By Suzanne Révy
In the 1930’s, the photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson famously criticized Ansel Adams and Edward Weston for “photographing rocks while the world is going to pieces.” And yet, Adams used his “rock pictures” to advocate for conservation. The environment is buckling under the pressures of human activity, from the burning of fossil fuels to the dumping of plastics into the oceans to the insidious violence against both humanity and the land in the form of war. Looking at a pastoral landscape and making art of it may lack the urgency of a news photograph, but it is vitally important to understanding the impact of geologic time. Photographer Barbara Bosworth’s The Meadow is a deep dive into a single place that prompts viewers to consider the enduring ecosystems that surround us. Curated by Karen Haas, Lane Curator of Photographs, The Meadow is on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston through December 1st, 2024.

(Feature Image) “The Meadow” by Barbara Bosowrth, 2003, from the series The Meadow, inkjet print, Scott Offen Collection, courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, © Barbara Bosworth.
Of course, art does not have to engage directly with current events to feel relevant. Barbara Bosworth’s abiding and deep investigation of a meadow in Carlisle, Massachusetts raises questions about climate change. The work provides a revelatory and beautiful look at the cadence of the seasons through the gently rolling fields of a typically agrarian New England landscape. Her large, detailed, colorful prints are immersive and awe inspiring. She inculcates a sense of the past in this place while underscoring what we will miss should we make the earth uninhabitable.

“Midnight at the meadow (the night the bird sang)” by Barbara Bosworth, 2006, from the series The Meadow, inkjet print, Scott Offen Collection, courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, © Barbara Bosworth.

“Queen Anne’s Lace along the lane” by Barbara Bosworth, 2006, from the series The Meadow, inkjet print, Scott Offen Collection, courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, © Barbara Bosworth
Meadows are a transient phase in nature. They are often formed after farming has been abandoned or a lake has dried up, but before native trees grow back. Bosworth has taken a long view by photographing over a period of fifteen years with pictures made in varied places around the meadow, in alternating seasons and at different times of day including sunrise, sunset and the pitch dark of night. Her iterative approach, her use of languid light and long exposures featuring the moon and stars result in a visceral and lasting impression of the essence of nature. The very fullness of Bosworth’s study brings the realization that it is a mere drop in geologic time.

“Apple tree” by Barbara Bosworth, 2013, from the series The Meadow, inkjet print, courtesy of the artist and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, © Barbara Bosworth.

“Fall light on the meadow” by Barbara Bosworth, 2003, from the series The Meadow, inkjet print, courtesy of the artist and the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, © Barbara Bosworth.

“All the mushrooms found on one walk around the meadow” by Barbara Bosworth, 2012, from the series The Meadow, installation photograph by Suzanne Révy.
To gain a broader understanding of the meadow’s ecosystem, Bosworth invited the participation of several scientists, historians, foragers and archeologists to accompany her and her project collaborator Margot Anne Kelley, the naturalist and writer. A striking still-life featuring a collection of various mushrooms emphasizes the dynamic and ever-changing life cycles they found there. Bosworth and Kelly are generous with the scientific and historic knowledge they garnered while exploring the area, encouraging us to consider nature beyond its splendor. Bosworth’s hefty, integrative approach to The Meadow creates an alluring and sublime exhibition that conveys the ephemeral, fragile state of our environment and accentuates our dependence on the earth’s bounties for survival.

“View of the meadow, frosty dawn” by Barbara Bosworth, 2003, from the series The Meadow, courtesy of the artist and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, © Barbara Bosworth.
For more information: https://www.mfa.org/exhibition/barbara-bosworth-the-meadow