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Richard Misrach. By Alexander Matsikoudis. Biographical Infomation.
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Richard Misrach By Alexander Matsikoudis
Biographical Infomation • Richard Misrach (born in Los Angeles, California in 1949) is an American photographer "firmly identified with the introduction of color to 'fine' [art] photography in the 1970s, and with the use of large-format traditional cameras.” • Mismatch is widely recognized as "one of this century’s most internationally acclaimed photographers.“ • He is perhaps best known for his depictions of the deserts of the American west, and for his series documenting the changes brought to bear on the environment by various man-made factors such as urban sprawl, tourism, industrialization, floods, fires, petrochemical manufacturing, and the testing of explosives and nuclear weapons by the military • In a 2011 interview, Misrach noted: "My career, in a way, has been about navigating these two extremes - the political and the aesthetic."
The Focus of His Work • Misrach is committed to showing the complex relationship between man and place. • Curator Anne Wilkes Tucker writes that Misrach's practice has been "driven [by] issues of aesthetics, politics, ecology, and sociology.“ • His magnum opus is considered to be Desert Cantos, a project that has spanned 40 years and counting • Describing Misrach’s philosophy, Tracey Taylor of the New York Times wrote that his “images are for the historical record, not reportage.“ • Misrach has had one-person exhibitions at the National Gallery of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Centre Pompidou, Paris, among others.
Desert Cantos San Gorgino Pass, 1981
Border Cantos, Normandy Wall Near Ocotillo, California, 2015
Petrochemical America Helicopter Returning From Deep Water Horizon Spill, Venice, Louisiana, 2010
Roadside Vegetation and Orion Refining Corporation, Good Hope, Louisiana , 1998
Holy Rosary Cemetery and Union Carbide Complex, Taft, Louisiana , 1998
Abandoned Trailer Home, Mississippi River, near Dow Chemical Plant, Plaquemine, Louisiana, 1998
Hazardous Waste Containment Site, Dow Chemical Corporation, Plaquemine, Louisiana, 1998
iPhone Studies IPS #6829 (Scrub #17), 2014
Reflecting on Misrach’s Work • Clearly, Richard Misrach is one of the most legendary photographers of the last 50 years. • The way in which he is able to capture the essence of a place, and within the photo tell the story of that setting, is remarkable. • He is not only capable of telling narratives with his series, but also of capturing astounding moments due to the perfect combination of the right angles, lighting, and weather.
