Close
Exhibition Review: Mark Klett
Search
Exhibition reviews History of Photography Landscape Photography

Exhibition Review: Mark Klett

Keith Dotson
2 mins read
3.9K Views
Leave a comment
Become a Patron!

Klett’s Saguaro series steals the show

I recently had an opportunity to view a variety of works by photographer Mark Klett. Klett is a geologist turned photographer and professor of art at Arizona State University. His work is held in over 80 museum collections and he is the author of 15 books.

The exhibition I viewed was a cross-section of several bodies of work (Half Life of History, Camino del Diablo, Yosemite in Time, and others). In one, he rephotographs famous Yosemite locations based on the work of prior great photographers. In another, he digitally merges his landscape photographs into historic photographs and other documents.

But the set that stole my heart was a selection of cactus portraits from his “Saguaro: Desert Citizens” portfolio. The set (40 images in total) was photographed on large-format Polaroid film, and the prints made at 16 x 20-inches on silver gelatin paper from the pull-apart Polaroid negatives. These are straight-forward, full length portraits of saguaro cacti in the Arizona landscape. Each cactus has its own distinct shape and personality.

A quick walk past a selection of the saguaros by Mark Klett.
A cactus portrait from the project "Saguaros," 16 x 20-inch photograph by Mark Klett.
A cactus portrait from the project “Saguaros,” 16 x 20-inch photograph by Mark Klett.
A photograph from the Camino del Diablo project by Mark Klett, seen in a recent exhibition.
A photograph from the Camino del Diablo project by Mark Klett, seen in a recent exhibition.
Here, Klett revisits the location of a famous photograph, juxtaposing his color photo into the panorama with the original black and white print.
Here, Klett revisits the location of a famous photograph, juxtaposing his color photo into the panorama with the original black and white print.
LEFT: Ansel Adams, Jeffrey Pine, Sentinel Dome, Yosemite National Park, California, c. 1940 RIGHT: Mark Klett and Byron Wolfe, The trunk of the Jeffrey Pine, killed by drought, Sentinel Dome, 2002
LEFT: Ansel Adams, Jeffrey Pine, Sentinel Dome, Yosemite National Park, California, c. 1940 RIGHT: Mark Klett and Byron Wolfe, The trunk of the Jeffrey Pine, killed by drought, Sentinel Dome, 2002
Klett's 1979 photograph of Perched Rock in Arizona (right) side-by-side with the 1872 photograph by William Bell (left)
Klett’s 1979 photograph of Perched Rock in Arizona (right) side-by-side with the 1872 photograph by William Bell (left)

Thanks for reading!

Be sure to visit me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest, or on my website at keithdotson.com.

~ Keith

Notice: This article contains Amazon links. I may earn a commission if you make a purchase.

Leave a Reply

Close