Untitled #696-05

Photography and Media

2005

Richard Misrach
American, born 1949

Known for lush color photographs detailing man’s often disastrous impact on the American desert, Richard Misrach turned to the subject of water in the early 2000s. His images of beaches and ocean, taken from above with no horizon line, offer a strangely disorienting perspective. Depicting small, isolated figures in an immense scene, his photographs remind us of humanity’s diminutive position in the face of seemingly infinite nature. The title On the Beach refers to a Cold War novel about nuclear holocaust by Nevil Shute. Although sunny and colorful, this photograph evokes a postapocalyptic world: the clinging couple could be the last humans on the planet.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Photography and Media

Artist: Richard Misrach
Title: Untitled #696-05
Place: United States (Artist's nationality)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Made 2005
Medium: Chromogenic print
Dimensions: Image: 180.3 × 246.4 cm (71 × 97 1/16 in.); frame: 191.8 × 257.9 × 7.7 cm (75 9/16 × 101 9/16 × 3 1/16 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of the artist
Reference Number: 2009.774

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