Untitled, from the series The Pond

John R. Gossage, Untitled, from the series The Pond, 1985, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of anonymous donors, 2007.40.31, © 1985, John Gossage
Copied John R. Gossage, Untitled, from the series The Pond, 1985, gelatin silver print, image: 8 3⁄8 x 11 in. (21.3 x 28.1 cm) sheet: 20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of anonymous donors, 2007.40.31, © 1985, John Gossage

Artwork Details

Title
Untitled, from the series The Pond
Artist
Date
1985
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
image: 8 3⁄8 x 11 in. (21.3 x 28.1 cm) sheet: 20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
Copyright
© 1985, John Gossage
Credit Line
Gift of anonymous donors
Mediums Description
gelatin silver print
Classifications
Highlights
Subjects
  • Landscape — tree
Object Number
2007.40.31
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2007.40.31

Artwork Description

John Gossage's The Pond references a site, Walden Pond, made famous by Henry David Thoreau's 1854 book, Walden. Considering the different ways landscape is represented in art, Gossage noted that in literature it is usually the setting of a story, but in photography it can be the story itself. Yet a photographic image is always just a fragment of the world it captures. Using the book format, Gossage brings together many such fragments.
For Thoreau, the pond represented spiritual depth and the rejuvenating power of nature. Gossage's photographs likewise shape a metaphor about seeing and knowing the world through images.