Canyon de Chelly, Arizona - 1983 | Spencer Museum of Art

Lee Friedlander

born 1934

Richard Benson

born 1943

Canyon de Chelly, Arizona - 1983, 1989

Portfolio/Series title: Like a One-Eyed Cat

Where object was made: Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona, United States

Material/technique: photogravure

Credit line: Museum purchase: Peter T. Bohan Art Acquisition Fund

Accession number: 1991.0057.10

Not on display

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Label texts

Archive Label 2003:
Although Friedlander identifies the location of the photograph, the image does not contain any elements that are immediately recognizable as Canyon de Chelly. Instead, Friedlander inverts the traditional vernacular snapshot composition: his body is silhouetted by the ground rather than the sky. His shadow, which includes his camera equipment, activates the ground and brings it into sharper focus. This photograph is a portrait of the photographer as seen through the land.