, with its clearly established center of interest. Instead, the image is bombarded by an abundance of fluid, visual elements throughout the composition, all demanding equal and simultaneous attention.
  • Cleveland Museum of Art, Tom E Hinson. Catalogue of Photography. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1996. Reproduced: P. 236
  • Contemporary Landscape Photography. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 26-August 14, 2011).
    Legacy of Light: Seven Masters in Depth. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 20-February 2, 1996).
    Signs of Affection: Gifts Honoring the Museum's 75th Anniversary. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 27, 1992-January 3, 1993).
  • {{cite web|title=France|url=false|author=Ray K. Metzker|year=1989|access-date=13 May 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1991.213