Joel Sternfeld, After a Flash Flood, Rancho Mirage, California, July 1979, 1979, printed 2003 Chromogenic print The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Steven Ames, Harriet Ames Charitable Trust, and Joseph Cohen Gifts, 2004 (2004.358)The composition of Sternfeld's image is interesting to me because he reveals a cross section of the earth, showing what is below ground level as well as that which is above. The scene appears peaceful upon first glance until one notices an overturned car in the dirt below. This shock or suprise is visually interrupting in a strange way while at the same time it functions to engage the viewer and build a tragic narrative.
Reality Check: Truth and Illusion in Contemporary Photography November 4, 2008–March 22, 2009: This installation of works from the permanent collection—the third in the Museum’s new gallery for contemporary photographs—surveys the ways in which artists exploit photography’s fundamental illusionism to create a sense of ambiguity about what is real and what is not. Among the works featured are photographs of staged scenarios or constructed environments that appear to be real, as well as real scenes or landscapes that appear strangely artificial. Artists include James Casebere, Gregory Crewdson, Robert Gober, David Levinthal, Vik Muniz, Stephen Shore, and Taryn Simon, among others.
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