Bowdoin College Museum of Art | - Desert Fire #1 (Burning Palms)

Preview image of work. ektacolor print, Desert Fire #1 (Burning Palms) 9510

1985.7

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Desert Fire #1 (Burning Palms)

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Artist

Richard Misrach (1949 - )

Title

Desert Fire #1 (Burning Palms)

Creation Date

1983

Century

20th century

Dimensions

18 5/16 in. x 23 1/8 in. (46.5 cm. x 58.7 cm.)

Classification

Photographs

Creation Place

North America, United States

Medium and Support

ektacolor print

Credit Line

Museum Purchase, Lloyd O. and Marjorie Strong Coulter Fund

Copyright

This artwork may be under copyright. For further information, please consult the Museum’s Copyright Terms and Conditions.

Accession Number

1985.7

This photograph is part of a collection called Desert Cantos that depicts the complex relationship between the natural environment and American progress. Robert Misrach’s long-standing fascination with and fear of the desert are conveyed through the boldness of the straight-on camera angle. Taken at short range, the image places the viewer too close for comfort to a fire, with no means in sight for putting it out. Misrach does not explicitly show who started the fire, he only implies that someone was responsible. The viewer is left with a hallow feeling as they struggle to reconcile fire as both natural and unnatural. The image rebels against the ideal of the American frontier perpetuated by photographs of picturesque developments bordered by the sparkling Pacific Ocean. The burning palm trees, usually symbols of luxury and paradise, here signify that human development will ultimately submit to the forces of nature.