The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Cleveland, Ohio

1970, printed 2020

James Blair

(American, 1931–2021)
inkjet print from original Kodachrome negative
Image: 30.3 x 45.7 cm (11 15/16 x 18 in.); Paper: 43.2 x 55.7 cm (17 x 21 15/16 in.)
Gift of Emmie Stonehill Donadio 2020.341
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

This view was taken on Earth Day 1970 as part of a story on pollution for National Geographic.

Description

James Blair’s view of a steel mill and sun obscured by a beautiful but unhealthy haze of mist, smog, and smoke hearkens back to 1920s views of similar—perhaps even the same—mill by Margaret Bourke-White. In those days, the working mill evoked industrial might, jobs, and wealth. Blair’s high contrast and use of deep black create an ominous, eerie beauty that suggests a far more sinister attitude.
  • 2020
    James Blair (the artist) [1931-]
    2020
    Emmie Stonehill Donadio, Middlebury, VT
    December 7, 2020
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Cleveland, Ohio|url=false|author=James Blair|year=1970, printed 2020|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2020.341