PHOTOGRAPHS
Gibson, Ralph
U.S. (1939 - )
Woman in Robe
1972
Gelatin silver print
12 5/8 x 9 1/2 in. (32.1 x 24.1 cm) image size; 13 15/16 x 11 15/16 in. (35.4 x 30.3 cm) sheet size
Joseph and Elaine Monsen Photography Collection
FA 2001.76

In The Hooded Bather, Gibson captures a dream-like scene with this anonymous figure in a non-descript landscape. The mysterious bather recalls the tradition of nineteenth-century Romanticism with the depiction of an iconic figure contemplating the grandeur of nature. At the same time, the photograph reveals Gibson’s ongoing fascination with the pattern of light and shadow that creates an universal abstract setting.

For more than thirty years, Ralph Gibson has photographed light and shadow, texture and form in rich black and white or, more recently, in color to create minimal and often geometric compositions. He is interested more in the relationship between images rather than a single photograph, having published over 22 monographs of his work. Some of these titles include Déjà Vu (1973), Days at Sea (1974), and Tropism (1987). (Corey Keller, Ralph Gibson, New York, 1996). -- Label copy for 150 Works of Art, October 1, 2005 to February 26, 2006.