One of the superstar photographers featured at LOOK3 Festival of the Photograph last week was Nick Brandt, who has united his majestic animal portraits with a deep environmental consciousness. In his latest series (and book) Inherit the Dust, the British photographer placed life-sized portraits of animals he sometimes waited weeks to photograph into their now devastated former habitats in East Africa.
“Quarry with Lion, 2014” from the series Inherit the Dust by Nick Brandt (courtesy of the artist and Edwynn Houk Gallery, NY).
Brandt’s expansive B&W panoramas are both stunning and sorrowful, contrasting the noble wildlife with the ravaged land and its similarly displaced, pitiable human inhabitants. The enormity of the images packs a punch, while the gorgeous tonality lends a timeless quality that intensifies the irony of the terrible conditions.
“Underpass with Elephants (Lean Back, Your Life Is On Track), 2015” from the series Inherit the Dust by Nick Brandt (courtesy of the artist and Edwynn Houk Gallery, NY).
Brandt’s photography is the epitome of conceptual art, brought to fruition through his assiduous attention to the elements that make a great image. His compositions create playful repetitions or set up linear dynamics that direct the eye across the frame. His placement of wildlife both highlights and integrates them. Brandt’s advance planning for each shot demonstrates his admirable patience for both the appropriate animal “expression” and the weather conditions for a fitting, often foreboding “big sky”. It is a rare phenomenon for an artist to successfully incorporate such impactful meaning into equally striking images, but Brandt has succeeded with Inherit the Dust.
“Quarry with Giraffe, 2014” from the series Inherit the Dust by Nick Brandt (courtesy of the artist and Edwynn Houk Gallery, NY).
An apparent purist, Brandt staged each photograph with life-sized animal portraits rather than utilize Photoshop but I have to wonder why. I think the photographs would be equally powerful either way, since he obviously “distressed” the wildlife portraits and employed selective focus in order to ease their integration into his panoramas. His “behind the scenes” photos show lots of helpers in constructing each set. Perhaps, then, it was his desire to salary the locals that moved him to such elaborate productions.
“Road to Factory with Zebra, 2014” from the series Inherit the Dust by Nick Brandt (courtesy of the artist and Edwynn Houk Gallery, NY).
To help conserve the natural environment in East Africa, Brandt co-founded the non-profit Big Life Foundation in 2010. Inherit the Dust should go a long way toward raising public awareness and, likewise, contributions for this desperately deserving cause. In the meantime, Brandt’s magnificent images will be on view at the McGuffey Art Center in Charlottesville, Virginia through June 26, 2016, made possible in part by a generous donation from the DN Batten Foundation.
For more information about this exhibit, go to: http://www.look3.org/nick-brandt
To learn more about Big Life Foundation, go to: http://www.nickbrandt.com/text_page.cfm?pid=4511
To view and/or order Inherit the Dust by Nick Brandt, go to: http://www.nickbrandt.com/text_page.cfm?pid=2706
Feature Image: “Wasteland with Elephant, 2015” from the series Inherit the Dust by Nick Brandt (courtesy of the artist and Edwynn Houk Gallery, NY).
“Wasteland with Rhinos, 2015” from the series Inherit the Dust by Nick Brandt (courtesy of the artist and Edwynn Houk Gallery, NY).
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